A Timeless Story for a
New Generation

Twenty years ago, Footloose was the first musical that I worked on as a Technical Director at Lake Central High School.  And forty years ago, the original movie came out, giving people all over the world some great music to dance and sing to.

I have truly enjoyed sharing this story with this generation of students.  Some of them knew some of the songs, but few of them really knew the movie or that it was based on actual events.  And that is such a core part of theatre education: bringing history to life through the performing arts.

Whether you have been a fan of the show for 40 years, or you just like the music, prepare yourself.  Unlike last year’s The SpongeBob Musical, this show takes more of an introspective approach to life.  We have worked on highlighting three main themes of this show:  fighting for what one believes in, listening to your opposition, and overcoming traumatic experiences.  The dialogue has not changed much in the twenty years since I first worked on the show (there is a Wikipedia reference that did not exist back then, and certainly wasn’t in the movie!).  Social media is not a thing in the world of this play.  Nevertheless, the story still rings just as true today as it did 40 years ago.  Through very realistic and relatable characters, dialogue, and storylines, my hope is that you walk away connected through at least one of those themes.

The performance you are about to see is the product of a lot of amazing people.  First and foremost are the students who have worked so hard over the past 10 weeks on this show.  But helping to cultivate their talents are some amazing adults who have mentored them.  Luke McGinnis has worked his perennial magic to teach students of a wide range of singing abilities to create beautiful sounds.  Alex Marich has likewise enabled our performers to reach new heights in dance.  Peggy Matanic has created some great looking set and props pieces, working with her Technical Theatre Classes and our student props crew.  And this year, we welcomed MTC alumna Jerrie Kroll to mentor our costume design team.  All of this has allowed me to focus on the acting and bringing everything together for a cohesive production.  I cannot thank them enough for joining me on this journey.  Our students come to us with varying levels of skills and ambitions, and we adults help them grow and shine!

Thank you for coming to today’s performance!

--R. Palasz