playbill vip

Footloose – the “Kevin Bacon version” -- was released exactly 30 years ago, which was the year after I graduated from high school. In 1998, when many of us Generation X-ers  were popping out our little “Generation Y” babies, Broadway popped out a live musical version. The stage production featured many of the songs from the movie along with a few additional numbers written especially for musical theatre.  Footloose, the Dance Musical, ran on Broadway for 2 years, with American and British touring versions running through 2007. A 2011 film remake featuring Julianne Hough dressed up the old plot in a more updated image for today’s teens.

Our production, in a way, marks a 30 year anniversary of a story that connects the students of 2014 to their parents' generation. It gives all of us, young and (getting) old, an opportunity to come together not just as a high school, but as an intergenerational community. We have over 32 students on stage, including a balanced mix of experienced student thespians and students who are completely new to theatre; another 20 students are hard at work behind the scenes, moving set pieces, managing sound, helping with costumes, and running lights. Sharing the stage with the students are  3 brave teachers (Val Shelton, Susan Bale, and Denise Maria) , counselor Kris Davis, and Dean of Students Gene Dales;  we are also excited that members of our own Redmond Town Council, along with members of the Redmond Commission on Art in Public Places, will appear in “cameo” roles as members of the council of the fictional town of Bomont for our “Town Council” night on Friday, March 7th.

Truly, this production fulfils the vision of the character of Ren, when he reminds the Bomont Town Council of that dancing (and making art, in general) “is not a crime.” In fact, it is a thing, the thing, that humans have done since the beginning of time in order to “celebrate community spirit.”

After all, that’s point of all the work we’ve been doing for the past 8 weeks. What distinguishes live theatre from film is that it only exists in the present moment and only in communal space, when an audience has gathered for the express purpose of sharing an experience that is both practiced and spontaneous – and that, at any rate, can never be duplicated or remade. Thank you all for being present with us for this somewhat nostalgic celebration of what it means to be together as a community “right here” and “right now!”

HBW

Hilda Beltran Wagner

Director, RHS Panther Theatre Company