DuBOIS – The DuBois Area High School drama department will present “Rock of Ages: Teen Edition” as its annual all-school musical March 16-18 at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium.
Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students/senior citizens, and the seating is reserved. They may be purchased at the door or online by searching “DuBois” at showtix4u.com. Information can also be found on the school district website, dubois.school.
“Rock of Ages: Teen Edition” takes the audience back to the 1980s, when big egos, big sounds, and even bigger hair were all the rage. The Tony Award-nominated show features the hits of bands like Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, and Bon Jovi, among many others. The musical has been adapted from its original presentation to fit younger voices, and the content has been adapted for high school age students.
The story follows Drew, an aspiring rocker (and local toilet cleaner), who longs to take the stage and become a star. At the same time, he hopes to catch the eye of Sherri, a small-town girl from Kansas, who has a similar dream. But the rock ‘n’ roll fairy tale hits a snag when developers come into town with plans to turn “The Strip” into another materialistic shopping center.
Conceived by Chris D’Arienzo, the original “Rock of Ages” opened on Broadway in April of 2009, playing for 2,328 performances. At the time of its closing, it was the 29th longest-running show in Broadway history. In 2012, a film version of the musical was released, featuring big stars like Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Russell Brand.
Leading the cast at DAHS are Andrew Hewitt as Drew and Madi Rhodes as Stacee. They are joined by Charlie Nixon (Lonnie), Michael Angelo (Stacee Jaxx), Jeremiah Mondi (Dennis), Zach Rafferty (Announcer), CeCe Blaisdell (Justice), and Ella Chirico (Anita). Devan Ball and Julia Wirths play Franz and Hilda Klineman, members of the family looking to replace the rock joint with a mall.
Additional ensemble members, some playing multiple roles, are Hillary Beer, Madalynn Wilson, Caitlyn Bohensky, Aubrey Ott, Danielle Smith, Peyton Morgan, Porter Kolash, Kaitlyn Gardner, Kailey Croasman, Lillian Kakabadze, Tyler Stevens, Gage Pardee, Michael Stainbrook, Colin Lindmar, Nathan Swan, Hunter Jeffers, Ricky Hoare, Liam Levenduski, Molly Sensor, albert Rogers, Mara Jardine, Aaliyah Middleton, Ray London, Nakya Bothast, Grace Shuttleworth.
Dancers featured in the production are Isabelle Bartruff, Kara Miller, Lauren Kennedy, Avelyn Geppart, Ariel Carney, and Abigail Porrin.
Student pit members include Michaela Albers, Cooper Harris, Kegan Corkins, and Justin LoPiccolo. The student stage manager is Rayne Caltagarone. Stage crew is Caroline Badger, Keenan Conner-Park, Bailey Perry, Sierra Raab, Cam Rodgers, Nathan Shaffer, Grace Shuttleworth, and Nicole Weible.
The DAHS production is being directed by Dorothea Hackett, chair of the English department, and music teachers Nicholas Kloszewski and Melinda Swauger are the vocal and music directors, respectively. Mandi Bell, a high school English teacher, is the choreographer and costume coordinator, while middle school teacher David Schwab is handling the lighting coordination. DAHS English teacher Chris Taylor is handling the publicity and business management of the production. Fellow English teacher Linda Rankus is the stage manager, and Brennon Bell is the sound coordinator and set coordinator.
