The middle school transforms into School of Rock

November 11, 2021
In the movie School of Rock, Dewey Finn said, “Dude, I service society by rocking, OK? I’m out there on the front lines liberating people with my music.” The annual middle school musical is set to begin production. This year School of Rock comes to the stage.
Mr. Jason Burgess, drama teacher and director, said, “This year’s musical is School of Rock. The performances will be Thursday, January 27 through Sunday, January 30.” Auditions were open to the entire middle school.”
For those interested, some of the main characters from the show will be the same in the movie. “Some of the adults are Dewey Finn, Rosalie Mullins, Ned Schneebly, Patty Di Marco. Some of the students are Summer, Zach, Lawrence, Freddy, Katie, Tomika, Shonelle, Marcy, Billy, Mason, James, Sophie, and finally Madison,” said Mr. Burgess. “There are a lot of main characters to audition for, but not everyone will get the chance to participate in this year’s musical. There are limited spots to sign up. Mr. Burgess said, “We usually have around 100 students involved in the middle school production.”
This Bluebird production has many things going on. The basic story line follows that of the movie. Overly enthusiastic guitar player Dewey Finn gets thrown out of his bar band and finds himself desperately in need of work. He poses as a substitute teacher in a high-class elementary school and introduces his students to hard rock. As he gets privileged and precocious charges in touch with their inner rock’n’roll animals, as he imagines redemption at the local Battle of the Bands.
Some students or parents might be concerned about the safety protocols. Mr. Burgess said “Everyone will wear masks for the time-being. Don’t worry you will have body microphones.”
After much deliberation, the cast is set.
Dewey Finn – Gabe McDermott
Rosalie Mullins – Norah Shadwell
Ned Schneebly – Harrison Schultz
Patty Di Marco – Nellie Albritton
Summer Hathaway – Ananya Thurongthaisakal
Zack Mooneyham – Spencer Ahlfeld
Tomika – Lorenza Schweizter
Lawrence – Henry Weghorst
Katie – Elliot Martin
Freddie Hamilton – Lela Bach
Marcy – Marlee Henry
Shonelle – Zoe Hyden
Mason – Eva Smith
Billy – Rafe Pinkson
James – Dee Robinson
Sophie – Katherine Heilman
Madison – Mya Lipniskis
Other Students in class – Meredith Mason, Lexi Toranno
Theo – Ben Pfetzer
Doug – Kit Valentine
Bob – Anna Gilkerson
Snake – Jake Hagerty
Stanley – Grace Burnett
Mr. Mooneyham (Zach’s Dad) – Siddhartha Jani
Mrs. Hathaway (Summer’s Mom) – Lucy Delaney
Mr. Williams – Logan Szymanski
Mrs. Spencer -Williams – Liza Zengel
Ms. Sheinkopf – Charlotte Weghorst
Gabe Brown – Charlotte Smith
Mr. Hamilton (Freddy’s Dad) – Ben Pfetzer
Mr. Sanford (Billy’s Dad) – Madden Menz
Mr. Sanders – Sam Leyshock
Ms. Gordon – Grace Burnett
Mr. Noble – Kit Valentine
Mr. Janes – Jake Hagerty
Mrs. Green – Anna Gilkerson
Ms. Bingham – Lily Anderson
Mr. Woodard – Chaney Russell
Ms. Macapugay – Caroline Eagen
Mrs. Wagner – Emme Wilke
Jeff – Maggie Taft
Mrs. Turner (Lawrence’s Mom) – Natalie Lorenz
Mrs. Travis – Sophie Uhl
Rehearsals began on Wednesday, November 10th.
So, “Now raise your goblet of rock. It’s a toast to those who rock!”