By Poppy Smith

Homer Independent Press


The Homer High School Choir Program performs “Footloose” as this year’s school musical. Held in the Mariner Theatre March 19, 20 and 21, the musical centers around the small town of Beaumont, Indiana, where dancing has been outlawed on the charge of immorality. Ren McCormack, the new kid from Chicago, must help the people of Beaumont to relearn dancing, as well as learn for himself what it is to love and grieve.

Performances are at 7 p.m. March 19 and 20 and at 3 and 7 p.m. March 21 at the Homer High School Mariner Theatre. General Admission is $15, $12 for seniors, $10 for students and $40 for families. Tickets are available at the Homer Bookstore or at the door. Cash or check only, and all proceeds go to the Homer High School Choir Program.

Kyle Schneider, musical director and choir teacher, when asked why he chose “Footloose” as this year’s production, said, “This year we happen to have a very large incoming class of freshmen, many of whom were dancers,” and that “The choice of ‘Footloose’ as a production was something that we landed on because it tells an incredible story of how different groups of people process grief.”

Rehearsals faced a challenge while the Mariner Theatre had to be closed during winter break and into the new year. According to a letter from Homer High School principal Eric Pederson, “a rigging wire supporting a batten failed, causing the attached acoustic ceiling to fall onto the stage.” The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District closed the theater until the stage could be made safe. Schneider said that until the end of February rehearsals couldn’t be held in the Mariner Theatre.

“We were actually rehearsing out in the Homer High School Commons or in the Green Room. And while that is very common for other productions, that is not the norm for our production,” Schneider said. “…Being able to be back in the space was really important to us, and we were very, very relieved when that was the case. And thankfully, you know, the stage is safe.”

Another challenge presented to the cast is the sheer emotional range required for some of the production’s roles, Schneider said.

“We have actors on stage who are very experienced young actors, but having to express an emotional arc that goes from deep seated grief all the way through reconciliation of that grief and learning to act through what will eventually feel as joy or re-immersion of them, their original selves, becomes this new task for them,” he said.

When asked if the cast had any difficulties understanding the more dated content of the production, Schneider said, “We’ve run into, of course, those challenges, but also the the challenges of generational challenges, knowing that, oh, it’s not just you’re going to make this private phone call to someone else when in reality, there’s a house phone, and anybody in the house can pick up the other line.” 

Older members of the crew have also been a valuable resource, Schneider said. “Jennifer Norton, our stage director, me as the music director and other members of the crew who are backstage helping out, or parents who are assisting with costuming and stage construction, set construction, makeup and hair, things of that nature. This has been a nice walk down memory lane for a lot of us, because it’s very much our childhood in some cases.”

Given that the main plot point of “Footloose” is that dancing is banned, the question was brought up of how the choreography might be affected. 

“I think it’s a great opportunity to highlight how the student’s response to any situation is often different than what the adults around them may expect,” Schneider said. “We see a number of instances where the newest member of the cast, his name is Ren McCormick, and he’s the young man who’s moved into Beaumont, Indiana from the big city of Chicago, he’s actually helping teach his now classmates what it is to dance, because, of course, it’s been outlawed in this town for five years, and so many of these students don’t know how to dance.”

In response to a question of how the themes of the original are relevant nowadays, the director said, “I think it’s always relevant to have students who have a belief or a goal express their concerns and their emotions; that’s important to me. Of course, processing grief, in and of itself, is incredibly relevant, especially as it becomes more socially appropriate and socially accepted for especially adult men, to process grief in a more public manner than historically accurate.” 

He found that the original does stand the test of time, saying, “There are going to be some challenges, of course. One of the things that has been brought up as a concern by cast members is the fact that there is profanity used. And of course, it’s teenagers, and anyone that’s met a teenager will know that profanity exists in their world. Likewise, there are a couple situations where the significant other of one of the characters in the show gets physically violent with them, and that is a challenge as well. And so we encourage any of our audience coming to please understand there are topics in the course of the show that may make you feel uncomfortable, but they are important to the story arc, and they do tell a further story.”

While the content of the play does involve topics that might make some members of the audience uncomfortable, many of them are unavoidable facts of life, and in some cases, may even serve as points of reference for those experiencing the same thing. When asked if the domestic abuse portrayed in the production might help a person recognize their situation, Schneider responded, “That is certainly a possibility. It’s not the necessary goal of the production, of course, but in the event that that is something that is helpful to be seen, I’m glad that we can portray it for people.”

Stage Adaptation by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie Based on the Original Screenplay by Dean Pitchford 

Music by Tom Snow 

Lyrics by Dean Pitchford 

Additional Music by Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins, and Jim Steinman

Musical Director – Kyle Schneider

Stage Director – Jennifer Norton

Ren McCormack – Ethan Pietsch

Reverend Shaw Moore – Dayus Geysbeek

Ariel Moore – Kayla Kalafut

Vi Moore – Charity Rainwater

Rusty – Kenzie Hansen

Willard Hewitt – Finnley Stineff

Ethel McCormack – Madison Jones

Chuck Cranston – Aiden Cooney

Urleen – Madelyn Moore

Wendy Jo – Jessica Plumlee

Cowboy Bob – Evan Pietsch

Lulu Warnicker – Alana Crane

Wes Warnicker – Daniel Christ

Coach Roger Dunbar – Finn Spitler

Eleanor Dunbar – Freya Bartlett

Lyle – Carter Davis

Travis – Alex Brock

Principal Harry Clark – Corbin Johnson

Betty Blast – Isaiah Kincaid

Jeter – Aiden Crane

Bickle – Trygg Flynn

Garvin – Fischer Spurkland

Cop – Ashe Sylce

Ren’s Chicago Friend #1 – Vern Nevarras

Ren’s Chicago Friend #2 – Ilsa Golden

Ren’s Chicago Friend #3 – Kara C.