Archive: Arts & Entertainment

Running to Places, the non-profit theatre company for youth across Tompkins County, presents the explosive rock musical: “Footloose!” Fifty of the most talented teen performers from every corner of the region bring this classic 80’s flick to life onstage at The State Theatre of Ithaca for one weekend only, August 14-16, Friday and Saturday at 7pm, Sunday at 2pm.

Based on the 1984 film that made Kevin Bacon a star, Footloose tells the story of a small rural town in Oklahoma where dancing has been forbidden by the strict preacher, Reverend Shaw (Zachari Seeley of Candor). Everything changes when the fiery young Ren McCormack (Nick Shuhan of Ithaca) moves to town from the big city, falls in love with Shaw’s defiant daughter Ariel (Katarina Andersson of Ithaca), and sets out to break all the rules.

“It’s the perfect summer musical,” enthuses director Joey Steinhagen. “Passionate, rebellious teens falling in love and dancing their brains out!  Footloose had one of the  greatest soundtracks of the eighties – Let’s Hear It for the Boy, Holding Out for a Hero, Almost Paradise, and of course the title song – and the musical puts all of those songs into the mouths of the characters themselves. It’s a pretty fun time. I dare people not to sing along.”

Gail Belokur, Running to Places Executive Director and Producer/Production Designer for Footloose, is excited about the venue. “One of the core principles of Running to Places is to hold rehearsals and performances at a variety of locations around the county. This reinforces our mission of creating community by being in each others’ home towns. Most frequently, we perform at school auditoriums. We’re thrilled to have our first show at The State Theatre of Ithaca.” Built in 1928 as a vaudeville house and cinema, The State Theatre hosts a variety of local to international music acts, dance companies, theatrical performances, and more. Belokur adds, “When the kids found out they would be performing on the same stage as legends, they were over the moon.”

Footloose features a cast of teens in grades 6-12 from every school district in Tompkins County. “We get the cream of the crop,” says Choreographer Todd Peterson. “Not only are they the best singers, dancers, and actors around when they audition for us, but also once they meet new kids from other schools who are just as good, they step up their game. This is a community of kids who value and respect hard work – who strive to improve themselves at every opportunity. And they work very hard in our shows.” The Running to Places rehearsal process is compressed compared to typical school shows. The four-week rehearsal period for Footloose is unusually long for the company approaching the end of its second season. Peterson adds, “We wanted to give ourselves a little bit of extra time (laughs at the idea of four weeks being ‘extra time’) so we could really take this show to the next level.” There is some of the most intense, athletic dancing that I’ve seen in a show like this for a long time.”

Erica Steinhagen is the Vocal Music Director for the show. According to her, “Many people are shocked when they see the caliber of the teens. They’ve never seen so many strong performers of this age. We’ve consistently had audience members tell us that once they’ve seen an R2P show, they’re hooked, and they come back again and again. This is not a typical ‘school show’.” Even the sponsorship of this production is unusual in its youth-centric nature. In addition to the season-long sponsorship of CSP Management and Cayuga Radio Group, the two show-specific sponsors for Footloose are Shakespeare in the Basement and Viva La Femme – two entirely teen-run performance groups.

Young artists are exercising their talents behind-the-scenes as well. Maddy Friga (Stage Manager) and Anais Duplan (Scenic Designer) are high school students making their debuts in their respective roles. They have been mentored by professionals and college majors throughout the process. Belokur says, “We’re very grateful for the generosity of the Community Foundation’s Browning Fund. We’ve been honored with a grant to support our mentoring program. This gives young people the skills they need to do their jobs and to grow as artists.”

Other members of the team include David Musselwhite (Lighting Design), Eric Yaple (Sound Engineer), and Mike Garrett (Technical Director). The cast also includes Travis Jones as Willard (Ithaca), Sarah Steurer as Vi (Candor), Sophie Potter as Ethel (Ithaca), Kasia Sendek as Rusty (Ithaca), Sari Koppel as Wendy Jo (Trumansburg), Shauna Belokur as Urleen (Candor), and Will Krasnoff as Chuck (Ithaca).

Running to Places opens its final show of the 2009 season September 11: Little Shop of Horrors to be performed in the air-conditioned Candor High School Auditorium.

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