Abby Hazlett of Lower Burrell and Josh Daisley of Kittanning rehearse a scene last night before tomorrow’s opening night of Armstrong Community Theater’s musical production of “Footloose” at the Casino Theater in Vandergrift.
by Jonathan Weaver
A mix of both Westmoreland and Armstrong County thespians will combine for Armstrong Community Theater’s summer musical this weekend.
The curtain rises for the summer musical production of “Footloose” at 7:30PM tomorrow, but the nearly-40 thespians have one more dress rehearsal this evening at the Casino Theater in Vandergrift (Westmoreland County) – where the show will be held due to the closure of Kittanning Senior High’s Performing Arts Center.
Casino Theatre Restoration and Management, Inc. Vice-President Marilee Kessler is in charge of activities at the iconic theater and performs technical assistance at the theater. She said Armstrong Community Theater (ACT) President-Elect Paul Wright (who also acts in the musical) contacted her a few months ago about renting the space.
“We’re a facility waiting for a group, and they’re a group waiting for a facility, so it’s just a good match,” Kessler said. “And, they’re very good caretakers of the theater – when they did ‘Robin Hood’ last month, we were very, very happy with the way they respected the building.
“We’re always happy to have ACT.”
Wright (who portrays McCormack’s uncle Wes on-stage) also gets to act as a consultant for the show since he lived through the 1980’s.
In the 14 seasons of the Armstrong Community Theater, local thespians have yet to perform the same show twice, Wright said.
Even though they are experienced thespians, this weekend will be the first time the two lead roles of the musical perform in “Footloose.”
Josh Daisley, 21 of Kittanning, portrays lead character “Ren McCormack” – a teenager from Chicago who not only has to adjust to moving to the small, mid-western town of Bomont, but also to the town ordinance that restricts dancing.
Daisley also would have a problem in a world without dancing as he has performed since his days at Kittanning Junior High and is now preparing to enter his senior year as a musical theater at Seton Hall University in Greensburg (Westmoreland County).
He performed in all four Kittanning Senior High spring musicals and was “Danny Zuko” in Armstrong Community Theater’s production of “Grease” last year, but this is his first experience with “Footloose” after seeing both movie versions.
“It’s really cool to see the musical side of it – because they’re very different, actually,” Daisey said.
“I started Armstrong Community Theater my senior year (of high school) and I always wanted to come back for summer musicals. When I have time off from school, I love coming back to the community. I miss them during the year, so it’s great to come back and put on a great show every summer.”
This January, Daisley will apply to the graduate program at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. with hopes of one day being a full-time character performer.
Abby Hazlett, 18 of Lower Burrell, portrays female lead character Ariel Shaw – a rambunctious teen eager to join in McCormack’s pursuit of abolishing the ordinance (even though it was introduced by her father).
Hazlett has performed in her four years at Kiski Area High School, but this will be her first show with Armstrong Community Theater.
“Footloose” is a show I haven’t gotten to do yet, and Ariel is one of my secret dream roles that nobody. People think at first glance that she’s a really easy role to play, but I’ve had a lot of trouble getting in her head. She’s angry, but you don’t want to come across too angry because you’ll lose the audience – they like people they can relate to,” Hazlett said.
She will attend Point Park University in Pittsburgh this fall to study theatre arts.
Both leads agree that their chemistry on-stage is not an act.
“We’ve become best friends – at first, it was awkward because we didn’t know each other, but as the rehearsal process went on, we became really close,” Daisley said.
Director Mallory Mousseau Grantz, of Apollo, started working with Daisley three years ago for the summer musical “Godspell” and added that it’s been great working with both leads due to their experience.
Mousseau Grantz and Vocal Director Alex Slaughter, of Pittsburgh, stressed to the cast after rehearsing last night about being more than “good enough” since they now the cast can perform better this weekend.
“From where we’ve started to where we’ve grown, it’s been a very impressive transformation,” Mousseau Grantz said.
Tickets are still available for Thursday, Friday or Saturday’s performances. All tickets are $15 each.
Daisley’s character Ren McCormack struggles through his first days in Bomont as he adjusts to the town rules and restrictions against dancing, unlike what he knew in Chicago.