John Carroll students took the stage in a spectacular performance of Footloose: The Musical on March 24, 25, and 26.

Based after the 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon, Footloose tells the story of a young man, Ren McCormack, who moves from Chicago to the small town of Bomont. There, he stands up against Reverend Moore, the town’s preacher, to try to change the law against public dancing.

Preparations for Footloose began with auditions on January 3 and 4. Since then, the cast practiced dancing, learning music, and memorizing lines nearly every day after school.

Dean of Student Services Larry Hensley served as the director for Footloose. Director of Performing Arts Julie Parrish worked behind-the-scenes to teach the cast the music and perform in the pit orchestra.

This year, Choreographer and Costume Designer Amanda Poxon assisted in creating and teaching the dance numbers in addition to selecting and altering costumes for the cast. Senior Sierra Simmons served as dance captain for the production.

The lead role of Ren was played by senior Reagan McComas, who acted in his tenth JC production.

Reagan’s favorite part about playing Ren was “being able to dance with everyone and connect with the character.”

Reverend Moore’s daughter, and the main love interest, Ariel, was played by senior Chloe Davies, also in her tenth JC production.

Ariel wants to leave Bomont, and takes an interest in the new kid from Chicago. Chloe enjoyed playing the role of Ariel and said, “Playing Ariel is really meaningful to me because I feel like I relate to the character.”

Senior Hannah Hamill performed in her fifth show at JC. Aside from being on stage, Hannah also assisted as the prop manager.

She was most excited to “have such a large cast and crew for this show.” She added, “I feel like this is one of the biggest production teams we’ve had since Legally Blonde, and it’s exciting.”

Performing in his fifth JC show was senior Lane Miller, who played the role of Ren’s best friend, Willard. Lane’s favorite part of the show was the song “Mama Says” in which he sang along with his crew.

“Mama Says” is about not backing down or giving up, and it plays a critical role in convincing Ren to take on Reverend Moore.

As Footloose came to a close, seniors were left with mixed feelings about leaving the theatre department.

Hannah commented, “It’s going to hurt to leave, but it’s great to be going out on such a high note. It feels nice to know that we’re leaving the theatre department in good hands.”

Lane said, “I’m happy that I’m leaving John Carroll and going to college, but I’m also sad that I won’t be doing any plays in college. It’s kind of bittersweet.” Reagan agreed. “It’s really bittersweet because I’m leaving people who I love, but the show was really great, and it’s a great way to go out.”

Overall, Chloe feels that her time in the theatre department has been an incredible experience.
She said, “The people I’ve met through the department are some of my closest friends and most influential mentors. I have loved the roles I’ve played and feel like I’ve grown so much.”