After directing RMA’s Middle School play each year in the fall, drama teacher Mrs. Whitehurst then directs a musical for Upper School students in the spring. This year, students performed Grease (School Version) on March 26th and 27th at 7 pm at the Dunn Center at North Carolina Wesleyan. (The term “School Version” by the name means that the script has been modified to suit a more family-friendly audience and is shorter in length). Set in the 1950s and made into a hit movie in the 1980s, Grease is well-known for its musical numbers such as “You’re The One That I Want,” “Hopelessly Devoted To You,” and “We Go Together,” and senior Audrey Roeder notes that she “really loves the music” in the show. This is actually not the first time that Mrs. Whitehurst has directed Grease, as RMA students also performed it in the spring of 2018, but since all of our original cast members have graduated, Mrs. Whitehurst decided to allow new students to perform in this fan-favorite.
Auditions for Grease (School Version) were held at the beginning of January and cast seniors Audrey Roeder as Sandy and Vann Davis as Danny. Although the production is technically an Upper School play, Mrs. Whitehurst kindly allowed many Middle Schoolers to participate as cast members as well, as she warned audiences not to “be surprised when you see Middle Schoolers in this show. They’re doing a great job.” Macie Barnes, RMA class of 2018, also came back to join the cast; he played Jan in the 2018 show but took on an entirely different role this time: Doody, one of the T-Birds.
Just as important as the actors were the hard workers behind the scenes. Senior Gus McNiff assisted the tech crew full-time, while other students pulled double duty as both actors and crew: 8th grader Maria Falconi (who played a singer at the high school dance) directed music alongside Mr. Leonard, and 11th grader Nicolas Du Pont (aka, Roger, one of the T-Birds) operated sound and addressed the audience before each performance began.
When asked what draws them to theater, the cast agreed that they feel a true sense of community with each other as they come together to put on a play. Freshman Annika Plonski says she likes performing “because it’s fun to meet people who have the same interests as you,” and junior Ava Swanner deeply enjoys “meeting new people and getting to know others better.” For others, the theater community is like a home away from home–a place where they can be comfortable in their own skin. Senior Vann Davis, for instance, says that “he really feels like himself” when he’s with the cast.
The cast is so happy to have had this opportunity to show off their talents, and so was Mrs. Whitehurst, who said that they “had to overcome a lot of hurdles with this show, and that made [them] stronger.” If you were in attendance on Tuesday or Wednesday night, you know the work was worth it; it was an amazing show!
