Masuk Free Press

By Josie Aja and Mackenzie Magas

After weeks of hard work and preparation, the Masuk Drama department proudly presented their production of Footloose at the opening show this past Thursday. 

The opening number blew audience members away with an energetic performance of the number ‘Footloose’. This energy continued throughout the rest of the first half of the musical as the cast found their stage presence. 

The cast was tasked with an exceptionally short time frame of only seven weeks to stage the musical production. 

“Preparing for opening night has been an absolutely crazy journey in my opinion,” said sophomore Christian Kloter. “We were doing lighting for 15 hours over the weekend, 9 hours one day, which I’d say is definitely taxing, definitely a lot of tears and laughter.”

Though the cast pulled through with an amazing performance, they faced a few obstacles along the way.

“This is the biggest cast we’ve had since Mama Mia, which was about five years ago. We had 12 new kids this time around, so it was definitely interesting to see how it all came together,” said senior Audrey Lesko. “In the beginning it was a little rocky, but around early March it really started to gel and everyone was really into it.”

The sense of community plays a huge role in the success of the department. Despite many new members and an inevitable lack of cohesiveness at the start, the welcoming environment quickly fostered close relationships, which proved apparent from the roaring audience. 

“If there’s arguing and people aren’t working well together you can definitely see that from the audience, so we did a lot of cast bonding; we did a bunch of games at the beginning of every rehearsal to get everyone involved,” said Lesko. “We tried to emphasize that it’s not just the leads who are special, the whole cast and crew matters and without each person we wouldn’t be able to put on the production.”

The preparation leading up to opening night is one that requires a huge team effort from the cast, ensemble, director, and more. Masuk’s own Susan Bartek has been making huge contributions to these productions for many years. 

“Preparing for the show in the weeks right before is the perfect blend of excitement and chaos. It’s time to finalize concessions, spread the word to build ticket sales, and make sure that all the pieces are ready to go for opening night,” said Bartek. “It’s also a time of celebration, with the in-school production showcasing a sneak-peak of our amazing performance and run-throughs ironing out any final blocking or crew adjustments.”

This classic story takes place in Bomont, West Virginia. The cast dressed in cowboy hats and put on their best Southern accents. 

Leads Muriel Bailey and Ryan Sokira stole the show with numerous solo performances. Other cast members such as senior Olivia Beloblosky, sophomore Brady Ebner, freshman William Barett and many more also showcased their outstanding singing abilities.

The cast’s hard work and dedication were clear throughout their performance, which paid off, as evidenced by the enthusiastic applause and cheering. 

“I would just say anytime I see the productions, the kids here just amaze me with their talent,” said Principal Steven Swensen. “I couldn’t be prouder and I was glad there was a good turnout tonight.”

Masuk’s opening night of Footloose was a great success and certainly left the audience craving more. Make sure to catch the upcoming performances to experience the passion, energy and talent of the cast and crew, and to support our vibrant drama department.