The clock is ticking and the days are counting down to Lewis Cass High School’s production of Grease! On March 14 and 15, 2025, at 7:00 pm, in the high school auditorium, the lights will be on, props will be set, and seats will be full. The cast is just as excited as the community is, and they are preparing more and more, day by day. Whether the cast is nervous, excited, or just ready to get the show on, time is still moving, and people are still preparing as much as they can for this show.
This show goes back to 1959 at Rydell High School, where school spirit means the most. With tons of popular hit songs from that time frame, a lot of fun characters, and many memorable moments. The show is spunky and creative and has so many funny moments. What helps this show the most is the support it has. So many people have come in to help, and have volunteered to help out with the show. The community is coming together to make this show one for the books! Director, Joyce Bower, has been involved in theater since high school. She has put in so much effort to make this show amazing. Joyce was asked how she feels about how much time the cast has remaining before the show. She responded, “With the show being ONE week and ONE day away….my heart is SO full! I’m SO excited (and perhaps a Little nervous)!! I cannot WAIT to see it all come together with a live audience watching. They are going to LOVE it!!” As she mentioned, the community is extremely excited to see this show come together and put on the stage. It takes a lot of effort for a smaller school to put on such a large, material-heavy, show. Joyce was also asked about improvements she has seen with the show and cast. She said, “Major Improvements?? OH MY……Everyone in this cast has been AMAZING!! Two weeks ago I was a little nervous…we had a few missed rehearsals because of weather and school being closed…..and then this past week…..they just blew me away!!! I have no doubt this show will come together and be a show that Lewis Cass will remember!” The cast was running into so many roadblocks while trying to have rehearsal with the huge snow storm that swept through this past month. They had many days off, and lost a lot of time. Even though this was challenging, they continued to work hard and push through to, slowly but surely, bring the show together. With a great show, comes nerves. Joyce was asked what she is most nervous for in the upcoming week. She said, “ I’m seriously most nervous about ME!! I hope Mrs. Guy and I have done a good job at putting it all together. I feel like you never quite know this until dress rehearsal week. That will be the real test for me, as a director.” She also mentioned, “ I could never ask for a more talented and dedicated bunch of young adults! Sometimes, I have to pinch myself and ask…”How did I ever get so lucky to get asked to help with this show? Thank you Mrs. Guy and thank you Lewis Cass Students! I am SO blessed!”
Lewis Cass Choir has been working so hard in every aspect to perfect this show, making sure nothing goes wrong on stage or in the technical aspect. Many people do not realize how much more than singing and acting goes into putting on such a large production. The tech booth stays busy during the entirety of the show. Abby Guy, the vocal director and someone who will be helping out with the technical aspect, was asked what she is most nervous for when it comes to being behind the tech booth. Abby said, “The tech booth is always nerve racking because there are 1,000 different things that can go wrong at any point! I really want our sound/lighting/tracks to work cohesively so there aren’t any distractions that take away from our musicians on stage. So, I’m nervous about getting all of our tech people coordinating together. BUT…I’m very confident it will be fine!” Like Joyce, Abby can also notice the improvements from the cast, although she may be listening for the improvements. Abby was asked what vocal improvements she has noticed over the past two months. She mentioned, “I’ve seen such an improvement in the overall confidence of this cast! Every rehearsal we get more secure on a different aspect of the show. I’ve loved watching our cast develop into these characters and putting their own spin on them!” With the show only being one week away, she said, “I feel like we are sitting in a really good place for our show being 1 week away. Our cast is off book, our songs are improving with every run we do, and our confidence is really climbing! I really want us to feel ready by Thursday so next week we can focus on sound/lighting only.”
Freshman, Brecken Smith, who is playing Danny Zuko in their production of Grease, has been working hard to perfect and learn the character, while tackling sports and other conflicts. Brecken was asked about how he is feeling compared to when the cast first began rehearsing. Brecken said, “I’m feeling a lot more confident with my acting, lines, and overall performances.” Learning lines as someone who has not done many shows, and has such a large amount of dialogue, it can be difficult to manage. Things have been improving over time, and the cast has been kicking it to get as much work done as possible in this upcoming week. Brecken was asked what he believes has improved the most over the past few weeks. Smith said, “Definitely my confidence on and off the stage.” Over the time of practicing, funny moments have occurred and memories have been made. Bracken mentioned, “My favorite memory was when I first walked in, and I saw everything come full circle with lines, acting, and being with my friends.”
The clock is running, and time is not going to slow down. Grease is approaching quickly, and everyone is preparing. The Lewis Cass Choir program is extremely excited to present this show to the public. They have been advertising the show as much as they can on social media, and through newspapers, and even presenting a sneak peek at a basketball game! March 14 and 15, 2025 at 7:00 is when Grease will come to life! The cast hopes to see you all there!
