Open auditions set for stage production of 'Footloose' at New Kensington campus

Show to feature singing, dancing and acting roles

“I've got this feeling, that time's just holding me down, I'll hit the ceiling or else I'll tear up this town. Now I gotta cut loose … ” -- Lyrics from ‘Footloose’ by Kenny Loggins

NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. — Kick off your Sunday shoes and summon your inner Kevin Bacon as auditions for roles in Penn State New Kensington’s “Footloose: The Musical” begin at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, in the newly renovated Forum Theatre. Director James Baker has put out a call to the campus and community to form the cast of the fall stage production set for Nov. 4-6.

“Footloose is a musical filled with love, heart, and open youthful energy, something that we can all use a bit of in our sometimes challenging and adult lives,” said Baker, who is directing his first fall production at the campus. “It is a story about dancing, but it’s also about a family and a town that is grieving a great loss. It’s a story about how fear and grief can cause us to control the things around us, when what we really need is to let go.”

Singers, dancers and actors are needed for the seven main characters of Ren, Ethel, Reverend Shaw, Vi, Ariel, Willard and Rusty. All ages and ethnicities are welcome. High school students, especially those in the Alle-Kiski Valley, are urged to compete for roles in the musical.

“To help kick off our newly renovated space, we are inviting local high school students to be a part of our production,” said Baker, a former campus student who played the lead in numerous campus plays. “Students from Burrell, Valley, Highlands, Saint Joseph High School, Kiski, and other surrounding schools are encouraged to audition.”

Prior to the audition, an informational meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28 in the theater. The session will detail the protocol for the aspiring performers at the audition. The director’s Forum Theatre at Penn State New Kensington Facebook page contains information on scheduling an audition.

Based on the 1984 hit movie with Bacon, Lori Singer and John Lithgow, the musical pits rebellious high school students against repressive parents, and liberal big cities against conservative small towns.

For more about the audition, contact Baker at 412-848-5778 or [email protected]

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Bill Woodard

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