Nease Theater will do its first production of the school year and it comes in the form of the popular musical “Bye Bye Birdie.”
There are four performances scheduled over a three-day period Nov. 2, 3 and 5 with each day having a 6:30 p.m. showing, the only exception being Nov. 5, which will also have a 1:30 p.m. show as part of a doubleheader.
“The great thing about theater is that there is a synergy between the performers and the audience,” Robinson said. “You play off the audience and they feed off of you. That doesn’t happen in T.V. or film.”
Nease High theater instructor Mark Robinson is in his first year at the school, but it did not take long for him to realize the potential the school has in its theater program.
“I can’t believe the amount of talent we have at this school, and they’re all terrific kids,” Robinson said. “It still wows me.”
Robinson chose to do “Bye Bye Birdie” after he watched how the students performed “Mama Mia!” last spring. He was a member of the audience at that time, but once he got the job he knew the current group had what it took to pull it off.
“My first professional acting job was a production of ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ in 1992,” Robinson said. “It’s been a show I’ve wanted to do for a while now.”
Nease has done its musical production in the spring in recent years, but this it will open things up.
According to Robinson, musicals present different aspects a traditional play.
“There’s just so many more components that have to be in place and accounted for with a musical,” Robinson said.
However, the group has been rehearsing since the second week in August and Robinson believes all the pieces and skill sets are in place to have a memorable showing.
“They’ve been rehearsing pretty much every day since then, even with some Saturday rehearsals,” Robinson said. “We did lose four rehearsals because of (Tropical Storm) Ian, but they’ve picked it up and we’re back on track.”
One of the leading roles is held by senior Troy Leatherman, and although he has played a leading role before, it is his first lead in a musical.
However, he has come to really enjoy the unique challenge associated with musicals.
“Some of the differences are obvious when it comes to the singing and dancing, which you will have some dancing in a straight play, but the songs and dance in a musical all tell a story,” Leatherman said. “A musical is really fun to put together as a cast, because there’s more people and you feel more united. You’re all singing, dancing and acting together.”
He first got his taste of theater while in seventh and eighth grade as part of classes, but after focusing on playing sports his freshman year, he joined the high school theater program as a sophomore.
“I decided to do every show that I could, and it all just skyrocketed from there,” Leatherman said.
The past three years has been a time for making incredible memories and lasting friendships and he is looking forward for what his senior year has to offer.
“When you first go up on that stage after rehearsing for months, the feeling that you get is amazing,” Leatherman said. “You really feel like a professional performer, no matter if it’s community theater, high school theater or professional. You know the people watching are taking time out of their lives to watch you and it really motivates you to do your homework and get your performance to the best of its ability.”
It takes the contributions of so many to make “Bye Bye Birdie” a smooth production, with 34 students as part of the cast and 14 others working behind the scenes to make the magic happen in several different areas, such as costumes and technology.
“They all come with a lot of enthusiasm, and that is all you can ask for,” Robinson said. “I think back to when I was their age, and it seems like teen performers really ride the adrenaline of opening night.”
Links to purchase tickets for each of the shows can be found on the Nease Spirit Facebook page.
