Footloose, Footloose, Kick Off Your Sunday Shoes by Rick Bergman

              The opening music of Footloose always brings back a flood of memories from childhood for me.  I remember the first time that I saw the movie and the opening song being played over scenes of random feet dancing.  No faces, no identifying features, just a bunch of feet dancing to the title track, Kenny Loggin’s Footloose.  The movie is on the surface a simple story about rebellious teenagers and a strict Christian town.  It put Kevin Bacon on the map and made him a huge star.  When I was younger it was all about the music and dancing, but as I got older I noticed so much more.  I realized that it isn’t about rebellious kids, but rather about a young man searching for a father and a father searching for the son that he lost.  Their search for those things affected everyone around them in different ways, the father lost sight of his daughter.  The daughter made poor choices to get the attention of her father.  The teenage boy caused grief for his family because of the reputation that he had created for himself.  The movie is so much more than a “dance movie.”  It is probably the film from that period in the
1980’s that I have watched the most.

              When I heard that Footloose was going to be a stage musical, I was a little leery.  I did not think they could capture the heart and poignancy that the film had.  I did not think any performer could be up to snuff when compared with the actors in the film.  But, I went and saw it and I have to say I was impressed.  The story is captured beautifully and the musical shows us that the story is timeless.  I am more excited about this summer’s production than I have been for any others.  I love the story and music of Footloose and can’t wait to see what our artists, both teens and adults, bring to this story.

              We are proud to announce that our director this year is Darnell Morris, a local producer, director, choreographer and actor who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our stage.  He has assembled a team that will stretch our actors in new ways and teach them the wonderful art of creation.  Most recently, Darnell has produced RENT at the Kensington Arts Center.  This is one of the first amateur productions of RENT in our area.  We are very excited about working with him and bringing him into the PGSTT family. 

              If you have never seen Footloose, you owe it to yourself to find it and watch it.  Put it on Netflix, find it on television (VH1 is notorious for running it 2 or 3 times a weekend) or find an old VHS copy.  Sit down with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy.  When you are done, if you are a teenager come to auditions and join us in creating an awesome show this summer.  Audition dates are May 17 and 18, 2010 and callbacks are May 19.  For all of  the information visit us at www.pgstt.org  We look forward to seeing you and don’t forget that sometimes you just have to “footloose, footloose, kick off your Sunday shoes.