By contributing writers Sophia Falasco (‘29) and Maria Fisher (‘27)
Jamesville-DeWitt High School’s 2026 musical “Footloose” is less than a month away, and production is kicking into high gear. Participating in a school musical is no easy task for the J-D high schoolers. In the months of November and December, rehearsal for the cast can be on average 16 hours a week. Once the cast, crew, and pit all come together to rehearse, rehearsals start averaging at about 25-30 hours a week. With the hard work aside, everyone involved in the production of Footloose is happy with the result and the process of the musical, with new friendships and the amazing memories.
“Footloose” follows the story of Ren, a teenage boy that moved from Chicago to a little town called Bomont. To Ren’s surprise, this small town he moved to has banned any form of dancing. With the help of his new friends, Ren sets out to change the law and throw a dance.
Senior Aaron Millea, who plays the main role of Ren, describes his character as sarcastic, with an “in your face” type personality. “He doesn’t hold anything back,” said Millea. Senior Sharon Kim, who plays the leading female role of Ariel said, “It’s a really fun character to play.”
Kim talked about why she decided to participate in the musical in the first place. “I wanted to do the thing that I love in my senior year,” she said. Senior Shayna Nellis, who is in the dance corps, added on to this by saying “It’s a great way to meet a lot of people and have fun; the sense of community you get is great.” Senior Matthew Centolella, who plays the best friend of Ren, agrees and says he enjoys doing J-D high school musicals. “It’s really fun,” says Centolella, “I’ve always loved doing it.”
There is much more though to putting on a musical than just the cast. Senior Nola Britz, who is stage manager, said “I basically give cues to everyone and make sure everything is running smoothly.” Junior Nicholas Duca talked about his job as the assistant stage manager. “I think rails is the most fun. I give the cues to the rails operator and make sure all the other crew members get their cues from Nola.”
Last but not least, is the pit band. Members of the pit band talked about how much fun they had during rehearsals and getting to eat dinner with their friends in between rehearsals and shows. The director of the pit band, Daniel Blumenthal, said, “At first running the pit band came with the territory of being band director.” He talked about his process of making arrangements for certain pieces since not all musical numbers have sheet music for every instrument. For students trying to choose between the pit band or something else, he gave the advice that, “Students should see where they can see themselves in that musical and choose what feels right for them.”
The musical Footloose will run from February 5-7. One show on Thursday, one show on Friday, and two on Saturday. Tickets are available for presale on the J-DHS website.
