Blindauer instructs actors, from left, Emily McKenzie, junior, Cooper Brown, junior, and Kate Hanson, senior, during one of their first rehersals of the year.
This fall, MTC will be putting on their musical, a production set in the ‘50s called “Bye Bye Birdy” as opposed to on the usual winter date.
“The audition process was long and effective,” Rebecca Jaegers, sophomore, said. “It was very nerve-wracking, but once the cast list was up, there was a big feeling of relief.”
Jaegers will play the part of Alice in the show.
The production is about an Elvis-esque pop star named Conrad Birdie who is being drafted into the army. His management team decides to use this for a publicity stunt, in which Birdie will travel to the small town of Sweet Apple, Ohio, and select one member of his fanclub to kiss as he leaves for duty.
What’s significant about this musical is its Rebecca Blindauer’s, theatre teacher, first show at MHS. Blindauer replaced Judi Jones, who retired last year.
“Ms. Jones was here for so long, and she put on a lot of amazing productions,” Blindauer said. “I think students might find it interesting to see how
productions will be different with a new teacher.”
Blindauer saw “Bye Bye Birdie” as the perfect fit for this year’s musical.
“When I was thinking about which show I wanted to do, ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ crossed my mind,” Blindauer said. “It’s an awesome show, and there’s a lot of great parts for high school kids.”
Blindauer earned a degree in acting from Missouri State University, and she has previously toured and performed with theatre companies in New York, where she lived for 12 years.
“The students have welcomed me with open arms,” Blindauer said. “They’re willing to learn from a new person, which shows me they’re willing to grow and improve on their skills.”
Joey Westhoff, junior, will play the part of Freddie, along with being a part of the chorus for the song “The Telephone Hour.”
“I really like Mrs. Blindauer, and she’ll be a great fit for teaching theatre at MHS,” Westhoff said.
“Students should be excited for this musical because it’s going to be a phenomenal production.”
Cooper Brown, junior, is playing the part of Mr. MacAfee, one of the comedic characters in the show.
“There’s a lot of fun numbers, comedic roles, and colors in this musical,” Brown said. “It’s very pleasing to the eye and the ears.”
The show, due to its large sets, is going to be a bit of a different experience to pull off, Brown said, especially because this is Blindauer’s first show at MHS.
“She has new, bigger ideas,” Brown said. “She wants to go big since it’s her first musical at MHS.”
The show runs 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19 – 22 every date but Nov. 22, which has a 2 p.m matinee. Tickets are $10 and go on sale Nov. 2.
