By Alana Davies
Exciting things have been happening all year in our Darlene S. Howard theatre, but none were as highly anticipated as Collingwood’s production of Grease. From April 15th to 18th, Collingwood’s talented performing arts crew entertained and amazed the crowds that came out to support them.
“Grease: The Musical” follows the well-known story of Sandy Dumbrowski and Danny Zuko, two high school seniors who try to rekindle their romance after a summer relationship. We see them work through obstacles such as high school life and their respective friendship groups, the Pink Ladies and the Burger Palace Boys (Greasers). Rizzo has a pregnancy scare, Frenchy dreams of beauty school, Marty obsesses over the boys in her life, and Jan bonds with her friends over food. Kenickie fools around in his dream car, Doody worships his friends, Sonny thinks he’s a real ladykiller, and Roger entertains with his joking nature.
Auditions took place in October, with over seventy hopeful candidates demonstrating their talents to Ms. Tench, Mr. Buchan, Ms. Green, and Ms. Anderson. A cast of thirty-two was chosen, with a band combo of six to accompany the play, a crew of twelve, and a production team of fifteen.
Rehearsals ran from October through April. In the last few weeks before the show, everyone involved was at school every day rehearsing until 9 pm! So much went into this production: the brilliant minds of Ms. Tench, Mr. Buchan, Ms. Green, and Ms. Anderson, the impassioned and fun-loving cast, the incredibly talented band musicians.
“Grease: The Musical” follows the well-known story of Sandy Dumbrowski and Danny Zuko, two high school seniors who try to rekindle their romance after a summer relationship. We see them work through obstacles such as high school life and their respective friendship groups, the Pink Ladies and the Burger Palace Boys (Greasers). Rizzo has a pregnancy scare, Frenchy dreams of beauty school, Marty obsesses over the boys in her life, and Jan bonds with her friends over food. Kenickie fools around in his dream car, Doody worships his friends, Sonny thinks he’s a real ladykiller, and Roger entertains with his joking nature.
Auditions took place in October, with over seventy hopeful candidates demonstrating their talents to Ms. Tench, Mr. Buchan, Ms. Green, and Ms. Anderson. A cast of thirty-two was chosen, with a band combo of six to accompany the play, a crew of twelve, and a production team of fifteen.
Rehearsals ran from October through April. In the last few weeks before the show, everyone involved was at school every day rehearsing until 9 pm! So much went into this production: the brilliant minds of Ms. Tench, Mr. Buchan, Ms. Green, and Ms. Anderson, the impassioned and fun-loving cast, the incredibly talented band musicians.
“Grease” fever certainly took over the school in the weeks leading up to the production. The cast performed an adaptation of “Grease is the Word” at Monday morning assembly on March 30th, as a teaser to students and staff. When tickets finally went on sale, the shows sold out in record time, leaving many people unhappy and ticketless. Photos and promotional posters in the hallways and those involved sporting their Rydell High School red and white shirts during show week ramped up the excitement.
When asked to describe their “Grease” experience, cast members responded with enthusiasm:
“Grease was the best thing that I have done at Collingwood and it was such a great experience.”
- Bryn Cowan
“The roles were all perfectly cast, especially me being cast as Sonny, since he’s the funniest character and I’m the funniest person I’ve ever met.”
- Jacob Smith
“Dope.”
- Emily Bowers
“Grease was one of the most amazing experiences. I got to work with so many talented students and teachers and it was the best Collingwood production I have ever been involved in.”
- Megan Smith
After all is said and done, Grease was an amazingly exciting experience for everyone involved. Thank you to everyone who was a part of the show, and to everyone who came out to support the show. Long live Grease!
When asked to describe their “Grease” experience, cast members responded with enthusiasm:
“Grease was the best thing that I have done at Collingwood and it was such a great experience.”
- Bryn Cowan
“The roles were all perfectly cast, especially me being cast as Sonny, since he’s the funniest character and I’m the funniest person I’ve ever met.”
- Jacob Smith
“Dope.”
- Emily Bowers
“Grease was one of the most amazing experiences. I got to work with so many talented students and teachers and it was the best Collingwood production I have ever been involved in.”
- Megan Smith
After all is said and done, Grease was an amazingly exciting experience for everyone involved. Thank you to everyone who was a part of the show, and to everyone who came out to support the show. Long live Grease!
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