Did you see “Footloose”? If not, why didn’t you support our local drama department? But for those who did, how did it feel seeing your principal, or ex-principal, on-stage? Were you surprised to see an middle-aged man on stage when you had been expecting a teenager dressed up as a middle-aged man? Did it give you any horrible flashbacks about the time you got called down to the office in 7th grade? Did you feel like you were in deep trouble? Was it mortifying? Well, here’s how they felt!
In Act One, we see the principal in three different scenes. All involve him scolding Ren, played by Matthew Rudolph, for not abiding by the town’s strict rules. This part wasn’t much of a stretch for the two administrators, except for the fact that Matthew Rudolph has never been in trouble (so far as The Paw Print is aware). Both men were able to pull off the performance, though. Unfortunately, we don’t see the principal after the first act. At the first showing on Friday, Junior High principal Mr. Christian Tracy played the part of the principal and at the second and third showings, High School principal Mr. Joseph Pollitt played the principal.
To get ready for their performance, both men put in serious effort. When he had the time, Pollitt would spend a few minutes practicing his lines and in the afternoon, he’d rehearse with the Footloose cast. He was sure to ask plenty of questions and get feedback from the directors for his part. This was due to this being Pollitt’s first on-stage experience.
Pollitt had a BLAST doing this show! He enjoyed getting to see the cast and crew from behind the curtain and experiencing something he never would just sitting in the audience. At first, he was worried his nerves would get to him and he’d freeze up on stage. But, when he walked out on stage, he was “ready” as Pollitt put it.
Pollitt wanted to add one statement: “Before the Saturday evening performance, I took a moment to thank the cast and crew for all of their support and encouragement, and I told them that I was really glad that I agreed to try something new and take on the role of the Principal. I told them that there are some lessons in life that are best taught outside the classroom – on the court, the field, or the stage…one of those lessons is to get out of your comfort zone and try new things, and I told them that I hoped they would always carry that with them in life.“ Which can be a lesson for you as well.
This sense of keeping calm and carrying on served Pollitt well, because in the Saturday afternoon performance, where he and the other “adults” were supposed to sit around a table and play cards, one chair was missing from the set. He remembers being off-stage panicking, wondering what to do, before deciding that the show must go on. He did the seen standing next to the table, and if you didn’t know how it was supposed to go, you never would have noticed.
Unlike Pollitt, Tracy is no stranger to being on-stage. He played many supporting roles in his high school time at Ross. Tracy added that he had never seen “Footloose” before the show, but he did say: “I was blessed to have a great group of students who provided a lot of support in the process. I spent a few hours working with students during the final weeks of rehearsal and continued to try to develop the timing and demeanor of the character.” Overall, Tracy enjoyed his experience and loved getting to see many of his former students from middle school and see just how much they’ve changed! One student in particular made the experience special. Conner Hannon, who played Willard, shared an improv moment with Mr. Tracy. “Watching Conner get so incredibly excited that we actually did a little improv on the night of the show was incredible. Sneaking out to watch the second act with the patrons and seeing their enjoyment of the show was also incredible in real time!”
Junior Kora Doolan was the understudy to both Pollitt and Tracy, just in case one of them was unable to make it to a showing. Kora had this to say about having her principals from past and present be in the show: “Being the understudy to my own principal as the Principal felt really weird at first, but both Mr. Tracy and Mr. Pollitt brought so much fun to the show. As fun as it was watching them attempt to act out their scenes, it was difficult for the rest of the cast to adapt to their new scene partners. Behind the curtain, there is a different kind of fun had within cast and crew as we get to bond together during those moments. Having our actual principals there as well was a little awkward, but we learned to get past that and have fun with them as well!” It’s fair to say this was a common sentiment among the cast and crew! They felt the support from the administration so strongly.
Pollitt and Tracy enjoyed their experiences on-stage, but what about you? How was it seeing your principal and ex-principal on stage? And perhaps more importantly, who did you like better?
