Picture this: A small town with a population of no more than 400 people, cowboys, tractors, farms, and most importantly … no dancing. Wheeler Theatre has recently wrapped up its production of Footloose: The Musical. Here’s what the group thought about their experience after months of rehearsal and four phenomenal performances.
COVID-19 impacted many different programs and organizations in various ways. Theatre programs across the world took detrimental losses since live theatre requires physical bodies in an audience and the pandemic prevented that. Wheeler took things in a different direction in 2020 with an online show, but many people expressed how it simply didn’t feel the same. The director and musical director, Mrs. Day, and Mr. Chafin went back to the drawing board to figure out how to make a big musical production happen again. Things got off to sort of a slow start with their production of Into The Woods Jr. After many failed attempts such as trying to have an outdoor drive-in musical they ended up being able to do the show inside with limited audience members, cast members, and they wore masks while performing.
Vaccinations changed the game tremendously for theatre companies everywhere. With relaxed mask mandates and changed policies due to vaccines, they were finally able to return to the stage in their full glory. The first issue was trying to decide which musical would be used for their return to the stage. The musical theatre class separated into different groups to support three different musicals: Footloose, Matilda, and Urinetown. The teams were instructed to build a case for their musical and convince everyone to choose their musical instead of the other options. The final decision was made and it was announced that Wheeler would be doing their production of Footloose.
This decision was a big one for many different reasons. The first one is the fact that Footloose is by far the most difficult musical that Wheeler has done ever. The songs, choreography, and most technical elements were the most challenging and intense elements of the show. Another reason is the fact that Footloose is an extremely popular show. So many people know and love the classic movie which means that they will automatically compare whatever is put on stage, to the original production they’ve seen.
Regardless of the challenges they faced, many people would agree that they rose to the occasion and dominated the task at hand. Near sold-out crowds, amazing reviews, and overall amazing responses from audiences show that Wheeler Theatre’s triumphant return to the stage was extremely successful. “It was a tremendous show – I loved it!”, says a faculty member at Wheeler High School. It’s no secret that countless hours of time and work are dedicated to the process to make this possible. The way that the program is run gives students almost full control over the decisions that are made. Students make up a team of choreographers, technical directors, stage managers, sound technicians, costumes designers, and so much more.
Mrs. Day and Mr. Chafin were extremely proud of the work that everyone put in to make this whole thing possible. She says one of her favorite parts of the whole process was watching the entire thing come together towards the end. “Once the music, acting, dancing, and tech fully start to come together things begin to feel magical.”
Although things were different this year this just goes to show that if you’re dedicated to something and work hard, anything is possible. This show being a success will garner support from the administration and the community which is always needed. The program will continue to grow and people will be in line waiting to see what Wheeler Theatre’s next move will be. In the end, this show will go down in Wheeler’s history and everyone was able to create memories that will remain for a lifetime and serve as a reminder to cut footloose!

Taylor Mills (middle) 12
“This has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world.”
Reyna Porter (left) 11
“I’m so glad I was able to learn from this experience with an amazing group of people. Even
though it’ll be different, I can’t wait to do this again next year.”