“I feel like theater has this sort of effect that most other things like sports don’t have. Theater allows you to express yourself in a whole new way. It allows someone to escape the stress and struggles of their day and become a character on stage. Rock of Ages was definitely a journey. I loved it, and with an amazing cast and crew the show all came together and it was such an amazing experience,” said Hessler.
Theater is wonderful through its vocal melodies, it’s beautiful plot, and its increasing interest overall. Jasper High School has some amazing actors in its presence. The students began planning Rock of Ages, set in Los Angeles on Sunset Strip, at the beginning of January and have been working on it with a whole lot of passion. They performed the past weekend to the public, selling their tickets online and at the door. The auditorium was packed with students and adults from the community. Hit classic songs were incorporated into the musical, including “Dead or Alive” by Bon Jovi, “Every Rose Has its Thorn” by Poison, “Sister Christian” by Night Ranger, “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey, and numerous others by Styx, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Steve Perry, and Europe.
“To me, theater is a place where you can go and forget everything that’s going on in your life or in school and have fun. Everyone is so welcoming and passionate about theater and I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” said Sample.
Junior Riley Sample and senior Jacob Hessler preformed as the main characters, Sherrie Christian and Drew Boley. The play brought in some great recognition for the theatre’s organization. They believe that theater is a way to relieve your stresses of the day and how everyone is so welcoming in the program. This shows how important it is to the students of Jasper High School. Other students in the play included Ethan Fritch playing Lonny, Conner Fritch playing Dennis Dupree, Amos Buschkoetter playing Stacee Jaxx, Morgan Decker as Anita Bath, Kylie Schweikarth as Hilda, and Jack Greener as Franz.
Rock of Ages included people seeking fame, waitresses, a big time rocker, a club owner, and many other characters. The spectrum varies widely. The music got everyone in a rocking mood, and overall everyone had an amazing time. The singers sounded amazing and the acting was spot on. Didn’t catch the show? The musical puts on four plays a year, and you can always catch the next one if you couldn’t make it. Interested in joining next year? Theater is a class, but you can do it just after school if you wanted. Talk to Mrs. Luebbehusen if interested. The shows the program puts on are always captivating and make you want to watch them again and again. Rock of Ages did just that, as will the rest of their performances this year and the years to come. Rock on!
