Lia Cuts Loose in Footloose!

Lia just wrapped up a four-show performance weekend of the musical, Footloose, that she performed with her beloved children's theater at the Auburn Riverside High School performing arts center.  She started rehearsing for this play in the middle of March which was three weeks before she performed 101 Dalmatians and had to do double duty while running track that entire time.  After Dalmatians wrapped the beginning of April, Lia continued to run track five days a week and attend rehearsals for this play three days a week for four more weeks until she finished track on May 6th.  So, for the past month, Lia only had to focus on Footloose which turned out to be a blessing as the directors started adding more rehearsals as the performance weekend approached.  Although Lia was disappointed that she didn't get chosen for the lead role of Ariel, she was cast as one of the supporting leads of Ariel's friend, Wendy Jo.  She quickly found out how much she loved the complicated and intense singing and dancing scenes in this all-teenage play and enjoyed acting with several old friends and making a lot of new ones.  Since this was the first all-teenage play that her theatre put on, it was whole new experience for Lia and all of the other kids as they did not have to act with a large amount of children for the first time.  Needless to say, they all loved it as it totally felt like a high school musical experience!  

I was able to attend two of the four shows yesterday and was absolutely blown away by how amazing the show was.  I took Ella to the Saturday matinee show, and Ron and I took our three other kids, plus my parents, to the evening show.  In addition, Lia's friend, Rian, joined Ella and me for the matinee, and Mollie came with us to see the evening show.  Lia did a fabulous job singing, dancing, and acting her heart out.  She was seriously beaming from ear to ear in all of the dance numbers as she was having the time of her life on stage.  I know that I have said this before, but I am so grateful for Northwest Theatre Lab and for the amazing acting experiences that it has given Lia this school year.  Her acting and singing skills have grown so much, in addition to her overall confidence on stage.  I can't wait to see Lia and Ella perform in Matilda later on this summer!

Lia dancing in the opening scene where all the cast dances to the "Footloose" song before Ren moves from Chicago to Bomont.

Lia dancing right next to the lead, Ren, in this opening scene.

Lia as one of the choir singers at church on Ren's first Sunday in Bomont.

Lia standing to the right of Reverend Moore while he delivers a sermon to the congregation.

Lia and the other two friends, Urleen and Rusty, talking to Ariel after church is over.

Lia and her friends talking at school.

The three girls singing, "Somebody's Eyes," to Ren on his first day of school.  This is one of the two songs that Lia sang some solos.

The three friends spying on Ren through a window.

All four friends hanging out at the local burger restaurant, Burger Blast.

Lia talking to her friends at the burger joint.

The girls singing, "Holding Out for a Hero," at the restaurant.  This was the other song that Lia sang some solo parts in.

Lia stretching in the gym class scene where everyone sang, "Heaven Help Me."

Lia at the front of the ensemble.

Lia dancing between Ren and Rusty at the end of the gym class scene.

Lia sitting in the front row of the town hall meeting when Ren tries to convince the town leaders to let them have a high school dance.

The group listening to Ren plead his case.

Lia dancing away at the high school dance.

Striking a pose!

Everybody cut footloose!

Lia and Mary (who played Urlene) bowing during the curtain call after the show was over.

In addition to Rian, our friends, the Schaffers, came to see Lia's matinee performance on Saturday.  Here we all are posing together.

Our entire family, plus Mollie and my parents, posing after the Saturday evening show.

Olivia (who played Mal in Descendants and Perdita in Dalmatians) came to see Lia in the evening show.  Since all four kids who played the Evils in Descendants were at the theater Saturday evening, we just had a get a picture of them together!