Twenty years ago a new drama teacher at the Foothills Composite High School pitched the idea of bringing a bit of Broadway to Okotoks.

Brittany Francis and Curtis Guenard perform in Annie Get Your Gun in 2005. Mainstage is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and this year’s musical is Little Shop of Horrors.

The result of that musical vision is one of the most renowned high school arts programs in the province and Mainstage remains an entrenched tradition at the Alberta High School of Fine Arts.

Teacher Jim Senft proposed the idea and the musical gained unprecedented momentum among not only students, teachers and parents but also the entire community as people stepped up to help support the production. The result was a performance of “Grease” that so was so well received the students decided to do another musical the following year.

Thus, the Mainstage program was born and 20 years later the program still draws in students from all corners and cliques to work together to create the music, the set design, the costumes, the sound and lighting and the onstage performance that entertains audiences each year.

This week, the current students at the high school are celebrating the 20^th anniversary by presenting a medley of songs from the previous musicals that have been produced at the school. The revue, called “Lola and Enrique Take a Trip Down Memory Lane”, takes place on Dec. 10, 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Foothills Composite High School.

Grade 11 student Mitch Crooks, who stars in the revue, said the energy created by the students is a big part of the Mainstage appeal.

“When the cast starts getting into rehearsal and learning the songs, it’s rough in the beginning, but the outcome is so exciting. It’s a cool feeling, knowing you’ve spent six months rehearsing a show and the outcome is phenomenal,” said Crooks.

Crooks has the passion for singing, dancing and acting, but he’s in the process of deciding whether he’ll pursue a career in the arts or medicine. Being involved with Mainstage is helping with the decision making process by giving him a taste of what a professional theatrical production is like.

Lindsey Angell can attest to that. She performed in the Mainstage program in Grades 10 through 12 and graduated in 2002. The experience was a window into the long hours, close working conditions with strong personalities and the interdependence of each person involved with the show, from the lighting designer to the lead actor to the makeup artist.

She is now an emerging professional actor in Vancouver and she has been working steadily, despite a drop in film, television and theatrical productions this year. She attributes part of her success to learning to be a self-starter through the Mainstage program.

“With Mainstage I saw how much work it was going to take (to have a career as an actor) and I saw examples of professionalism and we created some really fun theatre that had a lot of heart — and it was important to the community and it was important to all of us (students),” said Angell.

In her last year in Mainstage, Angell billeted in Okotoks instead of commuting from High River each day. The trip is only 20 minutes, but Angell said the long hours of rehearsing and getting all the details ready for the show made the drive home taxing and she couldn’t risk being late for school the next morning.

Mainstage students perform Copacabana in 2007. Mainstage is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with a review this weekend at Foothills Composite High School.

“It was absolutely necessary to step up to the plate,” said Angell. “You had to really take care of yourself as a singer. Then there is all the technical work it takes — working on your script, memorizing your lines and you’re learning choreography when you’re not in the rehearsal hall. And we’re being fitted for costumes.

“If one actor is an hour late for rehearsal, there is a group of 30 people waiting for that one person. You have to be there. The wheels don’t turn if one is not present. And it’s nice, in Grade 10, to see that.”

Then there is the final curtain and all their work fades into their collective memories.

But the experience remains deep within the students, Laura Myers said. During her years teaching the Mainstage program from 2004 to 2008, she noticed the students gained a new perception of what they are capable of achieving. Not just those students interested in a career in theatre, but all students involved.

“Mainstage fostered excellence because once they reached that point they were not able to go back again,” said Myers. “Lots of kids go on to do other things, not (necessarily) in theatre, but they take that sense of excellence.”

Those who participate in the Mainstage program leave their mark on the school. Literally. A tradition developed over the years in Mainstage is students who took the program in all three years earned the right to sign the ceiling of a room backstage.

Very few people get to see that room and those signatures. However, photos of them are posted on Facebook. Students who have taken the Mainstage program through the years have kept in touch through Facebook and many have posted photos of the signatures and notes people have left over the years.

“It’s an important tradition. I signed the wall when I left,” said Myers. “They would plan what they’d say ahead of time, for months. I heard the school is thinking about painting over it and that would be a real shame.”

The program’s originator, Jim Senft, said the ongoing relationships Mainstage alumni have is testament to the program’s real power — uniting people.

“It’s so important that school provides something that gives a sense of belonging,” said Senft. “The main focus of Mainstage was not for a career in the arts per se, but how to work as a team.

“The focus is team building and creating something as a team and sharing it with your community.”

When Senft started Mainstage, he said he was amazed at the support that came from the Okotoks community. After 10 years teaching the Mainstage program, Senft left to start an outdoor Broadway theatre production company, which he continues as the artistic director of Summerstock Theatre Society. Since then he has never seen a community rise to support such an initiative as Okotoks did with Mainstage two decades ago.

“As much as I direct, all over the place, I have never seen such commitment from a community as Okotoks with the Mainstage program. We had a waiting list of sponsors — waiting to sponsor the show,” said Senft. “I really, really miss that. Okotoks was so supportive of the work we did, it was just amazing.”

He is pleased the program lasted 20 years and attributes the continued success to the students.

“The thing that has made it such a success over the years is the enthusiasm, dedication and passion of the students involved — teachers come and go,” said Senft. “The draw is not about musical theatre, per se, it’s an energy and spirit that the students build together.”

The Mainstage production this year is Little Shop of Horrors, which will be presented in February 2010.

tneely@okotoks.greatwest.ca

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