Niles North Theatre is proud to present this rendition of the musical School of Rock. The musical follows Dewey Finn, an out-of-work rock singer and guitarist who pretends to be a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. After identifying the musical talent in his students, Dewey forms a band of fifth-graders in attempt to win the upcoming Battle of the Bands contest.

With the new schedule change, the musical is now in December. This leaves time for other students to join Niles North Theatre, therefore, most of our main cast has never done theatre before. Let’s meet our rockstar cast.

Dewey Finn, the out-of-work rock singer and star of the show is played by junior Becca Blatt. 

“Well, this is my first time being the lead in a show. I was really excited and I’m really excited to keep going,” Blatt said. “It’s definitely been a little harder than I expected, but I’m really excited to rock out and finish up the show and for everyone to see it.”

Tomika, the new girl, is struggling to fit in at Horace Green. She conquers her shyness to reveal her phenomenal singing ability, and becomes a lead vocalist alongside Dewey in the band. Tomika is played by junior Andrea Hernandez.

“I’ve never been part of anything theater, like I’ve always had some sort of interest in it,” Hernandez said. “I have always sang since I was little and done some sort of choreography. But I feel like this is different, because you feel like you can do anything and try out anything while you’re with this community of people.”

The lead drummer, Freddy, dislikes school and is somewhat more rebellious than the other students. Despite this, he is still smart and seemingly well-adjusted. The troublemaker Freddy is played by junior Michael Coppola.

“I’m pretty excited. I mean, my parents were both in theatere, so I’m kind of doing it for them, but I’m also doing it for myself,” Coppola said. “So, I’m excited to see the final product. It’s been good. I’ve enjoyed it. I liked the whole process of making the show, I feel like we’ve done a pretty good job.”

Katie, a former cellist, becomes a member of the band as a bass guitar player. She is a quiet and polite girl, but eagerly takes an interest in rock music. Katie is played by senior Brenda Reyes 

“I am super excited because it is my first musical in theater since I’m a senior, so I’m excited and I think it’s gonna be really nice and cool,” Reyes said. 

Performances are on Dec. 8, 9 and 10. Tickets are 10 dollars on seatyourself.biz. You can get a discount by using the code ‘SCHOOL’.  School of Rock is directed by Megan Baskin, co-directed by Chris Minor, vocally directed by Andrew Dahan, designed by Joanna Szewczuk, and instrumentals by Michael Moehlmann.