TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Now in its 65th year, Dilettantes Group of the Magic Valley is staging "School of Rock"
- Over 70 cast and crew were involved in the production, which will stage six performances at the CSI Fine Arts Theater, April 29 through March 4
- Tickets are available at the door or through https://tickets.csi.edu/
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
"Dilettantes is kind of like the granddaddy of all arts organizations in this town," Lori Henson told Idaho News 6.
It's the talk of the town in Twin Falls, bringing a lifetime of musical theater to the main stage.
I caught up with Dilettantes Group of the Magic Valley Director Lori Henson during the final dress rehearsal of this year's "School of Rock."
"It takes a whole lot of people to make it happen," Henson said.
Wren Platt and Lucy Moffitt were both in their first show.
More than 70 people of all ages and experiences spend 6 weeks together to create the musical theater experience.
"This might be my tenth show," said Olivia Capps.
"And this might only be my fourth," said Hannah Cooper.
"In community theater in general this is my 25th consecutive year," said Patti Harvey.
School of Rock follows the story of Dewey Finn, a washed-out rock and roller who fakes his way into a job as a substitute teacher.
"Believe it or not, as fun as the show is, as much as it is about rock 'n' roll, It's a lot about change," said Chris Ayers, who plays Dewey in the show.
"It's about these kinds changing and coming out of their shells, and being able to tell their parents about how they really feel. It's about this principal who is head of this really stuffy school, letting her hair down finally. It's about Dewey, who all he wants to do is rock, and all of the sudden he cares about other people instead of himself. It's a lot about change. So, there's some great character arc in the story."
The artists agree. The Magic Valley has it's own vibe, offering a special place to perform.
"Well you can kind of feel it right now," Harvey said. "It's the energy that that goes around here and the friends that I've made these theater people, they're my people. They're my friends. They have become my family and so they're my social group."
It's six weeks of rehearsals and performances.
But the hard work is all worth it.
"You can see that Look on their faces when they hear that applause, they will be like 'I have to do this again and again,'" Said Henson. "So it's pretty addicting."
