Stage

Retaking the Stage

after long gap, North HS revives musical theater

Andrew Patrie, photos by Andrea Paulseth |

TELL ME MORE, TELL ME MORE! Students rehearse for North High School’s upcoming production of Grease, the first musical the school has produced since the 1990s.
TELL ME MORE, TELL ME MORE! Students rehearse for North High School’s upcoming production of Grease, the first musical the school has produced since the 1990s.

North High School Theater “saved” me … on the Advanced Placement Literature exam. Our teacher, Mr. Sampson, had us read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights twice (once over the summer!) as both were books that could be used to answer over a decade’s worth of AP prompts. I remember staring at the fiction prompt, one eyeball-achingly blue day in May, and reading something about “thoughtful laughter.”  My vision went jagged, like a shocking frame from a comic book: There was nothing humorous about the Bronte sisters! As I panicked and rifled through my brain for an appropriate text, I recalled Moliere’s Tartuffe: a play whereby a religious hypocrite (Tartuffe) insinuates himself into the home of an aristocrat in order to take every available advantage. I had read it as a junior but it was the version staged at North, more specifically, the moment where Tartuffe chased the aristocrat’s wife around a table while her husband waited for evidence of Tartuffe’s true nature beneath that came to me. It was a funny scene, her banging on the table as if to say, “Really? You haven’t heard enough?” yet the implication was much darker (the husband finally emerged only after Tartuffe had thrown himself upon her) and the memory allowed me to confidently complete the exam.

“I don’t want our first musical in 19 years to suggest that we should wait 19 more years.” – North High English teacher Lucas Risinger, on reviving the school’s musical

Theater has the power to render stories a kind of permanence via performance that is lost simply poring over words in a classroom. And – until her retirement in the late ’90s – North High  had a thriving theater program under the direction of Ms. Carole Spenser. Reminiscing about those days, Spenser says, “I never believed in ‘high school’ theater. I wanted my students both onstage and in the audience to experience really good theater.”

Unfortunately, North’s theater department essentially lay moribund until 2005 when English teacher Lucas Risinger was hired and established the Husky Moon Theater Company. And after a decade of hits, Risinger is about to realize a dream: “The musical is the common bond between all of the elite high school theater programs on the planet, and now we have one again.” It has been roughly 19 years since North last presented a musical, and it’s big-time back as the company gears up for Grease. “We wanted a show that people knew … (where) the pit is not too large … and the subject matter is fun while still being a bit edgy,” he explains.

Risinger also has an assist from three new hires with a keen interest in putting on a show. English teacher Zach Schultz is co-directing and brings experience: “I’ve been involved in theater for years in lead roles – primarily musical theater, which makes Grease a fantastic experience to direct.” Liz Sletten replaced Paul Gilbertson as choir teacher this year and amidst a schedule of lessons, rehearsals, and concerts had no qualms about Grease: “It was a no-brainer to get involved. Although there are a lot of extra hours put into a production of this scale, providing another unique performing opportunity for our students is completely worthwhile. The responsibility and ownership they take is amazing, and hopefully they are making awesome memories.” Band director Theresa Soules is overseeing the pit orchestra. (She could not be reached for comment.)

The involvement of such committed conductors should intimate just how much work goes into musical productions. Sletten surely understates when she calls it “Stressful.” She adds: “It feels like the to-do list will never be to-done: singing, dancing, speaking, blocking, costuming, staging, advertising, lighting …” And Risinger is earnest in his admission, “I don’t want our first musical in 19 years to suggest that we should wait 19 more years.” Given the blessing of talent in both cast and crew, methinks he needn’t worry about any such curse.

Stage vet (and North senior) Paige Vasel plays “Rizzo” and promises her take “offers a bit of dimension. She’s tough in front of everyone but underneath that mask she’s tender.” Portraying “Sandy” is North senior (and Vasel’s “bestie”) Ali Abraham: “I have a list of all the roles I want to play some day and Sandy was definitely on that list. She’s the new girl and … sort of symbolizes the change … a lot of kids go through in high school.” Science teacher Jason Verdon felt compelled to limber up his acting chops after several years of dormancy. “I am going to play the cameo role of the ‘Dream Angel’ and will sing ‘Beauty School Dropout.’ I was very nervous to sing in front of students (and other faculty). While I’m totally comfortable in my classroom, singing is much more personal and the key of this arrangement will be at the top of my register.” Even the front office got involved. Envoy Arlene Rasmussen is a member of the “Sew Crew.” She teases, “The audience can expect to see some creative costuming. (For example), I’ve been in contact with more staff members’ toilet paper rolls than I care to think about.”

So dim those lights and disable that cell phone. Position your proboscis proscenium-ward. The show is about to begin (again), and it just might save you, too.

North High School production of  Grease • Friday and Saturday, April 11-12, 7pm, and Sunday, April 13, 2pm • North High School auditorium, 1801 Piedmont Road • $10 adults, $8 senior citizens, $6 for students through grade 12 • call (715) 852-6724 or email lrisinger@ecasd.k12.wi.us to reserve tickets (general admission tickets also will be available at the door)