Morgan County High School’s

2007 Production of

Footloose

April, 2007 

What makes Madison so special? Some say it’s the antebellum homes, spared the “fateful lightening of his terrible swift sword” by the efforts of a Civil War legend. Others argue it’s the friendly smile people wear, token of a simple, pastoral way of life. Many tell me it’s our schools - even that darn lake. But what surprises me the most is the amazing amount of culture. 

It’s astonishing that such a small town (3600) in such a small county (15,500) produces so much fine art. The Cultural Center is an impressive beacon all by itself, hosting a laudable amount of exhibits and performances. But what I’d like to talk about (of course) is our schools. 

This Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night the High School is performing Footloose. Released in golden age when greed was still good, this box office mega-hit had eight songs in the top forty, grossed over 80 million dollars, and catapulted “the Sixth Degrees of Kevin Bacon” into urban-legend status. But who cares about money and movie stars when we have our own young’uns to fawn over? 

I’ve been in half a dozen Morgan County plays and have seen many fine young people grace our stage, but I have never seen the High School array such a vast amount of talent. The energy and ability of the entire cast is truly remarkable. In particular, the theatrical flair of the four leading ladies (editor’s note: one of them is my daughter) is, in my opinion, unrivalled in recent history. While I’d like to attribute their skill to pure genetics, I know this is not the case. I’ve worked with these girls since they were eight - at the Elementary School - and I’ve seen how much they’ve grown. 

Which is a very round-about way of saying what a wonderful drama program our schools have. It starts with Mrs. Kathy Ellis who voluntarily puts on three performances at the Elementary School every year. These musical plays are so renowned that twice in the past few years she’s taken her kids to Savannah to perform in front of the GA Music Educators Association State Conference. The Middle School doesn’t miss a step with the energetic leadership of Mrs. Kathleen Bryant. Between the Middle School and her own troupe at the Morgan County Community Theater, she’s almost always in production for one play or another. The result is a core of veteran actors, ready to take on an eclectic range of challenges. How else could Steve Delaigle put on an inspired production of Godspell and just a few weeks later, turn completely around and produce Footloose? 

So what? Who cares if we have talented thespians? Well, besides the joy of seeing our cherubs perform on stage, theater inspires confidence. Theater, like sport, inspires assurance and poise – tools that are desperately needed in an increasingly-competitive business world. 

And it brings us culture. Culture is a product of civilization, one of its most fragile traits. Culture should be encouraged – in Madison it thrives. 

All of this, of course, is a shameful plug. I hope you’ll support the High School and come see Footloose this weekend. You saw the movie and you know the songs. Our young actors make it even better.