By Alana Soukkasem
Taking place in LJ Williams theater on February 17, 18th, and 19th, drama students at Redwood High school will be showcasing this years annual musical performance which is Footloose, a 1984 film directed by Herbert Ross.
The Musical brings in one of Redwood’s aspiring theater kids, Alyssa Sozinho ‘23 who will be playing Rusty Rodriguez. “Rusty is Ariel’s best friend(played by Brooke O’Leary ’22) who is in love with Willard(played by Elias Perez ’22). She is excited about life and talks a mile a minute,” Sozinho said.
Under the impression of acting as excited for Rusty’s character, Sozinho is motivated that playing a role of someone similar to herself makes her feel more motivated than ever, she says “The fact that this was my whole life’s dream and it’s finally coming true, I treasure every rehearsal and give it my all.”
In addition to Sozinho’s experience with rehearsals, she loves to share how amazing the atmosphere is, “The cast and directors are there because they are rooting for our success and will do anything to help us. The cast is so connected that we hang out and rehearse on our own whenever rehearsal gets canceled,” she says.
What’s more is that Sozinho feels like this show is “the perfect example of a positive struggle,” her love for this years show leaves off the expectation of wanting to describe this musical performance as “an escape from daily life. I want the audience to feel something. The show should make them laugh and think,” she says.
On top of that, Sozinho said, “In Footloose you can feel the love and passion we have for this show in every song, scene, and dance.”
She adds, “The joy radiates from every one of us.”
Alana Soukkhasem
Alana Soukkhasem '25 is a first year writer for the Arts and Entertaintment section on the Redwood Gigantea.
Tags: arts & entertainment, footloose, lj williams, musical, redwood gigantea, rhs, theater, visalia ca
