By Donya Hassanshahi
With the premiere of the musical Footloose this week, leading role Ren McCormack is brought to life by drama student Kylen Gray-Jacobson, ’22.
When receiving word that he’d act as character Ren McCormack, Gray describes the surreal feeling as “fantastic.”
He admits the musical was supposed to take place during his junior year at Redwood, although the Coronavirus pandemic prevented the show from continuing, so he has been waiting nearly two years to perform.
This year marks his four-year involvement with the Redwood drama program. As Gray prepares for his last performance at Redwood, Footloose, he express how it feels to end this chapter of his life, “It feels unreal; I can’t believe that it’s going to finally come to an end soon. I don’t want it to here.”
Gray describes his character wholeheartedly, “My character jokes around all the time to take the edge off any situation… is sarcastic, sympathetic, hot-headed, and loving; also [McCormack] is stubborn.”
In preparation for the role, when running through rehearsals, Gray has been, “[using] the notes given by the directors every single time [the cast] run[s] through the show.”
Gray also pursues the acting method of distancing, “I try to distance myself from people in the cast to try and be ‘the new kid’ as Ren McCormack who is just moving into Bomont.” His hopes for the portrayal of the character is authentic through emotion when performing.
“I’m going to just try and play the character as close to my actual self as possible, and just channel my own emotions through the characters interactions.”
Gray, ’22 on how he will uniquely portray character Ren McCormack
Taking into consideration that the date of opening night is coming closer, Gray is thrilled to share the project that he and his castmates have invested their time into, “I hope that we just blow everyone away, having an incredible performance to bring back LIVE Redwood Theatre,” he emphasizes in regards to his hopes for the musical.
Gray urges everyone to “Come see Footloose!” for an unforgettable night.
Tickets are available to purchase online or in-person at the LJ Williams Theater on February 17, 18, and 19. The musical will debut February 17 and 18 at 7:00pm, and the 19 at 2:00pm.
Donya Hassanshahi
Donya Hassanshahi, '24 is a third year journalism student writing for the Redwood Gigantea. She seeks interest in the Humans of Redwood, hoping to inspire the Redwood community with her writing. You can reach her by her email at donya.hassanshahi@gmail.com.
Tags: arts and entertainment, drama, footloose, humans of redwood, musical, rangers, Redwood, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism, redwood rangers, redwoodmusical, rhs, theater, visalia ca