Festival Preview: Bring It On

KANSAS’ ALL-STATE PRODUCTION

Director Edward Shafer thinks Bring It On was the perfect choice for Kansas’ all-state show, the goal being to bring students from across the state together to reinforce the Educational Theatre Association’s core values: People Matter, Strive for Excellence, Work Together, and Be the Person You Want to Work With. “We focused on those values every day, and they reflect the same values Bring It On is all about,” he said.

Though competition is at the core of its plot, the show’s message makes it clear that the act of competing is more important than the result. “This cast is made up of individuals who are dynamite talents and leads at their respective schools,” Shafer said. “To see students put aside their egos and graciously accept the role that was given — that played right into the theme of Bring It On.”

Producing an all-state show requires offstage precision and discipline rivaling the complex choreography onstage. The entire production team participated in auditions in three cities: Wichita, Salina, and Olathe. Once cast and crew were chosen, GroupMe, website, and YouTube channels were established to communicate breakdowns for every scene, song, dance, and cheer. Choreography videos and vocal track recordings were distributed. Design ideas, props lists, costume measurements, sound cues, and more were collected over email.

Eight weeks after auditions, the team assembled for the first time for two weeks of rehearsal, working eight hours daily, Monday through Friday, to bring all of the show’s elements together. Two days were devoted entirely to learning the cheerleading routines, with a cheer boot camp led by professional coaches from the National Cheerleaders Association.

“Everything came together much quicker than I thought it would,” Shafer said. “We arrived in Wichita for the state Thespian festival a day early and ran through the show once before we opened the festival the next day. In many ways, the performance in Wichita was stronger than the performance over the summer. I think the added time helped the cast explore their characters more. It was as if the show had marinated in a nice pool of creativity and exploration, so when it came to life again, it had more depth and honesty.”

“Getting to know each other and building chemistry onstage was definitely the hardest part of the process,” said McKenna Shaw, who plays Campbell in the show. “But with the wrap-up of those performances, I am now blessed with a statewide family that I absolutely adore, and seeing them shine onstage fills me with so much warmth and excitement. I cannot wait to see them again for our day of rehearsal before we travel to ITF.”

While the show was highly memorable for many reasons, one in particular stands out to Shafer. In the show, the character La Cienega identifies as transgender. “In Wichita, one audience member was in tears after the show,” Shafer said. “She was a transgender student who said, ‘I got to see myself onstage. For the first time, I got to see me onstage.’ Bring It On is filled with eccentric characters that aren’t typically showcased in Broadway musicals. Theatre kids are often labeled as outcasts, so we identify with them right away. To see a room filled with thousands of theatre nerds just like us fall in love with these characters, relate to the story, and emit such emotion was the ultimate reward for all our hard work.”

Shaw felt a personal stake in the story. “The show’s themes deal with everything from bullying to racial bias, and not one of those is something I don’t hear about in my high school hallways at least once a day,” she said. “The fact that all the themes of the show are for teens and about teens is important. I’ve dealt with bullying in my high school and have turned to theatre as my escape. This puts an insane focus on the importance of the true people in your life and making sure you lean on them when you need it. That’s been a huge help to me.”

Shafer says the team is proud to be representing, not just themselves, but their entire state at this year’s International Thespian Festival. “We are honored to perform on the main stage,” Shafer said. “We all understand that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, bigger than our Thespian troupes, and bigger than our individual schools and districts. To get to represent the entire state of Kansas is such a privilege, and none of us is taking it for granted.”

Shaw, who performed as Penelope Pennywise in Pittsburg High School’s ITF main stage production of Urinetown last year, echoes Shafer’s excitement. “Speaking from past experience, there is absolutely nothing like performing in front of thousands of like-minded people,” she said. “Everyone watching wants you to succeed and is dancing in their seat and cheering at the top of their lungs. It is something that cannot be conveyed in words. The whole crowd is filled with so much energy and love for the people onstage that you can’t be nervous or scared. It’s like performing in front of a huge crowd of your closest friends that you may not have even met yet.”