History in the making: “Soda Pop!” debuts on Northwest High School’s stage

September 29, 2023

Approximately 30 Lincoln Northwest students have spent the past six weeks rehearsing lines, perfecting scenes and gaining confidence on the school’s stage. 

Their hard work helped them make history in front of appreciative audiences on opening night Thursday, Sept. 28, when they performed “Soda Pop!”. The production is Northwest’s first fall play and it’s also the first theater performance at the school’s new performing arts center. 

Shows are open to the public and will continue through the weekend starting at 7 p.m. Sept. 29 and 30 and 2 p.m. Oct. 1.

Northwest juniors Charlotte and Jay are both portraying leading characters in the play. They said all of the production members were thrilled with the chance to be trailblazers in the theater department.

“It feels really good to be part of something for the first time,” Charlotte said. “This is the second year for our school, but we’re still able to do something like this for the first time. It’s super cool. I’m really happy about it.”

“It’s very exciting,” Jay said. “I like being the first to do anything, so being in the first group is something that’s great.”

Samm Hanks shared that joyful attitude. She led high school theater productions outside of Lincoln for many years before returning to direct plays at Northwest. The Lincoln North Star graduate felt “Soda Pop!” would give the Falcons a positive launching pad for their program.

“I thought it would be a really good play to share on stage,” she said. “The kids have enjoyed it a lot. They’ve done a great job with it and have made a lot of progress in a short time. It’s been fun to watch them grow.”

The play’s script is a parody of life as a teenager in the 1950s. Students lip-sync songs from the late 1950s and early 1960s throughout the performance. Costumes and scenes also bring back memories from the time period.

Hanks felt “Soda Pop!” was a play that was fun for both novice and experienced actors. Approximately 25 percent of the cast had never appeared in a theater production before, and several stage crew members were also new to the activity.

“It’s been a lot of fun having a group like this with mixed experience,” Hanks said. “There’s been a learning curve for sure, but our more experienced students have been really good at encouraging everyone else. I’m proud of how everyone has worked hard this whole time.”

Jay’s musical roots have helped him fill the leading male role of Bobby. He did not have any theater background before the first day of school, but he had performed for audiences many times as a guitarist in jazz and rock bands. He said that gave him the confidence to try out for the play.

“I’ve ended up really enjoying it,” Jay said. “There are a lot of people who are passionate about what they do, so it’s been a lot of fun to get to work with them.”

Charlotte signed up for “Soda Pop!” with a large amount of theater experience. She performed in school plays outside of Lincoln before joining the Falcon family last year. 

Charlotte performs the leading female role of Betty. She said the up-tempo style of the play made it entertaining for everyone in the group.

“It’s such a high-energy play,” Charlotte said. “There’s a lot of moving around on stage, and I think everyone’s really liked that. There’s just a lot of energy all around.”

The Falcons held auditions the first week of school and began rehearsing the following week. Rehearsals have typically lasted about three hours. 

Charlotte said it is even more fun to create school history with many friends. She said those connections have made “Soda Pop!” a memorable trip back in time.

“I’d seen a lot of people in the hallways, but I’d never really met them before, and now I’m really good friends with them,” Charlotte said. “There are a lot of really good people here. It’s been so much fun.”

Check out some highlights from the dress rehearsal below.

If you want to support more of our high schools’ performing arts programs, visit our arts calendar https://home.lps.org/communitycalendar/.

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