Footloose the Musical
Presented by Stage Right of Texas Theatre Company By Rebecca McDowell
1984!
It’s hard to believe it was 42 years ago!
For those of us who are children of the 1980s, growing up as “latchkey kids” meant keeping ourselves entertained from the time we walked home from school until our parents came home for dinner, often well after dark.
We are the fortunate generation. We are not just “Gen X,” though most of us wear that label with pride. We are also the generation that saw the introduction of Apple’s Macintosh computer during a Super Bowl commercial.
We watched Mary Lou Retton become the first American woman to win the Olympic gold medal in the gymnastics all-around competition, in Los Angeles, no less. We first heard about an innovative new technology that would revolutionize music: the CD player.
We were also transported to entirely new worlds as we consumed some of the best movies, music, and television programming of our lives.
Footloose!
While stories about teenage angst and drama would not really hit their stride until the early 1990s, 1984 gave us the granddaddy of them all.
Footloose, both the movie and the musical stage adaptation, tells the story of Ren McCormack, an energetic teenager transported from the electric, vibrant city of Chicago to the one-stoplight town of Bomont, not to be confused with Beaumont, against his will, courtesy of a deadbeat dad.
While his mother, Ethel, feels she has no choice but to move herself and her son in with her sister and brother-in-law, Ren immediately knows he does not fit into this slow-paced country life.
After meeting Reverend Moore, his wife Vi, and their daughter Ariel after church one Sunday, Ren realizes he may have found a kindred spirit in the minister’s rebellious daughter.
As he makes friends, and enemies, in Bomont, Ren learns that the town has banned dancing. The ban was enacted after a terrible car accident several years earlier. Reverend Moore, trying to protect and control the teenagers of Bomont, blamed the tragedy on rock music and dancing, which he viewed as gateway activities leading to drinking and drug abuse.
Shocked and baffled by the dance ban, Ren takes it upon himself to motivate the teenagers of Bomont to stand up for themselves. He also sets out to convince the town council to allow them to hold a high school prom, complete with dancing.
As the story progresses, audiences gain a deeper understanding of the hard-nosed reverend, his long-suffering wife, Vi, and their defiant daughter, Ariel. Along the way, audiences will enjoy the hijinks of small-town teenagers trying to make the most of their final years before the dawning of adulthood.
With a script written by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie, music by Tom Snow, and song lyrics penned by Pitchford, including one song written by Kenny Loggins, the nostalgia will be palpable inside the theatre this fall.
The rocking soundtrack will blow audiences away with songs including “Holding Out for a Hero,” “Almost Paradise,” and, of course, “Footloose!”
Let’s Hear It for the Boy!
Director Adam Isbell is excited to bring his vision of Footloose the Musical to the Crighton Theatre stage this September.
Those who have been theatre patrons in Conroe during the past decade have probably seen Isbell on one side of the curtain or the other.
His most notable recent directing credits include Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Little Shop of Horrors, Matilda, Big, and Carrie.
Some of Isbell’s favorite acting roles have included the titular character in Young Frankenstein, the titular character in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the musical comedy The Rocky Horror Show.
Isbell’s illustrious career, both on and off the stage, has wowed audiences for more than a decade and a half. We know audiences will love his vision for Footloose!
Oppose the Dance Ban!
Drahnier Schmidt stars as Ren McCormack. This is Drahnier’s first production with Stage Right and his first appearance at the Crighton Theatre. He is giving Kevin Bacon a run for his money with his effortless dancing and commanding stage presence.
Meredith Fisk stars as Ariel Moore and returns to the stage after playing the title role in Carrie the Musical last October.
Real-life couple Trevor and Mandy Hall will play spouses on stage for the first time as Reverend Shaw Moore and his wife, Vi.
Mandy and Meredith have complemented each other as mother and daughter twice before. Mandy portrayed Margaret White in Carrie and the Witch opposite Meredith’s Rapunzel in Into the Woods in 2017.
Audiences will remember Trevor as the charming teenager-turned-adult Josh Baskin in Big last year.
Other actors familiar to the Conroe theatre scene include:
Sarah Wilkins as Ethel McCormack
Samuel Cotton as Willard
Sophia Von Koschembahr as Rusty
Ellie Martinez as Wendy Jo
Sadie Blair as Urleen
Garrett Harvey as Chuck Cranston
These are just a few of the talented performers bringing this iconic story to life.
Isbell’s production team includes:
Shananda Poulos, Assistant Director
Jodie Schrier and Cricket Pepper, Choreographers
Paulina Lane, Vocal Director
Austin Krueger, Production Assistant
Set designers Michael and Jamie Glass have mastered the creation of a multidimensional, eye-catching set that will transport audiences directly into the world of Bomont.
Check out the full cast list to find your favorite local performers, then get your tickets and join us this fall at the historic Crighton Theatre in beautiful downtown Conroe.
Help us oppose the dance ban with Footloose the Musical!
Performance Dates
Weekends, September 4 through September 20, 2026
Friday and Saturday evenings: 7:30 p.m.
Sunday matinees: 2:00 p.m.
Tickets are on sale now at stage-right.org or by calling the box office at 936-441-7469.
