FOOTLOOSE Comes to Surflight Theatre This Week

Surflight Theatre will continue their 2024 Season with the musical, Footloose. 

This musical holds a special place in the history of Surflight as it was the first show performed in the comeback season of 2017 with the return of Producing Artistic Director Steve Steiner!

Big-city teenager, Ren, relocates from Chicago to the small rural town of Bomont, where its inhabitants have imposed an unjust ban on Rock ‘n’ Roll and dancing. Feeling trapped and confused, Ren tries to fit in; however, he will soon find himself neck-deep in trouble when beautiful Ariel Moore, the preacher’s daughter, catches his eye. Now, to convince the city council to lift the ban on dancing, Ren has no choice but to fight prejudice and the community’s fire-and-brimstone preacher through dance. But is Ren fighting a losing battle? Footloose was nominated for 4 Tony Awards, including Best Original Score. An iconic song list includes: Footloose, Holding Out for a Hero, Let’s Hear It for the Boy, and many others.

Paula Hammons Sloan directs and choreographs. Along with a background in mathematics and accounting and serving as General Manager of Surflight Theatre, her work as Director/Choreographer and Master Teacher has been recognized nationally for over 40 years. Ms. Sloan has directed or choreographed numerous National tours including: 42nd Street, Singin’ in the Rain, Music Man, Cabaret, Bye Bye Birdie, Little Women, Urban Cowboy, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Copacabana, Funny Girl, George M, Titanic, My One and Only, Crazy for You and The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Ms, Sloan has mounted several productions at the Tropicana Resort and Casino, Resorts in Atlantic City and El Dorado Casino in Reno. She directed and choreographed Miracle on 34th Street (Jersey Shore Entertainment) on the West Coast, at the Tropicana Resort and Casino and on tour. She was choreographer for Jekyll and Hyde and Singin’ in the Rain for the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino Broadway Series in Atlantic City which also played for an extended run at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood Florida.  Ms. Sloan has directed and/or choreographed regionally including, The Laguna Playhouse (Once,  I Love You Your Perfect Now Change, Spitfire Grill, Footloose, All Shook Up, Hairspray, Ring of Fire and Buddy the Buddy Holly Story).  Kansas City Starlight (The Producers, Anything Goes), Casa Manana (Oklahoma), West Virginia Public Theatre, Surflight Theatre (Steel Pier, A Christmas Story, On Your Toes, Sisters of Swing, Lady Be Good, Ragtime, Mamma Mia, Holiday Inn, Cabaret, Joseph, Will Rogers, White Christmas, Ebenezer among others), Gateway Playhouse, Plan B Productions (The Producers, Footloose), Theatre Under the Stars (Houston) (110 in the Shade, Wonderful Life, Disney’s When You Wish), the Houston Symphony, the Houston Thanksgiving Day Parade and opening ceremonies of the 100th Anniversary Convention of Girl Scouts. She was Resident Choreographer for Galveston Summer Musicals for over 45 productions and her former tap company, Texas Tap Ensemble, toured Nationally and Internationally for several years.

The show will also feature Musical Direction by Nicholas Kaminski, Scenic Design by Christopher Strangfeld, Costume Design by Carla Gant assisted by Amanda Chiaro, Sound Design by Ian Wehrle, Lighting Design by Anthony Marinaro, Props Design  by Maria Laird.

Todd Turner (with credits including Everett in Swing the Musical and Albert in Newsies) will play Ren McCormack, Lanie Walsh (with credits including Featured Dancer in TEXAS Outdoor Musical, Phantom and Columbia u/s in The Rocky Horror Show) as Ariel Moore, and Don Daniels (last seen as Luther Billis in South Pacific and the Old Man in Surflight’s A Christmas Story, along with other credits including Ziggy in the 1st National Tour of Young Frankenstein and the National Tour of Big River) as Reverend Shaw Moore. The show will also feature Noah A. Lyon as Willard (Shakespeare in last season's Something Rotten among many others) Jack Supan as Chuck Cranston, Lisa Carlson as Vi Moore, Alison Nusbaum as Ethel McCormack, Lexie Brown as Rusty,  Mike Brennan as Coach Roger Dunbar, Deanna Doyle as Betty Blast, Vincent Law as Principal Harry Clark/Cowboy Bob, Gabriela Moncivais as Urleen, Alyssa Minuto as Wendy Jo. Others in the cast include Surflight’s Resident Company and newcomers: Ben Halperin, Makayla LaBode, Olivia Linton, Gina Marcinkowski, Sean McCrystal, Michael Paciello, Anthony Recine, Sage Spiker, Emily Steindl, and Teagan Tillman.

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