American Stage in the Park will hold its first production, ‘Footloose,’ since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Courtesy of American Stage
By Sophia George
St. Petersburg’s American Stage in the Park is welcoming its first musical production after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Footloose” is set to run from April 6 to May 8 in Demens Landing Park at Bayshore Drive Southeast and First Avenue Southeast.
The musical –– which is based off the classic 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, Christopher Penn and John Lithgow — follows the story of Chicago native Ren McCormack as he strives to revive the dance and rock culture in a small Midwestern town.
American Stage was originally set to put on the production in April of 2020 but was forced to delay the showings due to COVID-19-related health and safety regulations.
Prior to the shutdown, American Stage Director Shain Stroff was appointed to choreograph the production and is enthusiastic about its comeback this month.
“We were already very excited to bring ‘Footloose,’ the musical to the park back in 2020. I had actually finished choreographing the show when the 2020 park show was canceled just three days before we were scheduled to start rehearsals. I feel the show has been simmering and waiting to be served since then,” Stroff said in a press release.
In the wake of the pandemic, the casting process for the production was untraditional and challenging, with no in-person auditions.
“The casting process with this show had its own set of challenges due to casting only through video submissions,” Stroff said. “I wanted a very diverse cast and worked tirelessly to deliver the best I could. The finalized cast of ‘Footloose’ is a diverse, wonderful group of very talented artists, and I feel certain they will deliver a blockbuster performance to the St. Petersburg/Tampa audiences.”
Although it was no easy feat, American Stage was able to put together the largest cast since its 2019 production of “Mamma Mia,” according to the press release.
Alex DeLeo is making his regional debut playing the lead role of Ren McCormack in “Footloose,” and has previously performed in the Broadway productions of “Wicked” and “Kinky Boots.”
New York-born actress Lea Marinelli, cast as Ariel Moore, has performed in productions at both Walt Disney World and Universal Studios.
Other accredited actors joining the cast are John Perez as Rev. Shaw Moore and Troy D. Wallace as Willard Hewitt, both of which have performed in several other regional productions.
“This show is such a celebration of life and new beginnings, and that is exactly what this year’s park show is going to feel like for St. Petersburg/Tampa audiences. The park tradition was broken in 2020 due to pandemic, but it’s now back and bigger than ever,” Stroff said.
Ticket options for the production include advance general lawn admission, at the gate lawn admission, premium blanket seating and reserved chair seating.
Special show dates are as follows:
- Pay What You Can Previews from April 6 to 7.
- Opening Night Gala on April 8.
- Pets in the Park Night on April 17.
- Pride Plus Night on April 24.
For more information and to purchase tickets for American Stage in the Park’s production of “Footloose” visit americanstage.org/park.
