Waynesburg University to present “We Will Rock You”
Diamond Price (center) plays Killer Queen as (from left) Jayda Fyock, Andrew Gordon, Casey Desrosiers, Hannah Jobes and Mia Appleby look on in "We Will Rock You." The musical, featuring songs from the band Queen, will be performed at Waynesburg University March 30 to April 2.
Waynesburg University students in the musical "We Will Rock You" pose as members of the Globalsoft school. The show features the music of the band Queen, and will be performed at the school March 30 through April 2. Pictured, from left, are Roger Lawrence, Diamond Price, Casey Desrosiers, Hannah Jobes, Tess Marlin, James Gallucci, Mia Appleby, Jayda Fyock, Andrew Gordon and Thomas Faye.
The Waynesburg University Players will present a unique musical set in the future that features songs by the classic rock band Queen.
“This is different than musicals we’ve done in the past,” said Edward L. Powers, director of the upcoming show “We Will Rock You,” which runs from March 30 to April 2 at the Goodwin Performing Arts Center on campus.
Powers, a theater professor at the university, said the show is a “jukebox musical,” meaning preexisting songs that most people already know are used to shape the plot.
“We Will Rock You” takes place in a dystopian future where everyone wears the same clothes, thinks the same thoughts and goes about their daily lives in a haze.
It’s also a future where instruments and composers are forbidden, and rock is all but forgotten until a group of Bohemians decide to restore what has been lost.
Powers said he found something of a prophetic relevance to the story, which takes place on I-Planet (instead of Earth), where day-to-day life is run by Globalsoft Corporation.
“The internet is telling them what to do,” Powers said, likening it to the way the internet currently influences our day-to-day lives.
Powers said he believes the theme is something audiences will identify with — and hopefully walk away inspired to let their individuality and originality guide them.
Along with a live band performing the score and video incorporated in the show, Powers said another aspect of the show he believes people will relate to is the music.
Powers said this is the first show he’s ever been involved with that has a rock ‘n roll score, but the source music is something that remains relevant.
“Everybody knows ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ ‘We Will Rock You,’ ‘We Are the Champions’,” Power said, adding that the more he’s listened to the songs of Queen, the more he found, “they have written some excellent music.”
He said the dialogue in the show includes many references to songs, and at times even incorporates lyrics from other non-Queen songs.
“It’s a little punny in a way, but I think a lot of the older audiences will recognize those lines,” Powers said.
Throughout the rehearsal process, Powers said he had fun with the college-age cast of 16 actors by quizzing them on what songs certain lines referenced in the show.
Powers said rehearsals started in late January, adding that a challenge that came with the show is the fact that the university doesn’t have a theater major, so the actors are rehearsing while taking their time with their classes and busy college schedule.
“It’s a major commitment on their part,” Powers said.
The music director is Dr. Ronda DePriest, with Melanie Catana acting as vocal director and providing vocal instruction.
“We Will Rock You” will be performed at the Goodwin Performing Arts Center, 51 West College Street, Waynesburg, from Wednesday through Saturday, March 30 to April 2, at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $5 for the public, or $3 with a Waynesburg University student ID.
For more information, visit www.waynesburg.edu/events/we-will-rock-you