Here we go again

West De Pere Theater students are set to open their production of Mamma Mia next Thursday, Feb. 26, inviting audiences to experience an energized production that’s sure to have your toes tapping.

“You can sit in the audience and tap your foot and dance and not disrupt anybody else because everybody else is having that same fun time,” said Director Jesse Robak. “It’s just got that energy to it where you feel sucked in from the beginning and you’re like ‘Oh my gosh, how was that a two and a half hour show?’ by the time it ends. It doesn’t feel like it drags and it doesn’t feel like it goes on and on and on. It’s high-energy, fast-paced and fun the whole time.”

And those same reasons that audiences love the show is what drew Robak to select it for this year’s production — his third with West De Pere Theater.

“The kids just want to have a fun time doing the show, and that’s what I always try and emphasize with the students,” Robak said. “And with this music, how can you not have fun?

The participation and the dedication from this group specifically is what we needed to pull off this show, so Mamma Mia for West De Pere was a perfect fit.”

But taking on such a well-loved show doesn’t come without its challenges.

“Because we know that people are going to know this show, we want to make sure that it’s the best it can possibly be,” Robak said. “We’re going through and making sure everybody’s prepared and that they feel comfortable when they get on that stage.”

A lot of their preparation has been focused on the iconic ABBA songs that move the story along, Robak said.

“This rehearsal process has been probably our most intensive that I’ve been a part of in my two years with West De Pere,” he said. “We started with the whole first month just on vocals and choreo. We didn’t even touch blocking or go through it because it is so intense with every single song. There’s a couple scenes in Act 2 that have three songs alone, just in the one scene, and we knew that was going to be where the focus needed to be. So we hit that right away.”

Robak said the goal was to create their own version of Mamma Mia that was still undeniably recognizable to fans of the show.

“I hope they see a version of Mamma Mia that maybe they haven’t necessarily thought of before, but one that they’re still like, ‘Oh yeah, there’s that classic moment that I remember’ or ‘Oh man, those are the Dynamos,’” Robak said. “To be able to pull those moments but still appreciate that these are high schoolers up on this stage, doing a show that was written for adults.”

Because the characters are all adults, Robak said many students have had to learn to portray characters and situations that they haven’t experienced before.

“The hardest thing to do when you have a show for adults is tell freshmen through seniors to play a 35-year-old divorced mother,” Robak said. “It’s not a common thing to do, so I hope people come in and appreciate the work, time and dedication that the cast, crew and directors put into this.”

Robak said his students have definitely stepped up to the challenge, both on stage and behind the scenes.

“I think being able to put on a show of this caliber with the dancing that it takes and with the vocals that it takes… They’ve completely blown me away from a cast standpoint,” Robak said. “In terms of crew, they’ve had our set built for the last three weeks and for them to be able to put up a set like that in a matter of four weeks and say, ‘Okay, it’s yours and it’s ready,” I’m incredibly proud of that… To be able to say that I get to work with West De Pere High School Theater… I’m incredibly grateful and proud for all the students and directors involved with it.”

If you’re thinking about attending a performance, “Come with your friends, come with your family, bring somebody else,” Robak said. “We want to fill these seats. The students deserve it.”

Performances will take place Feb. 26 and 27 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 28 at 2 p.m.

New to West De Pere Theater this year will be a bake sale and water sale during intermission as well as picture boards in the commons to recognize the seniors involved in the production.

Tickets are available at westdeperehighschooltheatre.ludus.com or at the door the night of the show.