Otto admitted, at first she knew little about the part. collegiate, ~Janet will lay Ariel, l:.(he h town minisâ€" ter‘s rebellious daughter, when Putting It Together Productions presents the show July 17 and 18. "I hadn‘t seen the movie, but I knew it was one of my mom‘s favourites," she sdid. "I rented it, and I really enjoyed it." The story begins when feisty teen Wren McCormick moves into an ultraâ€"conservâ€" ative small town that is all but run by the local minister "When I auditioned, 1 wasn‘t even trying out for the lead," Otto said. "I just wantâ€" ed to be a part of the ensemâ€" ble." But when she got the nod as the main character‘s leadâ€" ing lady, the opportunity was too much to pass up. "I guess 1 suit the part." she said. "She‘s flirtatious, and I tend to be flirtatious too." who attendâ€" ed Waterloo Watching the film, it never dawned on her that she would be cast in a leadâ€" ing role. But she‘s traded in the cap and gown for spandex and leg warmers as she assumes one of the lead roles in the upcoming musiâ€" cal producâ€" tion of the hit 1980s "The m movie Footâ€" ce s Now after more than five years she is returning to the familiar theatre. e last time Marlee I Otto was on stage at Centre in the Square, she graduated from Grade 8. Musical version of hit movie Footloose comes to the Centre in the Square ‘Everybody cut... ’Petals & POtS Inc The rigid preacher frowns By Anorea Baney Chronicle Staff XKitchener. 725 Ottawa St 5 M&SM!L)'ME _ Call 742â€"7221 _ Call 885â€"21 â€" "The music is so catchy Everybody knows that guitar â€"Janet Ksenych "The music is so catchy, Everybody knows that guitar But Ksenych, who is a big fan of the original film, said there‘s more to the story than teens bopping to the tunes of the day. that I could listen to forever," said _ producer _ Janet Ksenych. â€" "I‘ve always been around theatre," she said. "I‘ve also done some TV work on a show called My Life As A Dog." But she admitted, the Footloose experience has been unique. "It‘s not all glitz and glamour," she said. "There‘s an intense storyline going "It‘s a lot of fun, with a lot of depth. Otto, who comes from a theatrical family â€" her father has appeared in many local stage productions â€" said she‘s used to the acting process. "Dancing being freedom is very cool." In the midst of what seems like a moral tugâ€"ofâ€" war, Ariel, the minister‘s rebellious sexy daughter, falls for her father‘s nemesis. The musical is based on the movie, and includes R popular hit songs _ like IC is so0 â€" Footloose, Holding out ?f}’ bOdy for a hero and v § Let‘s hear it tâ€gu thit, for the boy. upon anything fun, and doesn‘t take kindly to Wren‘s carefree influence on resiâ€" dents. When Wren encourages his peers to let loose and dance, a war erupts between the town‘s young and old. I‘m surprised by how Flower & Gift Shop "The show is so enerâ€" getic, with all those great ‘BOs â€" tunes ARTS FOCUS But Otto said she takes pride in knowing the audiâ€" ence will enjoy the results of those long, laborious hours. "The show is amazing," she said, after the debut last week at Guelph‘s River Run Centre. "With all of the songs performed live, it‘s so highâ€" Marlee Otto of Waterloo plays the rebellious teen Arie! in the musical production of Footloose, presented this Thursday and Friday at Centre in the Square. much this cast has come _ energy. You could just see together as one big family," _ the people bopping along to she said the music. It‘s a real crowd "And it‘s been a lot of hard work. I‘ve been really challenged. That kind of talâ€" ent doesn‘t come naturally. You have to work at it." FITNESSCOA REAL SUMTS FOR REAL WOMEN spring and summer fitness clothing Sale ends July 31/03 20"~ oFF 5 InG stheET SOUTH warerLO0 Town equare 7A7.14M4a he U helt U yc To order tickets, call the Centre in the Square box office at 578â€"1570, or purâ€" chase online at www.centreâ€" square.com. energy. You could just see the people bopping along to the music. It‘s a real crowd pleaser." _ Otto also said this small taste of theatre has only fed her hunger for future roles. "I‘d love to do Broadway someday," she said. "I‘m defâ€" initely going to keep going." Ticket prices for the show are $24, $28 and $32. , Listen to what is being said, so that others can listen as well, and can enter more completely into the world of the play. Actors deserve audiertce respect and attenâ€" tion. If you want to continually suck on candy, fumble about, and comment on the playâ€"byâ€"play action, do all live theatre fans a big favour. Stay home on the couch! Actors hate it and can easily detect coughing, throat clearing, and other ambient audience noise. They are trained to listen yet audience patrons don‘t listen to them anymore. I believe that anyone who makes unnecessary noise during a performanee should be immediately escorted out with no refum?ge Announcements at the beginning of each presentaâ€" tion are there for a reason. If a throat tickle persists, take a bottle of water. That is the only thing allowed in the theatre auditorium. Why do people wait ue until the right climatic M M moment io make nc PR OR loudest noise be it THE BALCONY coughing, sputtering, fppipabatnt or _ the _ almighty ahem...? Are they bored? al Does the friendly * warning "please turn > off â€" all electronic !g"" F devices so you can < enter more completely lig into the world of play" ring on deaf ears. Do CORAL these rude and inconâ€" siderate types think ANDREWSâ€"LESLIE that no one can hear es them unwrap a Werthers, chew on a Twizzler or hear the mighty cyberâ€"ring of Scotland the Brave? The more inconspicuous you try to be, the noisier you are. have seen many shows in the theatre as a reviewer Iover the past 25 years and the time has come to review today‘s audiences. Two thumbs down. Today‘s audience seems to have a very short attenâ€" tion span. They seem to think that live theatre is like TV or a movie â€" that during the performance anything goes, from bringing colicky babies to answering the cell phone. They don‘t seem to realize they are ruining theatre for others. People pay top dollar for tickets which often run from $50 to sometimes $150 for megaâ€" Great productions are consistently being spoiled because of inconsiderate morons; people who make it their personal mission to comment throughout the show, the type of nauseating theatre aficionados who sound like they know it all, and want everyone else to know it. People also like to ‘accompany‘ shows with any number of live activities from infernal unwrapping of candy to infinite fidgetingâ€"while joyfully providing a coughing chorus for any number of key scenes. Today‘s theatre audiences get two thumbs way down VIEWWV FROM THE BALCONY CORAL |