Shelton High drama club to bring ‘Rock of Ages’ to stage

SHELTON — It may have taken three years, but Shelton High's award-winning drama club will finally bring “Rock of Ages: High School Edition” to the stage.

The club has earned the past two Sondheim Best Musical Awards, for “Chicago” in 2019 and “Seussical” in 2022, with the pandemic closing the curtain on the years in between. It was in the middle of rehearsals for Rock of Ages when Shelton schools were closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I am excited for everyone to see this,” senior Kylee Taylor, who plays Constance Sack. “Everyone will have a little bit of shock … it's so different from ‘Seussical.' But this just shows the diverse talents in our group.”

The club will present “Rock of Ages: High School Edition” from April 27 to 29. Each show will be at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. Tickets can be purchased at Showtix4U or at the door the night of the show.

“Our performers compete to try and win Sondheim awards but that's not our primary purpose,” said club adviser Joe Sedlock. “We want to give these kids an opportunity to show the city of Shelton what they can do on stage. These kids live for the applause and letting the people in the city see and appreciate what they are doing.”

The SHS Drama Club's spring production, “Seussical: The Musical,” earned eight Stephen Sondheim nominations, ultimately claiming best musical among others. The eight nominations matched a school best earned three years ago with the club's production of “Chicago.”

“We're excited about this show,” said Katherine Sedlock, who has directed the past eight spring musicals. “We are lucky here. We always have very talented kids, very passionate kids, who are dedicated. This is their whole life for these three months.”

Katherine Sedlock, who has been on the Shelton High stage, as either performer or director, since the age of 7, said the students practice six days a week, 16 hours in all on average, in preparation for the shows.

“Preparation is the key to success,” she added.

“Rock of Ages” is set in the mid- to late-1980s on the Sunset Strip in California and features many of the popular songs from that day. The lead, Sherri, comes to town seeking to become an actress, falls for the bad boy rocker but ends up with the boy she was meant to be with all along.

“This is a classic love story,” Katherine Sedlock said. “The point of the show is sometimes the dreams you start with are not the dreams you leave with … but they still rock.”

The show will feature 41 performers, with Ben Souza as Lonny Barnett, Dillon Durante as Dennis Dupree, Kyle McColgan as Drew Boley and Megan Loiacano as Sherrie Christian. In all, 50 students — from performers to stage crew — will be bringing the production to life.

“Shelton's drama club is such a different feel than other theater experiences,” Loiacano said. “Everyone is so supportive and friendly … they are all here to have fun. You never feel pressure or insecure.”

She said the auditorium and the stage is a comfort space

“I feel safe and secure,” she said. “This is my space.”

Loiacano said she sought the lead role because the character of Sherrie resonated with her.

“I really liked Sherrie from listening to her. I loved her spirit. I love the music she sings. The show is so fun and in your face, and I have a big part in it,” Loiacano said.

Roberto DeSantis, a junior who plays Stacee Jaxx, said that “Rock of Ages” will bring a different feel than past shows.

“This is a more serious show,” he said. “There's a lot of fun aspects of it, but the audience will see some more serious acting than last year, when we did ‘Seussical.' That was more whimsical. This one tells a deeper, more interesting story.”

DeSantis caught the acting bug after watching tapes of his aunt in West Side Story. He also watched his mother and cousins act as well, and he thought it looked fun and so he took to the stage. But it was not until he performed in “Seussical” last year that his confidence level skyrocketed.

“'Seussical' was the first time I felt I could do this and not feel stressed out about it,” DeSantis said. “That opening night I went ‘whoa,' and from then on, I have not been scared to go on stage. I cannot wait to for us to show off what we can do in ‘Rock of Ages.'”

Katherine Sedlock said her hope is to see the more than 1,100 seats in the auditorium filled each show.

“We have this passion on stage, and it really shines through no matter what we're doing,” Loiacano said. “And that joy always transcends to the audience. This show is going to be amazing, and we can't wait to show off for everyone.”