Grease Heating Up Summer Nights at The Ledge

(KNSI) – The Great Theatre is heading back to school at Rydell High.

The volunteer troupe presents Grease at Waite Park’s Ledge Amphitheatre next week, but it is not quite the production you are familiar with. Director Kendra Norton Dando says the play starts at a reunion set in the 1970’s and flashes back to their high school days. Supporting characters will get some more time to shine.

“There are definitely differences from the movie. The play is the original and there are some new songs and more interaction actually between the kids than we get in the movie, which focuses more on Sandy and Danny.”

The Great Theatre has played an integral part in The Ledge’s first two summer lineups. Last year it put on Cinderella, where Norton Dando was part of the production team. That experience has helped to prepare her for leading her own outdoor stage play and its challenges.

“We do have that weather element that makes things exciting and we’re looking at 90 degree temps next week, so that is part of the design process. It’s part of what we talk about when we’re thinking about costumes. How many layers are we putting our volunteer actors in? How are we doing this safely?”

She says that there will be plenty of ice on hand in the back and probably fewer leather jackets on stage than you are used to.

Initial discussions about how to pull off the famous story began in 2021. The all-volunteer cast started to come together in the spring.

“So rehearsals started at the end of May and we have been rehearsing multiple times a week since then to get this process really underway, and we really have a fabulous cast and crew.”

Tickets can be purchased here. They start at 38 dollars plus fees assessed by Ticketmaster. The show runs from July 21-23rd.

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