by Jamie Lasorsa
If you were one of the lucky patrons that scored a ticket to the Sterling Community Theatre’s
production of School of Rock, you were surely not disappointed! It was a spectacular show!
Arriving early, the excited sounds of both kids and adults were already echoing in the performance
hall. The seats quickly filled, and at precisely 7:30pm (my showtime), the lights dimmed and the
spotlight turned on. A collective sound of anticipation came over the audience as we were greeted by
E. Leigh Zongrone, the show’s producer. With a few quick announcements the show was underway!
This cast was truly amazing! Their energy, enthusiasm, and hard work was apparent throughout the
entirety of the 2.5hr show. Doug Dame, (Dewey Finn) encompassed his character so well, sometimes
I felt like I WAS watching Jack Black (who played Dewey Finn in the 2003 Hollywood movie School of
Rock). The cast had the audience dancing in their seats, singing along, and feeling all the feelings, as
Dewey lead his young prodigies to the Battle of the Bands, learning a lot about themselves along the
way.
Much like the characters within the musical, the cast had some stand-out participants as well. 13-
year-old Cailyn Kindorf of Sterling, who played the part of Katie Travis, has been playing cello for 2
years. Much like her character, Cailyn had to quickly learn how to transition from a cello player to a
bass player. Miraculously, like her character, with a little guidance, within 45 minutes Cailyn was
playing the chorus of “Smoke on the Water” on bass…she was a natural! This was Cailyn’s first
production with Sterling Community Theatre, and she said her favorite parts were making new friends
and learning to play the bass, which she might continue to explore even now that the production is
over.
Another stand-out performer was Peter Rezac. A Sterling resident who auditioned for the show in
support of his 2 daughters, Adeline and Delaney who also have parts in the musical. Peter plays Mr.
Williams, a parent of one of the young band members. Peter has participated in past STC productions
as well with his girls, as he feels it’s a great way to connect with his children and spend quality time
together. Peter explained his sentiment best with a song that was preformed within the musical called
“If Only You Would Listen”, a song about parents needing to take more time to effectively listen to their
children, to really hear what they are saying. Peter said, “It’s basically saying, listen to the small stuff
now, if you want them to share with you the big stuff later.”
With a large part of their background being in education and working with the youth population, this
new creative team approached this production as a chance to frame this as not only a musical, but
also as an educational experience. Teaching the largely adolescent cast vital tools that can be widely
used throughout all aspects of their lives. Mentorship, patience, and how to come to collective
agreements within their communities. Judging by the success of the show, I’ll say I think they did an
amazing job!
“It’s been such an exciting opportunity not only to further integrate the First Church community with
SCT, but to bring together a team of incredibly talented peers (who I’ve known & loved from learning
together, performing together, and watching grow into leaders in their own rights) and a cast of
phenomenal young artists, many of whom are performing for the first time, with their family members,
or both – truly the meaning of COMMUNITY theatre. -Kate Sheridan (Director).
A wonderful show put together by a talented creative team, enthusiastic young actors, and
tons of community support. This is absolutely one of the greatest attributes of Sterling, the
community coming together to support arts, entertainment, and the youth of our town. I can’t
wait to see what’s coming next! www.sterlingtheatre.com