With the help of his new friends and the local preacher’s daughter, Ariel, Ren begins a crusade to convince the no-nonsense town leaders to abolish the anti-dancing law so the high school students can throw a dance and let loose — Footloose, that is.

“Footloose,” the 95th Annual Fort Dodge Senior High Musical Production, will open April 21.

Theater director Lindey Krug said a lot of thought goes into choosing the annual musical — the size of the cast, what hasn’t been done in the area recently, the character requirements and more.

“This is a story about high school-aged kids, so we thought they’d have fun with the music and dancing and they can very much connect with the characters,” she said. “And we have the talent to pull off some of the character requirements — Ren has to be able to dance, and some of the singers have to have particularly high singing ranges.”

Junior Mikeal Campbell plays Ren and he feels a special connection to his character.

“He loves to dance,and I basically dance all the time,” he said. “I feel like I match the character quite a bit and it’s been a lot of fun.”

Hannah Drummond, a senior, portrays Ethel McCormack, Ren’s mother.

“My husband ran out and left us, so I decided to pack us up and take a bus from Chicago to a tiny little town in Indiana,” Drummond explained of her character.

Like Campbell, Drummond feels a connection with her character.

“My friends always told me I’m the mom of the group, so fitting into the role of a mom hasn’t been too difficult and it’s fun,” she said.

Campbell said he enjoys the music in the show.

“It’s a vibe,” he said.

Drummond’s favorite part of “Footloose” is when Ren gives his speech to the town council in hope to convince them to allow the dance.

“I just like magical moments,” she said.

While the actors and chorus are the face of the show, none of it would be possible without the help of the students working backstage, as well as the pit orchestra directed by FDSH Vocal Music director Matt Drees.

“The audience tends to see the actors and the actors get a lot of accolades, but the set crew, the costume crew, the people running the sound and the lights, and the hair and makeup, they all play such an integral role in making the whole show happen,” Krug said. “But because they’re behind the curtains, they don’t get a lot of that recognition.”

It’s always a challenge pulling the show together before opening night as the cast and crew spend the first several weeks rehearsing at the senior high, but then move to the middle school’s much larger stage in the week before the show opens.

“It’s a lot during the tech week to put it all together, but I know that our kids are really resilient and they pick it up really quickly,” Krug said. “We’ll be ready to go next Thursday.”

Krug encourages audiences to come out and show support to the students in the show next week.

“It’s a fun show, it’s great music, and you’re supporting the fine arts in our community,” she said. “The kids in the cast and the crew have worked so hard and they deserve to have as many people in that audience as possible.”

The show will run Thursday & Friday – 7:00 p.m.

Saturday at – 2:00 p.m. at the Fort Dodge Middle School Auditorium, 800 N. 32nd St.

Tickets for the shows can be purchased online at showtix4u.com/event-details/63363 or at the door prior to the performances.