By Lauren MacFadden ’17

Each year students eagerly sign up for auditions to be in the spring showcase, Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival (RnR), which features students performing songs from previous decades. The audition process usually begins in early December, when students must prepare a song to either sing or play on an instrument. The auditions take about three days, and more than two hundred kids pile in front of the judges to be in the anticipated show. The students chosen to be in the show practice almost every day for two months to rehearse for the upcoming show. The dedication pays off when all the seats are filled opening night of the electric show.

“For every kid that dreams of being a rock star, this is the opportunity for them to live that fantasy. It’s kind of impossible to not get swept up in the show,” said Tyler Golsen, one of the students who participates in RnR.

The excitement that surrounds RnR inspired Edwin Santiago to film a documentary on this year’s show. Santiago is a documentary feature film producer/editor who worked in Hollywood for over twenty years. Santiago was exposed to the show when his son, senior Danny Santiago, performed in it. Along with Santiago, Tim Murray and Theresa Mezebish will assist him in the filming process. Murray has been a director of photography and has filmed presidential inaugurations, and Mezebish is a graphic artist and photographer.

“I was totally blown away at the scope of Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival, the hundreds of students that participate, the faculty involvement and the 50 or so parent volunteers. From my first show, I was literally figuring out how to produce a film about Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival,” said Santiago.

The many different aspects of RnR are the lead singers, the background singers, the band, the dancers, the tech crew, the painters/set design and, of course, the adult instructors. Santiago plans to film all of it, and not only this upcoming show. He has access to previous shows so the documentary can dive deeply into the history of RnR.

“I hope to capture the excitement of auditioning and being selected. To date we have conducted 25 interviews. I have a list of over 100 people to interview,” said Santiago.

Along with the glamour of the show, there is an additional reason for the filming of this year’s RnR. Music teacher Bill Evans, the main director of the show and chorus teacher for over twenty years, is retiring this year.

“I can’t even imagine the show without him … When he leaves, the show will be in good hands with everyone who stays, but I just don’t know if the show will be the same without him,” said Golsen, who already has been interviewed for the documentary.

Despite the bittersweet nature of Evan’s retirement, the documentary is bound to capture the positive vibes RnR releases as hundreds of students participate in a memorable, sometimes life-changing, opportunity. Given a more than qualified team, the creation of the RnR #45 documentary promises to encompass all aspects the show.