'Bring It On' Opens July 20 At Chattahoochee High School

Every year, Georgia High School Musical Theatre programs throughout the state celebrate the excellence of their student productions by participation in the Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards – Shuler Hensley Awards, named in honor of actor/singer and Georgia native, Shuler Hensley, winner of the prestigious Tony Award, Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama Desk Award.

This summer, many former nominees and winners have joined Theatre 5230’s production of Bring It On: The Musical, opening Thursday, July 20, 2017 at 7 p.m. at the Chattahoochee High School Theatre in Johns Creek.

Allison Polaski, who by day is a special education teacher at Dolvin Elementary School, Alpharetta, Georgia, has been nominated twice at Shuler Awards ceremonies for choreography produced for Johns Creek High School (JCHS), Johns Creek productions of Once Upon a Mattress and The Addams Family. Polaski’s love of choreography began when as a third grader she watched her mother choreograph Bye Birdie.

“I was hooked and haven’t stopped since,” she laughed. In addition, Polaski is also the JV Sideline Cheer Coach at JCHS. She has found that useful with this production too. She explained, “This show’s content has required me to really stretch my usual comfort zone with technique and classical musical dance theatre styles as it required hip hop and cheer moves as well.” She appreciates that community theatre allows all kinds of talent to come together, and she finds that the actors she is working with now are “spunky, confident, and have great dance experience”, so she has been able to help them create a very exciting show that “won’t disappoint the audience”. Polaski wasn’t afraid to bring in extra help either, leaning on Chattahoochee High School Varsity Cheer Coach Lorenzo Scott to help conduct extra cheer clinics to bring the actor’s cheer skills up to a professional look. In fact, Polaski’s youngest daughter, Samantha Polaski, a Level 5 All Star champion cheerleader at the Stingray Allstars gym in Marietta will be in the production too. Perhaps a third generation choreographer is in the making?

Shannan O’Dowd, Choral Director at Johns Creek High School, actually got the call from one of the Theatre 5230 producers, Jennie Fabianski, herself another Shuler nominee at Chattahoochee High School, about joining the production this summer as the Music Director. O’Dowd states she is glad she did and is “absolutely loving community theatre."

O’Dowd admits she wasn’t expecting the level of talent she has walked into but has been amazed at how much added fun it is to get to work on “polishing and music making” rather than the usual high school production focus on “notes and rhythm." She attributes the difference is because while most of this cast is still young and either in high school or early 20’s, “every single person is so passionate about being here and all want to improve their craft."

O’Dowd admits the production itself has given her a chance to grow too as the music isn’t the typical genre for a choral director, and her last musical direction was for the classic Cinderella at Johns Creek High School in Johns Creek. Even though she earned the 2017 Shuler Award Winner for Music Director for this production, she finds “the rap, the rhythm, combined with the hip hop and contemporary dancing and actual cheer stunting that Allison has put together” is actually inspiring her to be even more in love with musical theatre and perhaps start auditioning in future community productions herself!

For theatre buffs, Lin-Manuel Miranda was co-composer and lyricist for the 2012 Broadway production of Bring It On which originally premiered at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta in January 2011. The musical brings the thrill of extreme competition to the stage, as two high school cheer squads journey through friendship, jealousy, betrayal and forgiveness on their mission to claim the title at the National Cheerleading Championships.

With a colorful assortment of characters, an exciting fresh sound and explosive choreography, this hilarious, universal story is sure to be the perfect answer for the summer doldrums. Theatre 5230 is very excited to take on challenging productions for emerging artists. Last year's lead for its production of Rock of Ages, Dustin Harris Smith, is currently on tour with the national Farewell Mamma Mia! Tour.

The show will be performed July 20-22 at 7:00 PM and July 22 at 2:00 PM in Johns Creek at the theatre located at Chattahoochee High School in Johns Creek. Tickets may be bought online at http://www.theatre5230.com/tic... for $15. For further information, click here.