JENNIE: Augusta Players wrapping up 79th season with School of Rock

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) — Most of you are familiar with the hit movie School of Rock, starring Jack Black. He plays a struggling musician who is fired from his band and winds up faking his way as a substitute teacher at a prep school, ultimately forming a band, a fourth graders that wins a battle of the bands.

It was turned into a Broadway musical in 2015, and you have got the chance to see it right here in the Garden City when the Augusta Players bring it to the stage the first weekend in May.

Executive and artistic director of the Augusta Players, Scott Seidl, is here today. And Scott, I mean, this is going to be a great show. It’s going to be so much fun.

Scott Seidl: “I don’t even need to be here. You just encapsulated that so perfectly. You know everything you need to know about the show other than it has an amazing cast and the music is so fun I could go home now!”

JENNIE: “You watch that movie and it’s just, you know, it’s just great. It’s just a classic. And I ran into someone who had been a former teacher of your lead in the show, the teacher. And she said he was born to play this role.”

Scott Seidl: “He absolutely was. There is no acting involved at all with Jamie. He just is this character in the best of ways! But he looks a lot like him and he’s having– Just the whole thing is just fun.”

JENNIE: And he’s working with all these little kids.

Scott Seidl: “They have to sing, they have to dance. They have to act. And four of them have to play instruments, live on stage. There’s an amazing guitarist, Kenny, our bass player, Mia, our drummer Mallory, and our keyboard player Keaton. They’re phenomenal musicians. Came in first rehearsal and had the thing down. It was it was thrilling to be in the room and kind of put all the adults on notice and it’s like they got to step it up because we’ve got a great ensemble.”

JENNIE: That’s wonderful. And the music from Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Scott Seidl: “Right. And it’s kind of unexpected. You know, this is not Phantom of the Opera by any means, or Evita, or any of those kinds of shows. But it gets back to his roots as a rock and roll writer. You know, you think about Jesus Christ Superstar, which we’re opening our season with next year. And Joseph the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, those are his rock roots. And this kind of gets him back to that. It’s just fun. Pop rock music not too complicated, but leaves you smiling and tapping your toes the whole time.”

So much is happening right now with the Augusta Players organization. In addition to School of Rock the Junior Players are rehearsing a production of “Peter and the Star Catcher.” And this evening, April 23rd, is actually Schoolhouse Rock Live, directed by Ryan Abel.

Scott Seidl: “You can go to the Miller Theater at 7:00 tonight. It’s got a live rock band on stage. And again, a cast of amazing lead actors that we’ve all come to know and love on stage telling that stuff that those of us of a certain age had grown up with Schoolhouse Rock life. That’s tonight.”

School of Rock is coming up the first weekend in May at the Imperial Theater.
Friday, May 3rd/8PM, Saturday, May 4th/2PM & 8PM, and Sunday, May 5th/ 3PM. For information, call 706-826-4707. Buy tickets at augustaplayers.org

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