PCS Drama Club to Co-Produce Pippin with Shake on the Lake March 11th & 12th

First PCS performance pairing students with theatre professionals

PERRY, NEW YORK—February 11, 2022—The Perry Central Drama Club and Shake on the Lake will present the musical ‘Pippin’ on March 11th and 12th, building on collaborations between students and the Shake on the Lake team beginning in 2016.
 Audiences will see Pippin (book by Roger. O Hirson, Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz) performed on the Perry High School stage. This musical production is set to be the first result of a new production collaboration that the drama club plans to use to expand learning and performance opportunities for students. 
Pippin is a musical comedy spectacular packed full of iconic music, dance, acrobatic feats, and fantastic illusions. Originally directed by Bob Fosse and with music by Wicked composer, Stephen Schwartz, Pippin tells the story of the titular son of Charlemagne as he searches out a way to give his life an extraordinary meaning. Since the 2013 Broadway revival -directed by Diane Paulus- Pippin’s story has also been told through the lens of a circus performance. Perry High School’s production of Pippin will draw inspiration from this circus concept, and thanks to an award of $20,000 from the Perry Education Foundation, Perry High School will be one of the first schools in Western New York to do so alongside a professional theatre company. 
Director Josh Marcks (company member of SOTL since 2016) says “Pippin was the first musical I ever saw and the show that made me pursue theatre as a career. To introduce this show to these young performers and audience members, to hopefully inspire the next generation of theatre-makers, has
brought my journey full circle. It’s a dream come true.”

Shake on the Lake (SOTL) has entertained over 20,000 audience members in 11 counties throughout Western New York with its fast, fun, and physical performances since its founding in 2012. The creative team from Shake on the Lake -Josh Marcks (Director), Madeleine Dauer (Choreographer), Vinny Mraz (Set Designer), and Nikki Gray (Costume Designer) – are delivering the same style that audiences have come to expect from SOTL performances, now with the Drama Club cast members. The students at Perry High School are working directly with these theatre professionals to create a performance unlike any other seen on a high school stage in our region; featuring stage magic, shadow puppetry, illusion, acrobatics, and more!

Perry High School Principal, Rebecca Belkota is thrilled to see the partnership with Shake on the Lake evolve and grow. “The partnership with Shake on the Lake and PCS Groundlings over the last several years has been an incredible experience. The opportunity to include the theatre program allows more of our students to work collaboratively with professional artists and have exposure to the multitude of opportunities the arts provides. Shake’s passion and professionalism are unrivaled, and we are grateful to collaborate with them.” 
Former PCS student (alum, 1999) and SOTL Co-founder & Producing Artistic Director, Josh Rice, began working with PCS students back in 2016 when he created the PCS Groundlings program, a 2-week theatre arts residency for 7th-12th graders. The program gave students the chance to work alongside professional artists in a rehearsal process toward a culminating final performance. Past projects exposed the students to art forms and mashups with Shakespeare and Theatre that make the work more contemporary, accessible and fun, including Star Wars, professional wrestling, puppetry, podcasts, improv comedy, and more. 
The program has grown over the years, bringing on additional teaching artists like Josh Marcks, in 2019. The Arts Council for Wyoming County provided the grant funding to support the program’s creation from 2016 to 2021, planting the seeds for the program to expand with the addition of the musical production, Pippin.
Says Rice, “when I was a student at PCS, I had no real exposure to theatre until I went to college. That fact has always been the driving force for SOTL to create opportunities in the theatre arts to give students that exposure, and open them up to a world of possibility they never imagined before. Ultimately, we are recruiting, training, and creating a pipeline of homegrown talent to one day join our professional company of artists.”

Dr. Bill Stavisky, former PCSD Superintendent says “The foundation was created to help support innovation. This particular opportunity invests in today’s students, and supports the contributions of PCS graduates and Shake on the Lake founders, Josh Rice and Pilar McKay, while also serving as a starting point to grow future efforts. It’s an exciting project, and this first production sounds like a ‘must see’ performance to us.”
Dates & Times:
March 11th: Doors 6:30 PM / Show 7:00 PM
March 12th: Doors 6:30 PM / Show 7:00 PM
Location: Perry High School Auditorium, 33 Watkins Avenue, Perry, NY 14530
Tickets: Presale Begins February 11th
Standard: $15 per ticket, Groups of 4 or more: $10 per ticket
School Box Office (Weekdays 12pm-3pm): 585-237-0270 ext. 1011
Or Email for Ticket Reservations: dramaclub@perry.k12.ny.us
For more information, visit:
Shake on the Lake at: https://www.shakeonthelake.org/
Perry Education Foundation at: https://perryeducationfoundation.org/