Wakatipu High’s bringing the rock and roll.
Curtains open on Wednesday for its musical, Rock Apocalypse, a rock n’ roll parody of B-list horror and sci-fi movies.
Year 13 student Stefan Hall plays megalomaniac rockstar Ricky Valiant, who has plans to take over the world and sets up an evil laboratory to turn unsuspecting victims into zombie-like ‘deadheads’.
Married couple Dawn and Ash, played by Year 12 and 13 students Bethany Graf and Jack Speedy, find themselves caught up in the middle when they’re lured to Ricky’s institute for counselling.
It’s up to them to help the FBI take down the evil rocker and save the planet.
WHS drama teacher Jake Hansen says this year’s production is run almost entirely by students — up to 150 in all are involved — who’ve been rehearsing since the end of January.
By night two, they’ll have total control over the stage.
Hansen says this year’s been a bit different because it’s been harder to gain rights to a show, so there’s been less time to prepare, but ‘‘you wouldn’t know it coming to a rehearsal’’.
And while in previous years the cast’s been able to research their characters, Rock Apocalypse allows for some creative freedom, he says.
Rock Apocalypse, Wednesday to Saturday, Wakatipu High School. Tickets cost $35 for adults, $18 for students or $90 for a family pass, via wakatipu.school.nz or bit.ly/3yXfpYS
