The audience last year didn’t know what to expect from Jerry Buchko’s Rock of Ages fundraiser for the Cultural Arts Theatre. This year, well, word has got around.
“People told me last year they would have paid $50 for it,” he said. “We got a standing ovation. The just blew me away.”
Tickets for the show, which takes place this Saturday, Feb. 22, are selling quickly as people look to get in on the action. Buchko, a teacher at R.F. Staples, has corralled some of his co-workers and other community members at large to put on this fundraiser, which he produces and directs on behalf of the Cultural Arts Theatre.
It’s a local take on the famous Rock of Ages musical, but features costumed locals lip-synching to classic rock and pop songs.
Last year’s show brought in about $2,200 towards replacing the seats, a figure Buchko said he’s hoping to double this year.
This year there will be performances inspired by the likes of the Rolling Stones, the Dixie Chicks, Queen, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Elton John, Elvis and many more. Some performers will also be re-enacting scenes from classic movies like Dirty Dancing and Grease.
While the show is nominally about the music, Buchko said it’s really more about the personalities involved — especially when it comes to the straight-laced educational professionals in this community.
“The teachers’ personalities are coming out,” he said. “I’ve got some teachers out there who never would have done this in their lifetime but they saw it last year and said, ‘That was awesome.’”
While the show isn’t a school function, teachers from both R.F. Staples and Westlock Elementary have got involved -— about 70 per cent of the performers spend most of their weekdays in front of a class rather than in front of an auditorium full of people.
“They want to do it because it’s fun, and it helps bring the staff together,” Buchko said.
Of course, many community members outside the education field will also grace the stage.
Not that many of them will be too easily recognizable — with access to $2,000 worth of costumes, the performers really do take the essence of the artists they’re representing.
Despite all the help from not only the school, but the community at large, Buchko’s the main driving force behind the show and he’s been planning it for months.
“I started in July, just picking songs and running it through my head to see how it would work,” he said. “I basically tell them what I see in my head, how I want it on the stage, and they come up with ideas which is really helpful.”
Tickets for the 18-plus adult show are $25 and available at R.F. Staples or at the Flower Shoppe.
