Rock Creek theater program grows, overcomes challenges

Feb. 28—SELLERSBURG — Rock Creek Community Academy's theater program continues to grow even as it faces obstacles such as limited resources and a lack of an auditorium.

Vanessa Lorentzen, a music teacher at Rock Creek, volunteers as the theater director. The small theater program at the Sellersburg charter school started five years ago, and it has provided opportunities for students to showcase their creative talent.

In the fall, the school took its production of "Emma: A Pop Musical" to the Indiana State Thespian Regional Conference at Vincennes University, and the program won first place for the production. In January, the troupe took the production to the Indiana Thespians State Conference in South Bend.

The program is now preparing for its upcoming production of "The Music Man Jr," which will take place on April 21 and 22. The school is seeking a grant to cover the cost to perform at the Ogle Center's Robinson Theater at Indiana University Southeast.

Lorentzen said when the program started, it had "zero cash," but they were able to produce its first play, which was a cabaret featuring Beatles music.

As they were preparing to stage a show called "Alice@Wonderland," they had already gone through 13 rehearsals before the COVID-19 pandemic caused schools to shut down in 2020. They eventually rebooted the show.

"We're just struggling on, and we're growing bigger all the time — and stronger," Lorentzen said.

Community members have supported the program in recent years, whether that is donating money or lending costumes, Lorentzen said.

"Each show has its own story of heroes — people that said, oh, I'll give you $1,000," she said.

The school has a small rehearsal room, so students have to use "a lot of mental imagery" to prepare for performing on a real stage, Lorentzen said.

She would love to see an auditorium at Rock Creek, but funding is a major challenge. The school has performed its shows at other locations such as Ivy Tech Community College in Sellersburg.

"This school is growing, and it's hard for them to throw money toward an auditorium when they think, well, we need another classroom," Lorentzen said.

Rock Creek Principal Sara Hauselman won "Best Administrator of the Year" at the Indiana State Thespian Conference. She was nominated by Lorentzen, who cited the principal's support to get the program started at the school. She has also helped out by catering meals during tech week and "just making sure that the kids are celebrated."

"She's like a pioneer — to start something when you don't have a budget when you don't have a room or anything," Lorentzen said. "So I give her the credit."

Hauselman said she is "extremely pleased" with how the program has grown, particularly with the various obstacles they have had to overcome, whether that is funding challenges or the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Theater has helped these kids get through some of the things with COVID," she said.

The program typically puts shows together in six to eight weeks. Students stay after school and put many hours of hard work into the musicals, according to Lorentzen.

"By the time they're done, they have well over 100 hours of effort that they put in learning lyrics, learning their dance and just getting their dialogue correct and me correcting them over and over on their intonation, for example," she said. "The cool thing is that I don't think they get discouraged. I think they're challenged, and that's what I want for them. I want them to feel empowered in their skills."

Her daughter, Jazmyn Lorentzen, has collectively won $90,000 in theater scholarships after auditioning for various colleges. The Rock Creek senior received the best leading actress award at the regional competition for her role as the title character in "Emma."

"It meant a lot," Jazmyn said. "I've been in theater for eight years, and I never knew that I could accomplish a lot. I didn't know that I was capable of being a lead actress. It was just amazing to know that my efforts after all these years had paid off and people enjoyed my performance."

Ray Tait, a senior, is the president of Rock Creek's thespian troupe. She describes the program as a "wonderful thing."

"Theater has been with me since I was super small, so I haven't grown up without it really," Tait said. "I was actually really nervous when I came to this school, because I didn't know if they had a theater program, and I love theater. But then I found all these wonderful people, and now I get to make things with them and be able to produce all sorts of fun things that other people can enjoy and learn from."

Rock Creek student Caleb Gedney said the program has a "family-like" environment.

"It's just getting in a room with a lot of people you like and making a show that you like," he said. "It's just a fun experience."

Chance Patrick, a sophomore at Rock Creek, won "Best Cameo," at the Indiana State Thespian Conference, an award given because of his memorable performance in "Emma." He played a "rock star," and people were "chanting his name" at the show, Lorentzen said.

Patrick said performing in the show at the state level was an "unbelievable experience."

"It really pumped my adrenaline," he said.

Sadie Murrihy, a junior at Rock Creek, played one of the lead characters in the recent production of "Emma." Her experience with Rock Creek has allowed her to be involved in various aspects of theater, including technical work and acting.

"The theater program has really helped me create music," she said. "When I first started, it helped me find my confidence onstage and in singing, and then it kind of helped me start writing music on my own and sharing that with my friends," she said.

Isaac Majors, a junior at Rock Creek, won best supporting actor at the regional competition for his role in "Emma." When he first joined the musical theater program, he didn't expect the impact it would have.

"At first, I didn't think I was capable of doing this, but then as time went on, I realized I had potential, and I could help others possibly to gain potential and everything, and I found my place."

Lorentzen said theater programs at local schools such as Floyd Central High School and Silver Creek High School have shown support for Rock Creek.

Rebecca Gedney is a member of the parent board for Rock Creek's theater program. She said the program allows each student to grow and develop their talent.

"They all get attention," she said. "They all grow. They can make progress. There's not some elite group that only certain kids get the parts over and over."

Even if the school does not have a performance venue, "the auditorium is just the building," and the program is adaptable because of its lack of a permanent venue, Lorentzen said.

"We are the real power behind the program — the actual students and the support of their families," she said. "We could go over to that venue at Vincennes to be in the regional without even blinking an eye because all we do is pick up all our stuff and go. We had an edge. We're not in a rut. We just have to learn to roll with the punches and constantly be fluid."