Students Take the Lead in OPRF’s Ride the Cyclone

During a recent rehearsal for OPRF’s production of Ride the Cyclone, director Michelle Bayer watched as something small—but significant—happened.

As the cast worked through a dance sequence, a student in the ensemble noticed something wasn’t quite right. She stepped aside and reminded her castmates of the choreography. The other students agreed, corrected it, and then began helping one another work through another question that surfaced.

For Bayer, it was a sign that students weren’t simply learning a show. They were taking ownership of it.

“In high school theater, that’s a huge thing when kids feel the autonomy, the ownership to speak up,” Bayer said.

That student ownership is helping bring Ride the Cyclone to life as OPRF prepares to open the darkly funny musical Oct. 7.

The show follows members of a high school choir who die in a roller coaster accident and are given an unexpected opportunity to tell their stories. Through humor, music, and moments of reflection, the characters explore their lives, dreams, and what gives each of them meaning.

The show has built a following among teenagers and young adults, and OPRF students have asked Bayer to produce it for several years.

“Sometimes you just have to listen to the kids,” Bayer said.

This year’s production features a cast of 15 and music that moves across genres, from rock and power ballads to cabaret-inspired numbers. The range requires students to stretch as singers, dancers and actors—and to help one another along the way.

For student Micah Puckett-Reeder, that has meant developing a skill that hasn’t always felt like a strength.

“I’ve always seen myself as a singer, then dancer, and actress last,” Puckett-Reeder said. With so much dialogue revealing the characters’ inner lives, Puckett-Reeder said the production has helped them grow as an actor.

Bayer sees that kind of growth happening throughout the company. Students bring different strengths to the production, she said, creating opportunities for them to learn from one another.

“When you have more experience, your job is to lift others up to your level,” Bayer said.

For Ainsley Bassett, Ride the Cyclone has offered a different kind of challenge. Accustomed to performing onstage, Bassett stepped into an assistant directing role for the production.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been put in a major leadership position before this show,” Bassett said. “Assistant directing is such a different job, and it’s helped me improve my organization, communication, and confidence.”

The students are also engaging deeply with the story itself.

Bassett said the show’s comedy hides a reminder that every person’s story has meaning. Valentín Cespedes, who serves as the narrator, sees a similar message in the musical’s unusual approach to life and death.

Beyond the performances, Bayer hopes students leave the production having grown both as artists and as people, and with a stronger sense of community.

For audiences, she hopes the show offers plenty of laughter while also prompting some reflection.
“No matter who and what you are, you have value,” Bayer said. “You are important.”

And for those who have never heard of Ride the Cyclone, Bayer has a simple invitation: Take a chance on something different.

The approximately 75-minute production has no intermission and offers a musical theater experience that may be new to many audience members.

“I think it’ll be exciting for people to just see it and try it,” Bayer said.

Performances: Oct. 9, 10, 16, 17 @ 7 p.m. 
Tickets: $10 Adults | $8 Seniors/Students