Step ball change, hop, hop, skip, cowboy, cowboy, right turn. This is the sound the cast and crew of the AHS production of Grease have constantly been heard over the past two months.

The “very exciting, high energy show,” as play director and theater teacher George Bennett referred to it, is packed with several electrifying songs and dance moves and is scheduled to be performed on May 6 and May 7. But with a cast of approximately 30 students, rehearsals have a tendency to become very hectic, very fast. So, to solve this problem, professional dancer and choreographer Philip Clark was hired to come into two rehearsals a week to teach and help the dancers with their 12 dances.

“It’s really going great. [The dancers] absolutely love the choreography,” Bennett said.

The choreography for the play must be good, because the profits for the play need to be high. This is due to the $750 fee AHS has to pay in order to be able to reserve the rights for the famous play title and to be able to rent the music. By the last night of the show, the total amount of money the production will have consumed is approximately $2,500 towards the rights, music, choreographer, and materials for the props. But Bennett hopes to make more than this to build a designated profit to put towards the production of other plays.

Bennett is also considering hosting an open dress rehearsal on May 5 with a donation station at the doors to increase their overall profit and allow members of the AHS community who possibly cannot afford the price to come see the show. However, since the play will not be under the official title that night, all donations will be optional.

As a form of encouragement for students, staff and faculty to attend the play and fill the theater, the cast of the play performed one of their dances at the recent Winter Pep Rally.

Sophomore Katie Mock saw that performance and decided that she wanted to take part in the play. “I had been fighting for a while on whether to do it or not to do it,” Mock said. “But after guilty feelings from my friends, being bored at home and seeing the pep rally, that’s what really made me want to do it.” Mock is now an extra in the play for dancing and singing sections.

In addition, Bennett is in the process of trying to find six or eight teachers to take part in the play as further encouragement for students to come. The teachers will be placed at the very beginning of the play, and have roles as a group of adults at their class reunion. The scenery and actors will then flashback to the late 1970s as the teachers reflect upon their past.

“It’s a really fun show. I just want people to have fun,” senior Tori Clodfelter, who plays Marty, said. “We’ve worked really hard.”

“My dream is to sell out Friday and Saturday,” Bennett said.