This fall, the school’s theater department is bringing back a crowd favorite: All Shook Up, a jukebox musical built around the iconic music of Elvis Presley. Set in the 1950s, All Shook Up is the story of a troublemaking roustabout, Chad, who struts into a small, midwestern town and turns the lives of its inhabitants upside down. The theater program’s director and the show’s producer, Fr. Mike DeMartinis, sat down to talk more about the choice to revive All Shook Up, what’s going on behind the curtain to prepare for opening night, and why students should consider getting involved in school theater.
As both director of the theater program and producer of the show, Fr. DeMartinis juggles two major responsibilities behind the scenes. “I’m the director of the theater program, and I also serve as the producer for all our shows,” he said. “Those are actually two very different jobs. Directing takes a fraction of the time that producing does. Producing means handling everything from the beginning to the end. It starts a year in advance.”
This isn’t the first time All Shook Up has graced the stage here at Cathedral Prep. Having performed in the same play back in 2009, Fr. DeMartinis holds a special connection to one moment of the show in particular…