Footloose
Cast of Characters
Ren - Lead role who is a little
dangerous! Must be a strong dancer, singer & is very charming.
Ariel – The Reverends daughter who
seeks adventure! Strong dancer & Singer.
Willard – Comedic role that is a
little bit of a hillbilly.
Rusty – Female comedic role who must
have a strong belt.
Reverend Shaw – Loud speaking role,
no dance or singing required. Authority figure.
Ethel – Ren’s Mother
Garvin – Ren’s Best Friend from
Chicago
Vi – Shaw’s Wife.
Principal / Coach – Character of
authority, no singing or dancing required.
Wendy Jo – Funny & singer.
Urleen/Natasha – Funny & singer.
Eleanor – City Council member
Chuck – Ariel’s Boyfriend
Cowboy Bob – Enough said! 2
Song Synopsis
Act I
Footloose Opening
…………………………..………..Full Company
I Can’t Stand
Still………………………………...……Ren & Willard
Somebody’s Eyes………………....Rusty,
Urleen, Wendy Jo ,Shasta
Holding Out For A Hero …………….Ariel, Rusty,
Urleen, Wendy Jo & girls
I’m Free / Heaven
Help…...………………..Ren, & Bomont Friends
Act II
Let’s Here It For The
Boy……………………..…Rusty & Company
.
Mama Says……………………………………..……...Willard
& Boys
Dancing Is Not A
Crime……………….…………...….Ren and Boys
Footloose (Finale)……………………………..……….Full
Company
ACT ONE
SCENE ONE: City of Chicago
Footloose [opening] –Full Company
NATASHA
Hey Ren is there any dancing in
Bomont?
REN
Oh sure, I bet there’s tons of clubs
and places to cut-loose.
NATASHA
Seriously though Ren, like, what’re
you gonna do about Alexis?
REN
Alexis?
NATASHA
Your girlfriend?! 5
REN
(Hasn’t given it much thought till
now) Well, I guess she’ll have to come visit me…
NATASHA
In Bomont?! Good luck dude.
SCENE TWO: Church Chapel of Bomont
(Musical underscore)
REVEREND SHAW
Welcome to Bomont! Good morning!
PARISHIONERS
Good morning Reverend!
REVEREND SHAW
As I came to church this morning, I
was reminded of a line from our great poet, Walt Whitman, who
wrote, “I hear America singing.” And
I thought, “Aren’t we the song that we sing? Don’t we lift our
voices to tell the world who we are?
And what we And believe?” So I ask you this morning – What
song are you singing?
CONGREGATION
Amen! Sing it Reverend!
REVEREND SHAW
Now if Walt Whitman were alive today,
what song would he hear America singing? When I turn on
the television, all I hear is the
music of rock and roll and endless chant of relaxed morals. And I ask
myself, “Why does our Lord allow
this?” We know God has the power to turn all those records and
books and videos into one big fiery
cinder like…..that! But He doesn’t. And Why? Because God is
testing us. Everyday our Lord
presents us with one simple challenge – Listen to the music in your
soul. Now on a different note we
welcome this morning to our parish two new souls who just
arrived form Chicago. Ethel McCormack
and her son…Ron, is it?
REN
Ren.
REVEREND SHAW
Huh? Speak up! Let me the Lord hear
your voice!
REN
Ren. Ren McCormack.
REVEREND SHAW
“Ren.” Interesting name. Is that
short for something?
CONGREGATION
Amen! Sing it Reverend! 6
REN
No.
REVEREND SHAW
Well we invite you into our church
family. My wife Vi and our daughter Ariel will introduce you to
members of the congregation. Welcome
to Bomont!
(Church congregation moves off stage
with background music while scene changes into high school halls, the
school bell rings to start the scene)
SCENE THREE: Bomont High School
hallway
WILLARD
Hey! You’re the new guy from Chicago,
ain’tcha?
REN
Perhaps.
WILLARD
Smart - alec, huh?
REN
Let me ask you something, Will. What
do you do around here for a good time? Do you guys have
any clubs?
WILLARD
Nope.
REN
What about movie theaters?
WILLARD
Nope.
REN
What about any malls?
WILLARD
Nope.
REN
What about…..
WILLARD
Nope, nope, and nope. We got a
bowl-A0Rama down by the interstate.
REN
Wow. I really admire you. I could
never do what you guys do around here. 7
WILLARD
Yeah? What’s that?
REN
Nothing!
I can’t stand still - Ren
WILLARD
I can see that. Around here we walk.
You’re gonna last about five minutes in this town.
PRINCIPAL
Young man! Young man! What do you
think you’re doing?
REN
What? I was just showing him some
steps.
PRINCIPAL
There is absolutely no dancing of any
kind allowed at any time anywhere within the town limits of
Bomont. EVER! (Principal exits).
WILLARD
It’s against the law.
REN
Dancing? Get out!
RUSTY
Bomont is not like Chicago. It must
be so cool to live in a city where you can walk down the street
and get mugged by people you don’t
even know.
I Can’t Stand Still 8
REN
Yeah, I miss that. I thought living
in a small town was going to be perfect, like on big happy family.
WENDY JO
Let me tell you about that family.
(Music cue) There are tongues wagging every time you make a
move.
URLEEN
There are fingers pointing every time
you turn around.
WENDY JO
There’s heads shaking the minute you
cross the line.
RUSTY
And there are eyes everywhere.
Somebody’s Eyes
REN
Thanks for the advice. But it’s not
going to get to me.
URLEEN
It gets to everybody. 10
REN
You don’t know me.
URLEEN
You don’t know Bomont.
(School Bell rings and students
transition into the cafeteria)
SCENE FOUR: Bomont High School
Cafeteria
ARIEL
It’s so rad, watching a guy like Ren
fly in the face of authority. Isn’t it?
GIRLS
Uh-huh, totally, he is so awesome!
WENDY JO
There are just no guys around
anymore; I mean I don’t want that much.
URLEEN
I just want to find a guy who’d make
the first move.
RUSTY
If I could only find a guy who, when
he went to kiss me goodnight – he’d take the toothpick out of
his mouth.
WENDY JO
If I could only find a guy.
Holding out for a Hero
(Girls and cafeteria exit and gym
class enters the stage, the coach can be
calling out drills through
transition.)
SCENE FIVE: Bomont High School GYM
COACH
McCormack! You’re late for gym class,
give me twenty five.
CHUCK
“McCormack! You’re late for gym
class.”
COACH
McCormack, it seems that when you’re
not making trouble, it finds you anyway.
REN
You’re joking!
COACH
You’re right. Make it fifty.
WILLARD
Coach!
COACH
Willard. You can give me fifty as
well. As a matter of fact, you can all give me fifty. Courtesy of Mr.
McCormack…just do it! One, two…I
can’t hear you!
ALL
Three, four, five, six….
COACH
Only forty-six to go! (Coach exits)
ALL
Five, six…
CHUCK
Is he gone? 13
ALL
Seven, eight…
GARVIN
Yeah. Hey, Ren thanks a lot.
REN
Sorry, everybody. This whole town is
so wound up.
GARVIN
Amen!
REN
You guys have no place to blow off
any steam.
CHUCK
You said it!
REN
At least in Chicago we could go out
dancing at night.
WILLARD
Maybe we oughta take the Coach
dancing?
REN
Willard you are so…(he gets an idea)!
(Music cue)
WILLARD
What? What are you thinking?
REN
That’s it!
WILLARD
What?
REN
We’re gonna throw a dance! We’re
gonna throw a party that’s gonna knock Bomont right off its
tractor.
CHUCK
Now you’re just asking for a fight.
REN
Bring it on!
GARVIN
Are you ready to take on Reverend
Shaw? 14
REN
I’ll take on anybody!
CHUCK
What about the Town Council?
REN
I’ll fight City Hall! If there’s one
thing worth fighting for its
freedom!
I’m Free/Heaven Help Me
ACT TWO
SCENE ONE: 100 miles away from
Bomont, across the state line at a dance club.
(Country music plays, Billy Ray,
Garth Brooks, etc.)
REN
C’mon, let’s go in!!
ARIEL
Ren! Where have you brought us?
REN
It’s called the Bar-B-Qie! The
billboards say that it’s the finest little dance palace in the tir-county
area.
RUSTY
Then what are we waiting for?!
WILLARD
Oh, my Gosh!
REN
Look at this! What could Bomont have
against dancing? Isn’t this worth fighting for?
RUSTY
Wow! Who’d have guessed that a mere
hundred miles outside of Bomont you could find this much
culture?
WILLARD
Yeah.
ARIEL
And this much fun!
REN
Come on. Let’s go break a law.
RUSTY
Willard! You wanna dance?
WILLARD
First thing I wanna do is find us a
place to sit down.
RUSTY
Now, c’mon. Let’s dance!
WILLARD
You ladies want a soda? 17
RUSTY
Willard! I did not come a hundred
miles for a Dr. Pepper!
WILLARD
Okay. That’s a no.
RUSTY
I wanna dance! I wanna dance!
WILLARD
I can’t dance! I can’t dance!
RUSTY
Whaaaaaaat?!
WILLARD
(Louder) I can’t dance! (The music
comes to a screeching holt and all eyes are on Willard)
COWBOY BOB
D’ja hear that? Your boyfriend says
he can’t dance!
COWBOY BUD
Hey fellas! Whaddaya say we dunk his
head in the pig troff ! (Music Cue)
REN
Now, c’mon! Give the guy a break.
RUSTY
Yeah, we might be new in town but you
gotta give us a chance. My guy can dance he just doesn’t
know it yet.
Let’s Hear it for the Boy
SCENE TWO: Bomont High School Hallway
WILLARD
Hold it! Hold it! You’re going to be
speaking to the Town Council, so don’t mumble. Now do that
last part on more time.
REN
“Citizens of Bomont, a town is only
as small as the minds of the people who live there. So think big!
And party on!” 19
GUYS
You are out of your mind! Man, that’s
terrible!
WILLARD
Ren, we’re not saying the speech is
bad. It’s just that its’ no good.
REN
Then what am I supposed to say? I’ve
re-written it nine times.
WILLARD
Here’s the thing: you’re gonna be
facing Reverend Shaw and some of the stubbornness people in this
town.
GARVIN
You’ve already got plenty of people
boiling mad.
GARVIN
Yeah! Folks are picking sides.
CHUCK
And they’re not picking yours!
WILLARD
Hang in there! You just gotta
re-think your approach. Now, Mama says….
GUYS
Oh, man….Not Mama…..Gimme a break!
WILLARD
Now hold on!
GARVIN
You can’t back down, Ren!
Mama Says
REN
Then maybe your Mama oughta give my
speech.
WILLARD
Oh, heck no! Everybody knows Mama’s
crazy. Th point is, though, she’s got some really good ideas.
ARIEL
Hey Ren, come here…
REN
See you guys later. Hey Ariel, what’s
up?
ARIEL
I want to give you something.
REN
What, what is it?
ARIEL
Oh nothing, I was just gonna tell
you, oh never mind it’s stupid.
REN
No, really, Ariel, just tell me. 22
ARIEL
I’ve been thinking a lot lately and
since you’ve been here…its just, well, you make me forget
everything that’s wrong with my life.
REN
There are some things I’d like to
forget to.
ARIEL
Like…?
REN
This battle I’m causing in Bomont!
And I still don’t know what I’m gonna say to the Town Council.
ARIEL
Oh, that reminds me…the reason I came
was to give you this. You’ll need it.
REN
The Holy Bible?
ARIEL
I marked all the pages.
REN
Whoa! This is great! How did you know
where to find all these passages?
ARIEL
Are you kidding?
REN
Thank you.
(they run off and exit together, as
the Town Council enters)
SCENE THREE: Town Council Meeting
ELEANOR
Thank you, Lulu. Now let’s consider
new business. Before we begin, I want to remind all our young
people who have joined us this
evening that this meeting is convened to consider official town
business. The floor is now open. Yes?
REN
My name is Ren McCormack and…uh…On
behalf of most of the senior class of Bomont High, I move
that local ordinance four- sixteen –
the law against public dancing within the Bomont town limits – be
abolished.
WILLARD
And I, Willard Hewitt of 385
Cloverdale Road, would like to second that motion. Thank you.23
REVEREND SHAW
Eleanor, may I have the floor,
please?
ELEANOR
Certainly, Reverend.
REVEREND SHAW
Mr. McCormack, perhaps you view the
law as a personal obstacle. In fact, law is a public expression
of the standard, which a community
sets for itself. Now, even if I did not believe that your enterprise
was fraught with spiritual peril –
which I do – I am not naive about the activities that these events
foster: the consumption of alcohol,
the use of drugs, and lewd behavior…
REN
Reverend Shaw, I understand what this
town has been through…
REVEREND SHAW
I don’t think you do, son. Because if
you did, you would never have encouraged your classmates to
re-open the wounds we have healed.
Now, I don’t wish to be dogmatic. If there is anyone who can
convince me that there is no danger
in your raucous party plans, I will certainly reconsider my stand.
But for now….no, I can’t condone it.
ELEANOR
Well I believe that Mr. McCormack has
a right to be heard.
REN GUYS
Dancing is not a crime! Yeah! Yeah!
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Ever since the dawn of time if
anything, everybody
Had the right to howl at the moon and
to move all night. Aaoo! Move all night.
When folks were tribal back before
the bible
They were liable to dance when the
crops came in
Or they’d pull out all the stops when
the earth
would spin or maybe - What?
They had a battle to win so they’d go
thumping
On a tree trunk (thump, thump, thump,
thump)
Grooving to the free funk Yeah!
And just like that in nothing flat
there’d be hands clapping
Toes tapping, feet flapping, dogs
yapping Hey!
I could a told you that would happen
They would dance They would dance
Every time they had a chance whatever
the season
Or circumstance they found a reason
to throw a party
In their pants, and they would dance
Wow, they would dance
Yeah, dance Dance, they would dance
They would dance Dance, they would
dance
Yeah, dance Dance they would dance
(Gravel hits 7x) We’re cool!
Dancing Is Not A Crime 24
REN GUYS
So if you’ve heard about Adam And
Abraham
You will remember this guy form the
book of Samuel
David you know King David Dave
He made a science of knocking out
giants The bigger they come, the harder they fall
He didn’t like math or geography
But check this out Check this out
He loved choreography
Carful Ren there’s a law
Now what were you sayin’
To Reverend Shaw?
Right here in black and white
Says he was leaping and dancing with
all of his might Leaping and dancing
In front of his Lord but David wasn’t
doing
It for some reward No, no, no, no!
It might sound odd but David thought
it brought
Him closer to God so he would dance
Hallelu!
Every time he had the chance
Whatever the season or circumstance
Whatever the season or circumstance
He found a reason to throw a party in
his pants In his pants
And he’d dance Hey!
He would dance He would dance
So dancing doesn’t always make you do
nasties
Look at the book of Ecclesiasties
Okay!
There’s a time to laugh, a time to
weep Boo hoo!
There’s a time to plant, a time to
reap
And there’s a time to dance And
there’s a time to dance
It says it right here Right here!
Man doth dance And it was good
And if the bible tells me so
Then what have I got to fear Huh, got
no fear, huh
We only want to kick up our heels
And betcha every on of you knows
How that feels I betcha do They do
Uh-huh. I betcha do They say they
don’t but they know they do
People been dancing since God knows
when
And that’s the way it should be again,
let’s dance Hallelu!
Every time we get the chance Let’s
dance!
Whatever the reason or circumstance
Find a reason to throw Find a reason
A party in your pants
And dance Dance
ALL
Whatever the season or reason it’s
pleasin’ to dance! 25
REVEREND SHAW
I must say that was some
presentation. I wasn’t expecting so much energy…so much conviction from
you Ren. I’m hesitant but pleased to
say that as Reverend of this town, and head of the town council
we are going to let you, and the
senior class of Bomont High have your dancing Party….but
remember no funny business…or rough
housing.
ALL
YEAH! WEEE! So, fun, so…fun! Like
I-am-so-hyper-right-now!
REN
Gee, thanks Reverend Shaw.
REVEREND SHAW
Well, son, you used the word of God
in such an appropriate manner, I don’t see how anyone could’ve
turned you down. But promise me
you’ll remember the words you said here today…and know that
I’ll be watching you.
REN
Yes, sir. Come on guys lets kick it!
Footloose Finale
