“And now ladies and gentlemen… THE SCHOOL OF ROCK!” On February 28th – March 2nd, The Harlem High School Drama Club performed its spring production of School of Rock. Located in the Harlem High School Auditorium, the program brought to life the hilarious story based on the hit 2003 film, starring Jack Black. Ethan Amundson (12) who played on of the leads, Dewey Finn, says, “It is important for the school to do the show this year because the class of 2025 are a very rock talented group.” On top of what Amundson says about the group being talented there are alot of rock and roll songs like, “You’re In The Band,” “Stick It To The Man,” and “Climb To The Top of Mount Rock,” Director, Jeremy Toledo says “We are putting on this show because we have the right students for the cast and pit. This show fits our program well and it doesn’t hurt that it is one of my favorite movies.” Since the movie has now been out for 21 years, it has grown and has become so popular 46 high schools around the USA are performing the show as of February 21, 2025.
The Auditorium that housed this production serves the Harlem school district more than just a performing space. The auditorium at Harlem High School is a space used for many events like concerts, lectures, shows, and even rented out as a venue sometimes to members of the community. The auditorium back in October of 2024 was having issues with lights flickering and with the space being dysfunctional. Since then, Harlem High School has gotten all of the house lights back along with new light control panels and buttons on the wall. With this support, the production of School of Rock was able to create a fun and exciting atmosphere for audiences during the performances in supporting the students’ goals of pursuing careers in the arts.
“The goal of this production at Harlem is to bring out the theme that parents need to let students pursue what they want, Because parents often times forget that their kids have their own ambition and dreams and is not a reflection of their dreams,” says Evan Ecker (12).
After hearing rave reviews from students and teachers about the upcoming show, there’s one thing for sure: this was a show not to miss! It was an unforgettable experience, with some favorite classic rock anthems woven into the performance. All of the cast, crew, and directors of this show proved one thing: “You can’t stop the School of Rock!” – Dewey Finn.