SOUTH DEERFIELD — Frontier Regional School’s music and arts program is on the rise, as evidenced by Friday’s opening of “Guys and Dolls,” the first musical program the school has put on in about 20 years.
“Bring down the wash and the house lights, leave the blue on. Remember, it needs to be quiet as well as quick,” instructed Frontier Regional School Band Director Max Sherrill Friday afternoon, as students rehearsed a scene change hours before opening curtain.
When the lights came back on and the red curtain rose, about 20 students, garbed in 1950s-era costumes, sat on pews — ready to begin one of the musical’s final scenes.
“Max Sherrill is the reason why the musical is back. He took on a mammoth idea. As a parent, I know how big this is,” said volunteer Shana Deane, who’s helped out behind the scenes organizing volunteer efforts. Her daughter, Ella Deane, is in the musical — a love story centered around a monumental bet.
The musical opened Friday night, and will be put on again Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., in the auditorium of the North Main Street school. Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for students.
“Musicals are transformative for students,” Sherrill said later, while putting away equipment in a back room, after the students had left. “They learn, not just about acting and technical work, they learn a high level of responsibility. We haven’t had a musical here in a long time. They have a sense of pride.”
Sherrill, a graduate of Indiana University with a degree in music education, came into the district two years ago after teaching in Ohio for five years. His wife, Marijo Sherrill, is a strings teacher for the Union 38 district.
He said students have been rehearsing every school day for two or three hours since January. While he’s been involved in musicals in the past, Sherrill said this is the first time he’s directed one.
Superintendent Darius Modestow explained that Sherrill “took over for the irreplaceable Karen Atherton who was Frontier’s ‘Mrs. Holland’s Opus.’ Karen’s shoes were too big to fill. So, Mr. Sherrill has fitted his own pair of shoes and has brought exciting new energy to our Music and Arts Department.”
In addition to instructing the marching band, Sherrill leads the jazz band, wind ensemble, strings, and chorus. He also teaches a few new classes, like history of rock and roll and percussion. Deane highlighted an after-school chorus that has brought renewed interest to the music program, adding, “he’s taking all the right risks to bring all the right things to the music program.”
Since then, district Superintendent Lynn Carey said “Max has brought a whole new energy to the (music) program.” And because of teachers like Sherrill, she continued, “we’re as strong in arts as we are in sports.”
Deane noted a strong level of support from parents, teachers and the community for arts at the school.
Looking ahead, Sherrill said the future of arts programs at the school is bright.
“The musical, and the success we’ve had thus far, is evidence that, clearly, students have potential. This is another way to show that,” he said. “By no means is this a one-track school.”