Emotions of teens take center stage

COLDWATER - Sam Gudorf, 26, was taking a run around Grand Lake last year when the songs playing on his iPod sparked an idea that would become his first original production.

"Cabaret: The 7 Emotions of a Teenager" is a multifaceted musical production exploring the interior lives of those going through the volatile experience of high school. Many songs on Gudorf's playlist - tunes by Green Day, The Beatles and Radiohead - found their way into the show.
"They auditioned, I picked the songs for them and then they just fell in love with each song, so it was just kind of something that came together," Gudorf, a kindergarten teacher and head director of the high school drama department, told the newspaper at Tuesday night's rehearsal.

Gudorf, a Wright State University-Lake Campus graduate, wrote the entire show with a little help from his students. He began writing in July and was still polishing his work as of this week.

"I've been writing and rewriting since," he said. "I kind of rewrote some stuff the other day."

The 21 cast members took a keen interest in the concept, he said.

"We go through each emotion, so it's curiosity, love, anger, depression, fear, jealously and alive," he said. "And so we go through each emotion and then we have different acts - solos, duets, monologues - and the kids have a chance to express themselves through music and acting."

Cast members are speaking from their hearts, he said.

"The cool thing is before each song that they sing, they give an intro of what that song means to them," he said. "I know that high school is very emotional and especially on stage they need time where they can express themselves and be someone different but also express their own emotions."

Numerous performers on Tuesday night spoke their monologue, with one of the actresses obviously speaking to depression or anger.

"Everyone hates me. Why does everyone think I am so horrible," she said. "Probably, because I am - a horrible creature doomed to walk this earth in suffering."

This is Gudorf's second year as drama director, he said.

"Last year was a Disney show. We just told the story about Walt Disney, so that was more of history than anything," he said. "So this was kind of an original idea."

Performing arts run in his family's blood. He's the youngest son of Keith and Sheila Gudorf, theater directors known for their first-rate productions at Celina City Schools.

"I grew up with them just listening to music - records, tape and CD and then I got my first iPod - and I've just been in musicals ever since," Sam Gudorf said.

He said he learned all the basics of musicals from them as well as the imperative of "Sing it loud. Sing it proud."

"That's the one thing that Mom always said to me, 'Sing it loud, sing it proud' - and have fun," he said.

He also learned the importance of camaraderie.

"The important thing is that as a cast group we become a family and we help each other out," he said. "We go through so many emotions on stage - some of the emotions that might not be in real life - but we're there for each other."

"Cabaret: The 7 Emotions of a Teenager" will be performed at 7 p.m. Saturday and 4:30 p.m Sunday at the Coldwater school's performing arts auditeria. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased at the door.