Monett Artists’ Guild plans to rock audience during musical

The Monett Artist Guild will perform the musical “We Will Rock You”, written by Ben Elton and based on the music of Queen, at the Monett High School Performing Arts Center this weekend.
Taylor Doverspike, the production’s director, said the musical has an Orwellian setting.
“It is kind of a world set a few hundred years in the future,” she said, “and all music is being controlled by this one robotic villain, (the) Killer Queen. And she is trying to make everyone do the same thing, and it’s very dystopian, but there’s this group of bohemians that are trying to break the mold and not fall under Killer Queen’s spell. Then there’s this main character, Galileo, and he has kind of these visions, and he really realizes what rock’n’roll is and they bring back rock.”
Doverspike said she decided to have the musical because it was something that would be new to the area.
“I decided to choose this production because I wanted to bring something different to the community,” she said. “Something that might not have been done necessarily before. This is kind of a different type of musical; it’s a little more futuristic, not necessarily anything realistic, like what they’ve done in the past, and I wanted to bring some fun. And I thought, ‘Everyone knows Queen music, so it’s likely to draw in the crowd and help build our audience rapport.’”
The characters in the musical have names that come out of Queen songs, such as Galileo and Scaramouche, but also names of contemporary artists, such as Ringo Starr, Cindy Lauper and Oz, for Ozzy Osbourne.
Stephanie Schumacher, who plays Scaramouche, said she enjoys being in the production because of the Queen songs.
“What I like about being in this production the most is the music,” she said. “It’s all Queen classic rock music, and it’s just so fun to sing and to be a part of a group that also loves this kind of music.”
Nate Stephenson, who plays Galileo, said the role was a chance for him to take on a new challenge.
“I enjoy a lot of the music,” he said, “but this is my first main character role, so that’s a … lot of responsibility, but in total, it’s a lot of fun. I get to try a lot of new things with this character, because it’s very different from anything else I’ve done.”
“We Will Rock You” will be performed Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, July 14, at 2 p.m.; doors open 30 minutes before showtime. Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for senior citizens 55 and up, and $5 for kids. Cash only at the door. For more information, visit the Monett Artists’ Guild Facebook page.