Weekend Showcase: Maple Grove Senior High’s “The Power of Love”

Maple Grove Senior High is fired up for their spring edition of CenterStage [Act 9].

“The theme of this year’s CenterStage is “The Power of Love,” explained director Beth Hellstedt. “We knew we wanted to do something with the love theme to it. And it took us a while to settle on that as the title.”

Hellstedt says the group went through several songs to find out the common theme.

“When we asked the kids they said, “The Power of Love” was the one they thought really encapsulated the message of the whole show,” said Hellstedt.

Bittersweet Ending for Seniors

For many seniors, this show caps off their high school theater career.

“It is definitely a bittersweet feeling,” said Jake Mathey, who started off in theater his freshman year with “Les Miserables.” “It has just been a roller coaster of learning so many things.”

Mathey says beyond learning about music, choreography, and staging, theater has helped him to become a better person.

Seniors like Anna Belden agree. This will mark her eighth show working backstage and with lighting.

“During the show I call cues because we have three different people operating spotlights,” said Belden, who also started in theater on “Les Miserables.” “They got me on spotlight and I’ve loved it ever since.”

Thanks to the Boosters

“The boosters finance this show,” explained outgoing booster president Amy Cerepak. “We don’t get any district funding for the spring show at Maple Grove. So, it’s 100 percent all-hands-on-deck from the boosters, both financially and with volunteer resources, just to pull the show off.

In fact, the boosters purchased the new risers you’ll see in “The Power of Love.”