It takes a village. No one knows that better than Bill Mutimer, director of Northwestern Lehigh's musical production of "Footloose."

And Mutimer couldn't be happier at having help bringing the show to life.

The actors' families have been indispensable."Louis Bobbyn has taken the lead on the set with Eileen Haddad tackling the lead on the painting," Mutimer explained. "They are assisted by other dedicated parents and, as a force, they are getting the sets done."

Mutimer described the sets as nothing short of "awesome.

"We are doing representational sets rather than full big sets," he said. "With our space being limited, we do not have the room to store all the locations the play takes us. So, we are using pieces to represent the [different] areas around town."

Dressing the cast is key to recreating the feel of the original movie starring Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest.

"Joni Novotnak is taking the lead in this," Mutimer said. "Many moms are thrifting and pulling [clothes] from closets to recreate the wonderful '80s."

Mutimer said other costume items, such as "those wonderful tuxes of the '80s [in] powder blue, orange and lime green with the ruffle shirts..." will be provided by Drop Me A Line Costume Shop.

"Grandma Sue is back to tackle the hair with all the big do's and Gwen Hoover is in charge of make-up," Mutimer said. "I have a very strong and very awesome parent group, which is extremely helpful. [They] do a lot of work and make the shows a wonderful experience."

Mutimer selected "Footloose" for a number of reasons.

"I wanted to do something contemporary the students would be excited about," he said. "I knew we had the students to do the show and, with so many graduating, I wanted to give them a big finish to their high school theater career."

"Footloose" is also a favorite of parents and adults in general.

Mutimer said it's hard to resist a story where the characters want "to express [themselves]."

This describes both Ren (Alex Bobbyn) and Ariel (Haley Smith), two of the main characters in the play.

"We want to cheer on underdog Ren as he is uprooted from his friends and life in Chicago, once his parents get divorced, and set in the uptight town of Bomont where he has to learn to fit in," Mutimer said.

The cast consists of 60 students.

"Eighty-nine students tried out and, as much as I wanted to give everyone an opportunity, our space does not allow for huge casts," Mutimer said.

Consequently, for the first time in many years, cuts had to be made.

"When they are all together, it can be overwhelming and loud," he explained. "Keeping them focused and on task at times is the biggest challenge."

But all the work is worth it in Mutimer's eyes.

"I have noticed [students] relax; become more confident in their abilities; take risks and think outside the box as actors;" he said. "[Instead of relying on film or video versions of the play] They have learned to trust themselves and create their own interpretation of the character.

"But the most important and exciting part is watching them grow from kids to very creative, intelligent, caring young adults who have such grace and poise and are ready to tackle their next journey."

Mutimer recalled students who were especially gifted in acting.

"I have had two really strong groups that have come through," he mused. "In 2004, a big group included such great kids as Vince Turney, Kelly Remaley, Abby Sayre, Nick Fulton, Nick Friday, Maleeva Epperson and many others.

"The group [that] graduated in 2006 [included] Greg Hoagland, Jenna Keifer, Heather Leisher, Miles Lahue and [other] wonderful students.

"But this is going to be a hard one. We teach them [and] help them to grow into wonderful human beings and then let them go and start all over again. This is what we do..."

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"Footloose" is scheduled for 7 p.m. March 6, 7 and 8; and 2 p.m. on March 9 in the high school auditorium.

Doors open an hour before the shows.

Tickets may be purchased online at nwhsdrama.webs.com or northwesterlehigh.ticketleap.com/footloose.

Adult tickets are $9. Students and senior citizens are $6. Online ticket sales with credit cards end two hours before each show.

Tickets also may be purchased 8-11 a.m. in the high school attendance office, Monday through Friday.

Depending on availability, tickets will also be sold one hour before each show in the high school gymnasium lobby.