"Footloose" may be the seniors' final curtain call on the Northwestern stage, but what they've learned will last a lifetime.

"After 'Cabaret,' I fell in love with acting," Alex Bobbyn said. "It was crazy to see the faces in the audience. I got to make people laugh and, to me, that was awesome.

"It's all going to hit me at the Sunday matinee. I can't help but reflect on everything I've been able to learn.

"I've had so many serious roles. I want to take everything I've learned and use it. Acting expanded me."

Bobbyn would like the next act of his life to take place in the Big Apple (New York City) as he waits to hear from several New York colleges.

For now, it's a waiting game but he can't help but wonder what it would be like to wake up in the "city that never sleeps."

"It's very sad to think about our final performance," Kurtis Reif said. "As president of the drama club, I feel like I'm rooted to this family. It's going to be hard to part with it."

Alec Fixl couldn't agree more.

"The last performance is going to be sad," he said. "Bobbyn is my best friend and he and his dad got a lot of us into acting. When I was growing up, it was all about sports.

"Memorizing was a challenge. I'm not going to be narrow-minded in the future."

Haley Smith said acting has broadened her life.

"Especially in how I see other people," Smith said. "Acting has made me better at putting myself in other people's shoes.

"The final curtain call will be definitely emotional. I'm going to be really sad."

Christine McDonald said when she moved to Northwestern during sixth grade, she did not fit in.

"Acting literally changed my life. Acting made me decide I liked books. I liked art," McDonald said. "This is my family. I love them."

***

As of March 5, limited tickets for "Footloose" were available for 7 p.m. March 6 and 2 p.m. on March 9.

Friday night and Saturday night were sold out. Purchasing tickets in advance is strongly recommended.

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

Adult tickets are $9. Students and senior citizens are $6.

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

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