2008 Woodie Awards
Living a life behind the curtain
Hillary Gebert
Issue date: 9/8/08 Section: Features
While the summer days drifted away, three Drake University students spent their summer nights at The Des Moines Playhouse rehearsing and performing the popular musical "Grease."
Alexis Van Vleet (AS3), Sam Button-Harrison (AS3) and Danika Portz (B2) played Sandy, Danny and Marty, respectively.
Van Vleet, originally from Urbandale, Iowa, is a junior music and marketing major with an emphasis in vocal performance.
"Ever since I could remember, I wanted to sing," Van Vleet said. "Since I was nine, I've been doing shows and performing around the state."
Van Vleet has been in a number of shows including "Footloose," "Cats" and "Swing" at the Playhouse and has participated in shows on campus and elsewhere.
She is currently in a two-woman show called "Honky Tonk Laundry" and in "Urinetown" at Drake. She plans to participate in a Christmas extravaganza and a country musical show this winter.
Button-Harrison, a musical theater major from Conrad, Iowa, had an "electrifying" time this summer playing greaser Danny Zuko.
"It was a really good cast," Button-Harrison said. "In 'Grease,' everyone was basically between 19 and 22. Everyone was all the same age, so we were a lot closer."
Button-Harrison has been in "High School Musical" and "Cats" at the Playhouse and has been involved in other theatrical performances in the Midwest.
Portz is an accounting and marketing major from Remsen, Iowa. She participates in Drake Choir and also takes private voice lessons. She is currently in "Urinetown" at Drake. In addition, she is involved in the American Marketing Association and the Student Ambassador program. She also works at Cowles Library.
Portz was cast as Marty Maraschino, which was a step outside the box for her. Usually cast as a "good girl," Marty's more adult character provided Portz with a unique learning experience.
Balance was an issue that all three of these students had to deal with. A typical day often entailed working a full-time job, having an hour or so to eat or relax and then going to a five-hour rehearsal that would often last until 10 p.m.
"Because I'm not at the level where I'm getting paid for all the shows that I do and all the performances that I partake in, I have to work outside of it," Van Vleet said. "It's really, really exhausting."
Regardless of the overwhelming amount of time these students had to put into the show, it was something they were unanimously thrilled to do.
"Doing the show isn't really work; it's play," Button-Harrison said.
A large part of what makes the hours of work more bearable was the relationships formed throughout the duration of the show.
"I love performing and meeting new people," Portz said. "Especially people who are so passionate about what they're doing."
With rehearsals and shows five to six nights a week, the necessity for strong bonds and solid relationships becomes clear.
"Every show you meet new people; you become more of who you are as a performer and as a person," Van Vleet said.
Alexis Van Vleet (AS3), Sam Button-Harrison (AS3) and Danika Portz (B2) played Sandy, Danny and Marty, respectively.
Van Vleet, originally from Urbandale, Iowa, is a junior music and marketing major with an emphasis in vocal performance.
"Ever since I could remember, I wanted to sing," Van Vleet said. "Since I was nine, I've been doing shows and performing around the state."
Van Vleet has been in a number of shows including "Footloose," "Cats" and "Swing" at the Playhouse and has participated in shows on campus and elsewhere.
She is currently in a two-woman show called "Honky Tonk Laundry" and in "Urinetown" at Drake. She plans to participate in a Christmas extravaganza and a country musical show this winter.
Button-Harrison, a musical theater major from Conrad, Iowa, had an "electrifying" time this summer playing greaser Danny Zuko.
"It was a really good cast," Button-Harrison said. "In 'Grease,' everyone was basically between 19 and 22. Everyone was all the same age, so we were a lot closer."
Button-Harrison has been in "High School Musical" and "Cats" at the Playhouse and has been involved in other theatrical performances in the Midwest.
Portz is an accounting and marketing major from Remsen, Iowa. She participates in Drake Choir and also takes private voice lessons. She is currently in "Urinetown" at Drake. In addition, she is involved in the American Marketing Association and the Student Ambassador program. She also works at Cowles Library.
Portz was cast as Marty Maraschino, which was a step outside the box for her. Usually cast as a "good girl," Marty's more adult character provided Portz with a unique learning experience.
Balance was an issue that all three of these students had to deal with. A typical day often entailed working a full-time job, having an hour or so to eat or relax and then going to a five-hour rehearsal that would often last until 10 p.m.
"Because I'm not at the level where I'm getting paid for all the shows that I do and all the performances that I partake in, I have to work outside of it," Van Vleet said. "It's really, really exhausting."
Regardless of the overwhelming amount of time these students had to put into the show, it was something they were unanimously thrilled to do.
"Doing the show isn't really work; it's play," Button-Harrison said.
A large part of what makes the hours of work more bearable was the relationships formed throughout the duration of the show.
"I love performing and meeting new people," Portz said. "Especially people who are so passionate about what they're doing."
With rehearsals and shows five to six nights a week, the necessity for strong bonds and solid relationships becomes clear.
"Every show you meet new people; you become more of who you are as a performer and as a person," Van Vleet said.
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