25th Anniversary BLAST Opens Next Week!

The massive snow story that hit Potomac and the rest of our community may have canceled a few rehearsals, but the curtain will open Friday, February 21 on the 25th anniversary of Churchill High School's Blast from the Past.  

Blast 25: Mixtape will be performed February 21, 22, 28, and March 1 at 7:30pm and February 23 at 2:30pm.  Under the direction of Churchill's new choral teacher Matt Albright, the 25th edition of Churchill's signature musical revue will showcase the talents of more than 130 student singers, dancers, musicians, and technicians.  
Following tradition from past shows, the Potomac Patch Blast 25: Mixtape blog will introduce its readers to a number of Churchill seniors who are performing in their final Blast and coming to an end to their high school performing arts careers.

Ellie Rabinovitz will be performing in her fourth Blast and is also a veteran of Churchill's show choirs and musicals.  Last spring, she literally flew across the Churchill stage as Wendy in Peter Pan. Ellie said, "Playing the part of Wendy was definitely one of the highlights of my Churchill performing experience."  As much as she has enjoyed singing and dancing on stage, Ellie credits "my friends for making these four years so unforgettable, " adding "being a part of the choral program and productions gave me a chance to meet some of the best friends I will ever have."  This year, Ellie will be singing the lead in two very different numbers, Love Shack and Imagine, and also choreographed some other numbers.  Ellie tells the Patch that she would like to minor in theater next year and participate as much as she can in the performing arts.

Ellie would have not flown to Neverland last year if it hadn't been for Liz Campbell, Blast 25's student technical director.  As she recalled, "One of my absolute favorite moments was working the flying rig we had for Peter Pan.  I got to be the person who tested the rig for the first time.  During the performance we got so see everyone go up in the air safely, which was such a relief!"  As this year's tech director, Liz is not only in charge of lighting and sound, but also has a hand in designing the set.  Looking back over four years and countless shows, Liz notes, "Tech crew has meant so much to me.  It's been an amazing thing that has taught me so much about self confidence."

Asked about her favorite experiences in her Churchill performing arts career, Rachel Weinstein explains that "the whole opening weekend of Blast is so exciting.  Everyone's energy is up for the show and we all really supportive of each other."  A four year member of Churchill's show choirs, Rachel's Blast solo will be Sweet Caroline and she is choreographing the dance routines in other songs.  Rachel hopes to sing in an a cappella group at college next year.

The Blast 25: Mixtape blog urges all its readers to support these and many other Churchill students by coming to the show. Advance tickets can be purchased online at wchsarts.com or at the box office one our before showtime.  Please note that online ticketing ends at midnight the day before each show.