TOWN OF TONAWANDA — Of all the memories he made as a student at Kenmore East, John Vogt said many of the best took place on the auditorium’s stage.

Now, as he works to direct and produce Gilbert and Sullivan’s “HMS Pinafore” on that same stage, he is once again donning a costume and learning his lines.

The show was the first to be produced at Kenmore East, and is being staged again to mark the 50th anniversary of the school’s theater program. To mark the occasion, Vogt said alumni from every graduating class were asked to join in the fun. Now he’s one of them, and the different vantage point has given Vogt a fresh perspective for instructing students.

“It’s a neat way to be a mentor, working alongside the kids and doing what they’re doing beside them,” Vogt said.

Seventeen other alumni performers were included in the cast, with more helping out behind the scenes. And since Vogt’s brother Fran — now a professional musician and instructor at the University of Maine — was a major inspiration to him and led to his long-standing love of theater, he got pulled along for the ride too. Like John, Fran Vogt cites his time in shows like “Anything Goes,” “Boys from Syracuse,” and “The Wiz” as highlights of his time in school.

“It was an experience to take with me for a lifetime,” he said.

The brothers are sharing that experience with a new generation of theater buffs, writing their own chapter in the school’s long musical history. Twin brothers Ian and Jamie Boswell play Captain Corcoran and Ralph Rackstraw, respectively, and Andrea Snitzer plays female lead Buttercup.

Standing outside the stage in their elaborate costumes just before dress rehearsal, the teens said a lot more went into this year’s production than the others they’d staged. A knowledge of the time period and setting was more essential than usual.

“I have to learn how to tie a cravat,” Ian Boswell said, pointing to his Victorian neckwear. “Who knows how to tie a cravat?”

The detail didn’t end with costumes. Members of the Kenmore East orchestra honed their skills to play the demanding set list, as did the performers being asked to belt out song after song. The show — billed as a comic opera — has much more singing than some of the other musicals the students have performed over the years. While many other musical composers punctuate their spoken dialogue with songs, Gilbert and Sullivan demand a more rigorous, classic style of performance from their vocalists.

“The musicals we do are usually more modern,” Snitzer said.

“My freshman year we did ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ which is almost a rock score,” Jamie Boswell added.

As the entire cast took the stage Monday night, Fran Vogt gave last minute tips on things like the proper facial expression to use in Victorian theater — over the top, not subtle.

“It’s got to be big,” he said. “It’s big enough to go all the way to the back row.”

But with all the preparation nearly behind them and opening night only a few days away, he also told the group not to get bogged down thinking about trivial things like whether they’re standing in exactly the right spot. In the end, the crowd is more captivated by a performer who looks enthralled, and that level of dedication takes a degree of reckless abandon, of reveling in the moment. John Vogt said he wants students to take that connection enjoyed by those on stage and share it with the audience.

“We hope the community comes out and is as excited as we are about everything,” John Vogt said.

Contact reporter Daniel Pyeat 693-1000, ext. 158.



IF YOU GO

WHAT: Kenmore East Golden Anniversary performance of “HMS Pinafore.”

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

WHERE: Kenmore East High School, 350 Fries Road, Town of Tonawanda.

COST: $7 advance; $9 at door. For tickets, call 874-8402.