Riley Runnells weighs in on this month’s show at the Collingwood Arts Center
TOLEDO — There’s nothing like the flood of emotions when taking the stage and the curtain lifts for your opening night.
You’re jittery in full hair, makeup and costume, knowing that months of hard work have led to this moment. When the lights come up on the stage, you’re not only ready—you’re confident.
Only this time, instead of feeling the warm lights on your face and trying to block out the individual faces of the crowd, you’re one of those audience members. This time, you’ve spent months training your cast on choreography, so when the time comes for an audience, you can sit back, relax, and watch your friends shine.
This is the unusual thrill you get from working as a choreographer: your creativity, passion for the art, and love for teaching come to life on stage, all while you get to witness the excitement. My current experience choreographing Heathers: The Musical with Stone Productions.
The show itself follows Veronica, a high school loser who strikes up a popularity deal with Westerburg’s most popular divas, the Heathers. But when Veronica gets a sour taste from the so-called “sweet life,” and teams up with her boyfriend to teach the “populars” a lesson, her high school angst develops a body count.
What makes this show so special is that everyone can resonate with the story in some way, though not from the murders (I hope). Audiences will see themselves in the characters being bullied, the characters learning compassion, and the effort of these characters to work through their trauma, big or small.
Now, this isn’t my first rodeo as choreographer. I choreographed my first show (Seussical The Musical with Waterville Playshop) in April 2024, and since then have completed six total shows as choreographer. Heathers is my seventh, and it’s my third time choreographing a show for Stone Productions.
I’ve been grateful for all of my choreography experiences, but there’s something truly special about Heathers. Not only is it one of my favorite shows—my neighbors are seconds from filing a noise complaint thanks to my belting in the shower—but it’s also a choreographer’s dream. I went into this show equipped with a witty, biting, and overwhelmingly fun score, along with a cast full of Toledo’s finest community theatre staples to bring it to life.
Our director, Jaymes Gregory Mull, and assistant director, Lizzie Schmitz, had their work cut out for them with the staging and vision for this iconic show. Our music director, Ben Tittl, dealt with intense, advanced harmonies and was tasked with whipping our cast into shape vocally. Our crew, lead by Stage Manager Brad Arps, had to find ways to construct croquet mallets, fake guns and bombs, and a torturous high school scenery, all while keeping the scene changes short and sweet.
As for me? I’m the lucky one on the production team. My role never felt like a job; it only ever felt like a privilege. Bringing to life iconic numbers like the Heathers’ battle cry, “Candy Store,” and the nostalgic teen party anthem, “Big Fun” was nothing short of a gift. I pulled influences from the original Winona Ryder flick, paid homage to the original West End cast version, and studied the characters and their relationships to create the most authentic picture possible.
I could drone on and on about the gratification I receive seeing my own vision come to life. After almost seven shows, it never ceases to amaze me that what I envisioned in my head and wrote down in the notes app of my iPhone (I’m a professional, what can I say) turns out as incredible as it does on stage.
This is all thanks to our Toledo talent: the cast of Heathers. I am forever in awe of the way they study the choreography, take to the material, and always find the fun in the process— even after I’ve drilled them on the same section for the 40th time, it’s 10 p.m. and there’s no air conditioning, so we are all drenched in sweat. Dancing in this show brings them joy, and I couldn’t be more grateful and proud.
So when we talk about the flood of emotions from opening night? For me, every emotion falls to the wayside save for one: pride. I am so proud of this team for the work we’ve done and the production we’ve put together—and you will be, too.
Heathers: The Musical runs at the Collingwood Arts Center July 18, 19 and 26 at 8 p.m., and July 27 at 3 p.m. This production, though featuring teen characters, has adult themes, so viewer discretion is advised.
