\u201cThe Book of Empty Pages,\u201d<\/a> which runs Nov. 24 through Dec. 9 at Green Bay Southwest High School, was written and is being directed by Brandon M. Rockstroh, who earned his degree in music from UWM\u2019s Peck School of the Arts.\u00a0 He is the high school\u2019s choir director.<\/p>\nGreen Bay Southwest, which has a strong tradition of music and theater, is celebrating the 50th<\/sup> anniversary of its musical theater productions, and the \u201cThe Book of Empty Pages\u201d is one of two major performances for the year.<\/p>\nThe musical, which was submitted for entry into three national music festivals, is the culmination of a long-time dream for Rockstroh.<\/p>\n
\u201cWriting a musical was a life goal for me,\u201d said Rockstroh, now 31 and the father of two. He got the idea for the show from real life experience. His best friend\u2019s sister was caretaker for a victim of a drunken driving accident, and the sister and patient fell in love.<\/p>\n
Rockstroh took that basic premise and fictionalized it, adding conflict and drama to the characters\u2019 lives through domestic violence, a critical parent and divorce. He spent the summer of 2016 writing the script and composing the music, often working in his basement until the early hours of the morning. Trusted professional advisers in writing and theater gave him feedback on the words and music as he kept revamping and revising.<\/p>\n
When the play was almost ready, Rockstroh went to his high school principal and asked if the school could stage the musical, warning him about some of the challenging themes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I approached my principal he said, \u2018I trust you.\u2019 I hope and wish that all principals would do that, but I know that\u2019s not always the case.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rockstroh\u2019s own interest in musical theater was sparked in high school when he joined the choir.<\/p>\n
\u201cI took it for an easy A,\u201d he said with a laugh. \u201cThen I decided music was what I wanted to do for a living.\u201d<\/p>\n
When he came to UWM to pursue that goal, he auditioned and landed the lead role of Tony in \u201cWest Side Story.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a huge experience for me to take part in something at a completely different, much more professional level than high school.\u201d<\/p>\n
His career focus was not to go to Broadway, but to become a high school teacher and share a passion for theater and music with students.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy goal as musical director is to give students a wide span of what theater can be \u2014 comedy, children\u2019s theater, serious drama, musicals, opera, all that stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
He credits UWM with inspiring him in his teaching and directing.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy life was changed by choosing to go to UW-Milwaukee,\u201d he said. \u201cThe music professors that I studied with there changed the type of teacher that I became. They pushed me on a journey not just to be status quo, but\u00a0 to always think about raising the bar for myself and for the program that I\u2019m in.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 80-some high school students involved in the production of \u201cThe Book of Empty Pages\u201d are identifying with the themes and issues, said Rockstroh.<\/p>\n
The play opens with everybody partying, followed quickly by a drunken car crash that leaves Sam, a recent college graduate and one of the two main characters, seriously injured.<\/p>\n
In his first number, Sam sings about the decisions that led to the devastating accident. \u201cThat\u2019s a scenario they can all identify with,\u201d said Rockstroh, \u201chow small choices can really impact the rest of their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his journey to recovery, Sam becomes part of a rehabilitation program \u2013 the \u201cempty pages\u201d of the title refer to a journal that he\u2019s asked to keep to track his recuperation.\u00a0 At first, he\u2019s reluctant, but then begins to slowly rebuild himself and his life. Daisy, the other main character, is a therapist who works with him. She is suffering in an abusive marriage, unable to leave because of pressures from a conservative pastor father who doesn\u2019t believe in divorce.<\/p>\n
\u201cSam and Daisy fall in love. They take something that was terrible for them and turn it into a beautiful, life-changing experience.\u201d The two real-life people who inspired the play plan to be at the premiere performance, according to Rockstroh. Although they\u2019re no longer together, they are still good friends.<\/p>\n
For Rockstroh, the play has been a labor of love.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have fallen in love with the story and the impact it could have on an audience,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I want to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information about the \u201cThe Book of Empty Pages\u201d and performance times, go to thebookofemptypages.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It’s a dream come true for Brandon M. Rockstroh. The UWM Peck School of the Arts alum has written and is directing an original pop musical at Green Bay’s Southwest High School, which is known for its musical theater. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":835,"featured_media":53127,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174],"tags":[249,250],"section":[127,131],"display_categories":[115,116],"related-coverage":[260],"uwmnews-feed":[167,344,164],"class_list":["post-53126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-community-engagement","tag-student-success","section-arts-humanities","section-theater","display_categories-top-story-secondary","display_categories-top-story-section","related-coverage-community-engagement","uwmnews-feed-alumni-association","uwmnews-feed-arts-architecture","uwmnews-feed-arts"],"yoast_head":"\n
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