After the Conestoga Valley High School (CVHS) play was canceled several times in the fall of 2020, V. Gabriel Whitman, director of the show, sought a spring musical that would make sense to perform outdoors. He hit upon the perfect production - "Grease." "We could have done any show outside, but this fits the theme," said Whitman, who is currently overseeing rehearsals for the show, which will be produced outside in a drive-in setting for two of its upcoming performances.

CVHS will present "Grease" in the school auditorium, 2110 Horseshoe Road, Lancaster, on Wednesday, April 7, and Thursday, April 8, at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, April 11, at 2 p.m. On Friday, April 9, and Saturday, April 10, at 7 p.m., shows will be held drive-in style in the Witmer parking lot adjacent to the stadium.

The play, set in the 1950s, tells the senior year story of a classic good girl/bad boy romance at fictional Rydell High. The Burger Palace Boys are enthralled by the summer fling of their leader, Danny Zuko, played by Devin Nafziger, with out-of-towner Sandy Dumbrowski, played by Jenna Rychener. Sparks fly when Danny and Sandy, who never expected to see each other again, discover that they attend the same school. Sandy is befriended by Frenchy, played by Holly Butler, who is a member of the Pink Ladies, led by Rizzo, played by Anya Ditzler, who is the girlfriend of Danny's sidekick Kenickie Murdoch, played by Jesse Kanagy. Will Roland plays Roger, another of the Burger Palace Boys, and Chris Needham plays Sonny LaTieri, the leader of the T-Birds, a rival gang. The presentation is based on the play with a few added tunes from the well-known movie version.

As Danny and Sandy, Nafziger and Rychener feel a lot of responsibility for the success of the show. "There's a lot of weight on our shoulders because everyone is counting on us to do the songs well, the dancing well, and the acting well," said Nafziger. "We are constantly rehearsing."

Rychener is thankful for the chance to play a lead because of the way it has encouraged her to grow. "I had faith that I could do it, but I have not had huge roles before,' she noted. "This has caused me to move out of my comfort zone (and) inspired me to work harder."

Whitman was happy to partner with several other CVHS clubs on the show. "TSA is doing lighting and helping with sound, and they are allowing us to use their FM transmitter from the light show they do (for our drive-in) performances," he explained.

Whitman said that the high-energy "Grease" was a good choice because students are familiar with the story and the music, and he felt they would be motivated to perform. His enthusiasm for the show has caught on with the leads, who hope to pass it to audience members. "I want audiences to come out of the show exhilarated," said Rychener.

"I want them to have fun just being the audience to (catch our) energy," added Nafziger.

Tickets for all performances are available at http://www.showtix4u.com by searching for "Conestoga Valley High School." Questions may be emailed to cvhsmusical@mail.com.