It was 7 p.

Tuesday, November 09, 1999

It was 7 p.m. on a Monday night, and the noise inside Christgau Hall in Austin High School was amazing.

Instrumentalists warmed up their instruments, students shouted jokes to and from the balcony, and a sewing machine hummed relentlessly.

Through this chaos bounded Steve Bremner, AHS alumni and director of the AHS fall musical.

"This is what I do in my spare time," Bremner said, a sweep of his arm encompassing the students and stage. Since the musical has been in rehearsals since the end of September, it’s clear his spare time is filled.

Bremner is, as he says, just out of college, and works at Hormel Foods Corp., in the International Office. He spent some time in college as a musical dance theater major, and even toured Africa with a musical theater production group.

The students of the cast are dressed in formal ball gowns and coachmen’s livery – with the exception of Amy Bawek, dressed in rags and badgered by her stepsisters. Bawek has the title role of the musical, "Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella."

Bawek’s last theater role of any type was when she was in eighth grade, and she had to be dragged into tryouts for this play, she said.

"I was being harassed to try out for this," the Austin High senior said, smiling. "I wasn’t really interested in getting a part, but somehow, I did."

Bawek is an Austinaire, and she said had this play not been a musical, it probably would not have caught her interest. Center stage now, she’s been caught herself.

"We’ve been practicing six out of seven days of the week," she said. "It’s been somewhat hard to shuffle everything."

But the time shuffle isn’t the hardest part, she said.

"The hardest part is trying to keep a straight face," she said with a laugh. "The stepsisters get me every time."

She is one of 27 students in the cast. There are also close to 20 students in the orchestra, led by Tobin Stewart, a student teacher recently graduated from St. Olaf College. There is also a small tech crew, bringing the number of young people involved in the musical to more than 50. Bremner’s wife, Mikah, is also a producer with the play.

"We’re trying to really put on a fine production for the high school. And this also gives these students a chance to see what theater is like," Bremner said, noting that people around town have come together to give him assistance in putting on the show.

The musical has three showings, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $4 for children and students and $7 for adults. Tickets may be purchased at Nemitz’s, the high school cashier’s office, and at the door at the time of the show.