If the first nine awesome kids didn’t give enough reasons to come and see Scottfield Theatre Company’s School of Rock, we’re giving you a “BAND EXCLUSIVE!” That’s right— we sat down with the four* ‘kids of the band’ who are playing their instruments live on stage in the band and heard all about this rockin’ experience!
So excited to be sitting down with you guys for this! Thanks so much for letting me ‘crash the band’ at rehearsal and talk to you! Let’s start off with who you are and who you play in the show!
Colton Roberts: I’m Colton Roberts and I play Freddie Hamilton.
Brayden Katzenberger: My name’s Brady and I play Zack Mooneyham.
Mara Weeks: I’m Mara Weeks and I play Lawrence.
Cameryn Deibler: My name is Cameryn Olivia Deibler, I play Katie, and I am 13 years old.
Great! Why did you want to come out and audition for School of Rock?
Colton: My mom found the auditions somewhere on Facebook, I’m guessing.
I am starting to sense a pattern here, Colton. Didn’t you tell me your mom found the auditions for Oliver! somewhere on Facebook?
Colton: Yeah. She does that! School of Rock has also been one of my dream shows for a very long time so I just felt like I had to come out for it. And I already knew about this theatre company and when I saw the audition stuff, I just had to audition!
Brady: I came out to audition for this show because— same reason— my mom saw it on Facebook. And I wanted to do a show in the summertime because I didn’t have one.
Mara: So funny story. I found out about the audition the day of the audition. My friend Timmy (Timmy Phelan, playing James the Band Security Guard) he’s in the cast— at school, he was talking about how him and Carter were going to audition and I thought maybe I should look into it too. The day of the audition I looked it up and found out it was that day. I asked my parents if I could audition, they said sure, but I honestly didn’t think I was going to get in. But here I am!
Cameryn: I recently played Katie at another theatre and I had such a great time with the role that I wanted to do it again.
That’s very cool. Now, you kids are the ones playing the live instruments on stage, right? Colton, you play drums, right? And Brady you’re playing electric guitar, Mara that puts you on keys and I guess Cameryn on bass? Did you guys comes into this project knowing how to play these instruments or have you been learning them as you go?
Colton: I have been playing drums for almost ten years now. I took private drum lessons for five years but I’ve been playing for ten.
So you’ve been playing drums basically since you were born. Got it.
Colton: Pretty much. I mean I’m 13 and I got a drum set for like my third or fourth birthday or something.
That is just wild. What about you, Brady?
Brady: So I auditioned for not Zack Mooneyham. When I got called and they told me I was cast as Zack Mooneyham, they said I would need to learn how to play the guitar. I’ve never touched one before in my life.
Oh wow! What has that been like?
Brady: I actually never played an instrument before. So that was fun. I’m 13 but I did chorus for a long time.
That is so amazing. Mara, what about you? Coming into this with magical keyboard skills?
Mara: No, I started piano lessons in fourth grade but I’ve never played keyboard before so that was an adjustment. I had to learn— not really the keyboard but the keyboard is a little different from the piano so I had to adjust to the differences. And I’m 13.
Wow, you’re all 13! That’s pretty cool. And Cameryn, bass experience coming into this?
Cameryn: My character plays the bass guitar and I just learned to play it for the School of Rock I did in March.
Colton, can you tell me how you and Freddie are a little similar and a little different?
Colton: Well, my character’s backstory that I made up is definitely very different from my real life.
Brady: Oh no!
Mara: No no! That’s dark! You can’t share that!
Oh, see, if someone says that now I definitely want to hear it.
Mara: Trust me, you don’t! Haha!
Colton: It’s a very long story and it’s really emotional and stuff.
Mara: It should not be recorded!
We like emotional backstories in this house.
Mara: Okay, okay, just say it.
Colton: Yeah, so in my head, Freddie’s parents met as like a one-night stand and then got divorced— it’s this really long story that I made up. But Freddie uses his drums to work through his troubles. He uses his drums to get all of his anger out. And that helps his character release his inner self. And that part really relates to me. When I’m stressed and stuff, I’ll go downstairs and start playing the drums and it really helps me. And I don’t really know why but it’s a good connection and that is one part of how I relate to Freddie.
That’s wild. And I’m glad to hear that you— much like when we talked about how unlike Oliver, you were not an orphan— did not come from a dark backstory of a one-night stand divorce.
Colton: Nope. I came from a church. Wait— not like that. That came out really bad. They met at church. I meant my parents met at church!
I love all of this. Brady, can you tell us how you and Zack are similar and different?
Brady: In the show, for some reason Zack’s mom is not in the picture. Zack’s dad never wants him to play music because he feels like it distracts him. My dad in the show is a very wealthy businessman. And it’s kind of a little like how my real dad was when I first started doing theatre. He didn’t like it at first because I was saying I should play football instead. But he’s come around, my real life dad, just like how Zack’s dad in the show finally comes around to him being in the band.
What about you, Mara? How are you and Lawrence similar or different?
Mara: We’re nothing alike. Other than the fact that I went from playing classical like he did to playing rock style music, also like he did, he’s one— a boy, and he doesn’t really talk and he doesn’t really have any energy. Which is like the opposite of me.
Colton: Oh I beg to differ. I think you guys are very similar.
Mara: Really??
Colton, why do you think that Mara and Lawrence are so similar?
Colton: She’s such a nerd.
Mara: Mean!
Colton: I’m kidding!
Mara: I know. But you’re kind of right. Maybe we’re both a little bit of a nerd. I feel like Lawrence’s personality is just different than mine. It’s hard because I went from playing really energetic characters to playing Lawrence and as Lawrence I just do a lot of sitting there and not talking.
Colton: That’s because Lawrence doesn’t have any friends.
Mara: I know. He doesn’t.
You guys are ruthless. But I love the camaraderie I’m feeling from you guys. Cameryn, similar and different for you with Katie?
Cameryn: Katie and I have very similar personalities overall but I think our biggest difference would be that Katie is very quiet and doesn’t talk much. I am a very talkative person.
Okay, tell me about your favorite moment in the show. Or do you even have a favorite moment in the show?
Colton: I don’t know, that’s tough because this entire show is just full of energy and craziness.
Except for Lawrence, apparently.
Mara: Yeah, except for Lawrence.
Colton: Right! Because Lawrence just sits there.
Mara: Yep. I just sit there. In the back. Which is so hard for me.
Colton: So except for Lawrence, really the whole show is just a big rollercoaster ride and it’s really fun! I really like it all, I don’t have one specific part that I like more than any other part.
That’s okay. Brady, do you have a favorite moment or part or are you more on Colton’s rollercoaster of “loving the whole show” over here?
Brady: I have one favorite part in this show. Towards the end of Act II, my dad in the show finds out I’ve been playing electric guitar behind his back. And he goes to our school and starts talking to the principal, and asking why we’re so obsessed with music and then we have our performance. I have a huge guitar solo and I get to go up to my dad and I just play guitar in front of him and it makes him change his mind.
That is so touching! I love that! What about you, Mara? Favorite part or moment?
Mara: I like “Stick it to the Man.” This is the only number where Lawrence gets to be energetic and crazy. That song is just fun and we all just kind of go crazy in that song. And that’s really, really fun.
That sounds fun! I want a song to go crazy in. Cameryn?
Cameryn: My favorite moment in the show has to be when Katie first picks up the bass. I relate to that moment so much because of how I picked up the bass for the first time and instantly fell in love with it. Just like Katie.
What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Colton: Definitely probably learning all of the drum parts. I still haven’t memorized all the drum parts yet.
Mara: Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
Wow you guys are on each other!
Colton: I still am horrible at my little drum solo parts. I’m not used to doing these big drum solos. And them I’m just out there playing random things because I don’t always know what I’m doing sometimes? I know most of it. But I’m not fully memorized yet and that’s probably the biggest challenge.
That sounds a little like real-life drummers. Sometimes they don’t always know what they’re doing during those little-big solos.
Colton: Oh! And being in two shows at once. I’m rehearsing for The Addams Family too right now.
Wow that’s a lot! Brady, what’s been your biggest challenge?
Brady: My biggest challenge from this show is trying to learn an entire different instrument in the span of three months. And some of my solos have been really hard for me to learn and do picture-perfect. I’ve had to modify some of them. Learning guitar is definitely one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever faced in any show I’ve ever done.
But that is so awesome and I can’t wait to hear you play. Do you think you’ll stick with the guitar once the show finishes?
Brady: I don’t know. I might stick—
Colton & Mara: STICK IT TO THE MAN!
You guys are so silly!
Brady: I might stick to the guitar after the show is done. Because I’ve just had a really fun time with my guitar teacher and also just learning it, so maybe!
Mara, what’s your biggest challenge?
Mara: Probably also learning the keyboard parts. When I first got them it was so much that I was practicing all day so I could learn it quickly. It was a lot harder than some of the stuff that I’ve been doing and just different in general. And then also, being able to practice at home has been crazy because I was in a different show too, like Colton.
What show were you in?
Mara: I was in Les Miserables. I was Gavroche. And he has a sad ending.
Colton: I know! I cried.
Mara: I looked out into the audience and saw Colton bawling his eyes out.
You guys are too much. Let me get us back on track here before we go diving down the barricade hole of Les Miserables. Cameryn, your biggest challenge with School of Rock?
Cameryn: With only a few weeks between this show and the last School of Rock, my biggest challenge was moving on so quickly and letting go of it really fast. Having such a supportive cast and crew really helped me with that.
What does it mean to you guys to ‘be a part of the band?’
Colton: I’ve never been in a real band before. But I’ve played the drums for a really long time. But kind of piggybacking off of Mara, this is not the kind of drums I played ever in my life. I’ve never been this crazy when it comes to drumming. I’ve done some slow, fun stuff, some little songs. But I’ve never done this rock stuff so this is way different. So actually having some people that I get to play with all the time is so much different and it’s so fun. It makes me feel like I’m not alone. I’m one of the cool kids!
Brady: I don’t really know how to answer this question.
That’s totally okay, Brady, take your time.
Brady: I feel like it means to me— and I know it sounds weird— but to be a part of something new. I just never thought I’d be in a band before.
But that’s so awesome.
Brady: Or play the guitar ever. Let alone playing the guitar live on stage in a show. It’s pretty crazy and not something I ever thought I’d do.
That’s amazing. Mara?
Mara: I feel like mostly the same thing that both of them just said. I didn’t think I was ever going to be a part of a band. But also, it’s just a lot different. It’s very different to say “Oh yeah, I’m in a band, guys.” I didn’t think I was going to get Lawrence when I auditioned, I just figured there was no way, so when I got it, I was really surprised! But I’m up for the challenge.
Absolutely! We love to hear that you’re up to the challenge! Cameryn, what does it mean to you to be a part of the band?
Cameryn: To me, being part of the band means to be on the team. One for all and all for one. We’re a family. Nobody gets left out.
Excellent. Now, what does it mean to you to ‘stick it to the man?’
Brady: We have a whole song about it!
Colton: Yeah! That’s a very interesting question. It means rate and rave and scream and shout—
Brady & Mara: And get all of your aggression out!
I think I may have just been quoted song lyrics there.
Colton: Yeah! I feel like it really means to get all of your anger out in one way. Find something that can get all of your anger out, find a certain way to do this, find that one way that really works best for you to get all of those feelings out. Like punching a pillow or something. Or playing the drums!
Brady: What it means to me? Stick it to the man? I get to finally do something new and prove a point to people. I get to just put all of my aggression out.
We love getting our aggression out in ways that doesn’t hurt anybody. Mara? Stick it to the man?
Mara: I feel like all the characters they have guidelines. They have things in their character that make them be a certain way, you know Summer is supposed to be smart and organized, Freddie is the class clown, everyone has their certain role. But during “Stick it to the Man” I feel like we all kind of break character a little bit. We all just go crazy. It’s not like breaking character like we become Colton and Mara and Brady, it’s like breaking character of who they were in a fun way! Everyone just kind of switches, we’re all playing a million characters at once in that moment.
Colton: We all show how we all feel!
Mara: Yeah. We all show who we really are, because we’re all kind of hiding behind our characters up until that point.
That sounds so wild I cannot wait to see that number in motion. Cameryn, stick it to the man?
Cameryn: To stick it to the man means to stand up for what you think is right and to not let others push you around. It basically means to fight with an authority figure who is being unfair and isn’t treating people right.
What’s the one big thing you’ve learned about yourself by doing this project?
Colton: I’m kind of good at multitasking. I did not think that I was. And I took a break from drums for a while because my private drum teacher quit teaching for a really long time. I stopped drumming. But then when I saw this, I started going back at it again, and started trying to get my skills back up. I went over to my old private drum teachers’ house a couple of times and she gave me private lessons because she’ll still teach me even though she doesn’t really teach anymore. We’re close and she’s a really great drum teacher and she really helped me get my drumming skills back up and it really helped me.
What’s the big thing you learned about yourself, Brady?
Brady: I learned that I have a big passion for the guitar. And that if it wasn’t for this show, I don’t think I would have ever thought to have played the guitar or even tried it out. But thanks to this show, I have a new passion.
That’s awesome. Mara, what did you learn about yourself?
Mara: I’ve learned more time management. I started learning the keyboard stuff really early because I wanted to make sure that I had it down for the show. And that was a big benefit because now I don’t have to worry about it as much. I also learned that I could play different types of keyboard music. I didn’t think I was going to be able to do any of it, I was afraid we were going to have to modify all of it. But I actually didn’t end up having to modify any of it. And I learned to play a boy character for real this time. Other boy characters, I fee like are more lenient but this one he’s very proper and has to wear guy-dress-clothes. It was a lot going into it.
(Cameryn did not provide an answer for this question)
That’s super cool. Now if you had to create your own rock band, what would you name it?
Colton: Now that’s a pretty tricky question. I’ve had so many names in my past that I’ve come up with. It would probably be like— Coltini. Or maybe DisneyColt123. Or Coltini and the Cool Kids— but cool with a ‘K.’ So K-O-O-L and kids with a ‘z’. So Coltini and The Kool Kidz.
Oh my goodness. That’s epic. Coltini and The Kool Kids. What about you, Brady? Come up with a band name…
Brady: It sounds weird but I would have it be a part of my last name. The Rocking Katz, because my last name is Katzenberger. So again with the K and the Z.
I love this. Mara, what would you call your rock band?
Mara: I have no idea to be honest!
Colton: That’s a great name. “I Have No Idea To Be Honest”
I’m sure there’s probably a band out there somewhere that has that name or at least is called “I Have No Idea.”
Mara: I’m not good at coming up with names, to be honest. We used to have a band at my uncle Danny’s house so maybe I’d do something with that, incorporate their names into it or something like that.
(Cameryn did not provide an answer for this question.)
Do you have a favorite rock song or rock band?
Colton: Oh wow. What do you consider rock?
You tell me. I want to know what you consider rock.
Colton: Maybe Queen? The Beach Boys? I also love “Now & Then” by The Beatles. It’s not a very rock-y song but I really like that one. I like a lot of Billy Joel songs and I like Oldies and that kind of stuff.
Brady: I don’t have a favorite rock song but I have a favorite rock band. My mom introduced it to me— it’s Bush. She introduced it to me when I got cast in the show and we listened to every single one of their songs and now she’s trying to get tickets for us to their new concert.
That’s awesome. Mara?
Mara: I listen to a lot of music so it’s really hard to choose. I like Fallout Boy. I like all their songs. I like The Killers. Not a favorite song but I have a lot of bands that I like. I don’t have just one band. I have so many.
Cameryn: My favorite rock band is Heart and my favorite song is “Alone” (by Heart.)
Now why do you want people to come out and see School of Rock?
Colton: Because they don’t really see kids go bonkers like this and have so much fun and rock. There are a lot of talented kids in this show. They get to see kids playing instruments live on stage. And they’ll get to see that kids are good at instruments. All these people here, everyone is so amazing. The entire band is really good and I feel like people are going to miss out if they don’t hear it. This isn’t your average community theatre School of Rock. This isn’t your grandmother’s School of Rock. So definitely come see it.
Oh wow! Brady, why do you think people should come out and see School of Rock?
Brady: I think that they should come out and see School of Rock because it’s not your typical musical.
Colton: You just stole my line! Copycat!
Brady: CopyKatz.
Mara: That’d be a good band name.
You guys are a hoot! Brady, what were you saying, aside from that new cool band name?
Brady: To come see the show because it’s not your typical musical and if you don’t know much about the show, it’s not going to be what you think. At the beginning you think it’s just going to be a bunch of preppy private school kids but at the end they just turn into all of these characters that you had never thought you’d see like that.
I love it. Why do you want people to come out and see School of Rock, Mara?
Mara: I always tell my friends when I’m in a show. And I try to tell them, for each show I’m in, “you might be bored, you might laugh, you might cry” depending on the show. But I feel like School of Rock has everything. Anyone can go see it and you’ll have fun. It’s just such a fun show. And everyone can be in the audience just jamming and it will be great.
Cameryn: People should come see School of Rock because it teaches a great lesson and tells an amazing story. It is such a fun and exciting show with an incredible music score. It is an unforgettable show.
Thank you guys! You were all great! That’s it—
Colton: Um. Aren’t you going to ask the question?
What question?
Colton: The one-word question!
Oh my gosh, you’re right! I almost forgot. Good thing you’ve done this before, Colton. Okay— so last-last question. If you had to sum up your experience here at School of Rock with Scottfield Theatre Company using just one word, which word do you use?
Colton: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
Why. Did. I. Even. Ask.
Colton: It’s a perfect word for this!
You say that every time I ask you! Brady, what word would you use?
Brady: I don’t know if this is a word, but “Rock-full”
It can absolutely be a word. Mara?
Colton: Say nerd!
Mara: He is so mean to me all the time. Tear. Bombastic side eye, Colton.
Oh my goodness, you two are so silly!
Colton: We like each other.
Mara: Yeah. What was the question again?
One word for your experience.
Mara: Oh right. Um, I feel like crazy— really crazy, good crazy. Crazy.
Cameryn: Memorable.
School of Rock plays August 16th through August 25th 2024 with Scottfield Theatre Company currently in residence at the Cultural Center at The Havre de Grace Opera House— 121 N. Union Street in historic downtown Havre de Grace, MD. For tickets call the box office at 667-225-8433 or purchase them online
To read the interview featuring the nine “kids in the band” click here.
*Cameryn was unavailable for the physical interview date but was sent the interview questions and her answers were filtered into the live-experience.
