There will be no dancing this weekend at Lakeland, Footloose is stricken by medical issues and the loss of a cast member.
In what has been a very emotional morning for the Lakeland crew, the decision was made to cancel the September 7th and 8th performances of Footloose.
The cast was already dealing with one member hospitalized for kidney stones and another member just recently being released from a hospital stay.
Now on the morning of the dress rehearsal, they found out that one of the cast members was involved in a fatal car accident.
Lindsay Budnick, a very active Lakeland performer died due to injuries sustained in an accident on her way home from rehearsal Wednesday night.
“The cast needs time to come to terms with the loss of their friend and the audiences deserves a spectacular show. The director, Katie Ammann and I discussed it and we feel it is the best option, given the situation,” explained Gavin Guttersen, chairman of Lakeland Theatre Company. “Katie will meet with the cast this evening and they will decide if additional dates can be added. The remaining Footloose performances will be presented in memory of Lindsay. It is a fitting show given that she had chosen to devote her very short life to children.”
Budnick was a teacher at William R. Davie Middle School and spent her summer teaching in the summer workshop program at Lakeland.
The remaining Footloose performances are on September 14th, 15th, 21st and 22nd at 8:00pm. There is also a matinee performance on Sunday, September 23rd at 2:30pm.
Additional performances may be added. Anyone holding tickets for this weekend’s performances are asked to call Lakeland at 252-586-3124, to make arrangements to attend a different performance or for a refund.