FOLEY – Best of Baldwin 2025 Best Local Actor Logan Lane is stepping off the stage and putting on his director's hat as he directs Foley High School's performance of "The Music Man."

Before "The Music Man," Lane has directed 12 productions at Foley High School (FHS) in his five years of teaching at the school. In addition to being a drama teacher, he is also regularly involved in community performances with his most recent shows "The Importance of Being Earnest" at Pioneer Repertory Theatre in which he played the lead Jack Worthing, "Spamalot" at South Baldwin Community Theater (SBCT) in which he also played the lead King Arthur, and "Calendar Girls" at SBCT, which he directed.

Lane did not expect to win Best Actor in Best of Baldwin 2025 as he said, "I didn't even realize I was in the top five."

"I was very shocked but very honored," he said. "To be recognized for what you do is a huge plus, a little boost, to be like 'okay, this is cool.' But just like with anything, it's nice to get an award. Even though, at the end of the day, the work is a reward in itself."

While he has mostly been directing lately, Lane does enjoy getting to participate in shows as an actor as he has worked in acting his "whole life."

"I love to perform and it's important for me as a director because it helps me put everything into perspective," he said. "They say the most successful directors are the ones that are actors too because they are the ones that understand things from an actor's perspective."

In directing "The Music Man," Lane hopes the students take away "something that sticks with them" as they are "making memories" in this performance.

"I hope they understand this is a part of musical theater history," said Lane on the FHS show. "These types of shows create a different style of things. … This show has more dance opportunities, which creates a new challenge: how do we convey that we are acting as we are dancing?"

Lane explained "The Music Man" as a "classic golden age musical" that takes place in a small town in Iowa. In the show, a "con man comes to town" and convinces the parents in the town to allow their children to start a band. He has a routine of traveling to cities posing as a music man long enough to gather money for band instruments then skipping town with the money.

"Complications arise when he meets the town librarian," Lane said. "She is a smart, independent, capable (woman) and she's figured out that he is a con man. (Long story short,) romance foils his plans."

The show is "feel good, heartwarming" and has a variety of ages in its cast of 36 with elementary students, staff members and even the "mighty band from Lion Land" all acting together. The show's two leads are seniors at Foley High School.

While "for the most part" it is a lighthearted musical, Lane hopes audience members take away some of the deeper meanings to it such as "how fear can be misleading" and "what that can do to a community." Overall, though, he wishes the audience to enjoy the show.

Lane said, "I told the kids yesterday, a musical is like a really delicious dessert, you know, I want the audience to have that feeling that they are going to the theater and they are having a dessert."

Overall, he hopes the students learn more about theater and the arts by being involved in this production.

"Our students don't have a lot of access to theater so whether it be in my theater classes or rehearsal or conversations I have with students, it's the only portal they have to theater outside of a high school setting," Lane said. "Theater, and the arts in general, should be accessible to everyone. It's incredibly important."

FHS performances of "The Music Man" will be April 25-26 at 6:30 p.m. and April 27 at 1:30 p.m. at the Foley Civic Center. Tickets will be available by card only at the door.