Blake Ryan isn’t on stage during every “School of Rock” performance by the national touring company, but he could be — in any one of five roles.
The 12-year-old Draper boy understudies all but one of the roles for boys in the show, which opened Tuesday at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City. It’s based on the 2003 movie about a substitute music teacher who inspires his students to become rock musicians and compete in a battle of the bands — much to the consternation of the principal and the kids’ parents.
“I play Zack, the lead guitar player; James, who's, like, the security guard; Mason, who's tech; and then Billy, who's the stylist who gets all the laughs,” Ryan said.