Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ came to Broadway in March 2010 and now, seven years later, Bluegrass Community and Technical College’s theatre program will be putting on the show themselves.

Billie Joe Armstrong, the singer of Green Day, always had plans of turning their hit album ‘American Idiot’ into a rock opera.

The show tells a story of three best friends and what becomes of them as they enter adulthood. The story has many twists and turns and is not for the light-hearted, but the messages it shares are ones to be remembered.

Timothy Davis, coordinator and founder of the theatre program at BCTC, is the director of the show. When looking for a show for this season, Davis knew he wanted to produce a musical.

“We also wanted to produce something that felt relevant to the times and the climate we are living in now, and this show certainly fits that bill,” Davis said.

Davis added that they would not alter the music or dialogue of the show, but they have put their own stamp on things including the staging of several scenes and the choreography.

The show has intense scenes and dialogue that discusses current issues pertaining to our world today. However, the challenges that Davis has faced throughout the process of preparing the show have been related more to having a consistent practice space.

“We are a small program, and while we do very challenging, ambitious pieces, we are always somewhat hamstrung by the fact that we don’t have our own theatre space at BCTC,” Davis said. “But wherever we perform, we always manage to make it work, and work well.”

Davis has always considered himself an actor, but when he started teaching 20 years ago he began to put more emphasis on his directorial work as well. As the only full time faculty in BCTC’s theatre program, Davis directs most of their productions, this being his primary focus for the better part of 10 years.

Over 60 people showed up for the ‘American Idiot’ auditions, and Davis has been extremely impressed with how well his cast has been able to connect to the world within the show.

“They’ve approached the material with open minds, open hearts, and with a serious focus that, in some ways, belies their age and experience,” Davis said.

Although Davis had a clear vision of what he wanted the show to be like, his production team and actors have brought ideas and energy that have helped the piece to flourish.

Performances will be offered March 30 and 31 at 7:30 p.m., April 1 at 7 p.m. and April 2 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 for students and $15 for general admission.