For the Sells family, theatre is not just something you do. It is something you grow up in, return to, pass down, and share. In GREAT Theatre’s production of School of Rock the Musical, three generations of the Sells family find themselves connected once again by the stage, the music, and a lifelong love of storytelling.
At the center of it all is Bobbi Sells, whose history with theatre spans five decades and counting. Bobbi says her first time onstage was at age 13, playing a lady-in-waiting in Once Upon a Mattress. “From that moment on, I was hooked,” she shares. Growing up in Park Rapids, Minnesota, Bobbi was immersed in a theatre program that valued education, inclusion, and joy. Everyone got a part. Professionals were brought in to teach. It was serious learning and serious fun.
That foundation carried her through college at Bemidji State University, where she earned degrees in Speech and Theatre Arts and Early Childhood Education, and into a career that blended theatre and teaching. Bobbi worked extensively in children’s theatre, ministry-based theatre, after-school acting programs, and summer musical camps. For ten years, she ran a summer theatre program for the Chisago Lakes School District. At one point, she says, that camp was run by a team of three: herself, her son Jake, and her daughter Cami.
Theatre was never just Bobbi’s passion. It became the family’s language.
Jake Sells remembers his first theatre experience clearly.
“My first theatre experience that I remember is a play that my mom directed where I played a duck,” he says.
He forgot a line, the audience laughed, and young Jake was so embarrassed that he cried. Luckily, it did not stop him. He stayed with theatre through childhood and into his teen years, discovering that his interest went beyond performing. He was drawn to teaching, leading, and creating.
In middle school, Jake would skip his own elective opportunities to sit in on Bobbi’s theatre classes so he could help her and learn how to run a room. By high school, Jake, Bobbi, and Cami were working together on a summer theatre intensive, directing, choreographing, and producing full shows in just one week. “Seeing something from your brain come to life on stage was exhilarating,” Jake says. That was the moment he knew the production side of theatre was also a passion of his.
Cami Sells found GREAT Theatre in 2012, when she auditioned as a college student looking for a creative outlet.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” she says, “but I knew I wanted to get involved and find a place to have fun and do something I love.”
She found that place at GREAT. Over time, theatre became a family affair. She once shared the stage with her mom. Years later, she watched her daughter step onto the very stage she had performed on while pregnant with her.
“I’m so proud of her and how far she’s come,” Cami says. “I hope the legacy continues and she continues to find joy in that stage.”
For Bobbi, GREAT Theatre first felt like a dream from the audience. In 2012, she watched her daughter perform as Penny in Hairspray on the Paramount stage. “I think my jaw hit the floor,” Bobbi says. “I turned to my husband and said, ‘I want to be on that stage someday.’” For years, the family attended GREAT productions, watching Cami, then Jake, and quietly holding onto that “someday”.
That “someday” arrived after Bobbi and her husband moved to St. Cloud in 2022. Nervous but determined, Bobbi auditioned for Guys and Dolls in 2023. “My husband literally pushed me out the door,” she laughs. Making that cast meant more than just landing a role. It meant fulfilling a long-held dream. Even better, she shared the stage with Jake.
Since then, Bobbi has appeared in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical and All Shook Up. She was also the Youth Supervisor for GREAT’s Youth Artist Project production of Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play Jr. Each time she steps onto the Paramount stage, she says she feels grateful for the opportunity and for the community. “Support is constant,” Bobbi explains. “People show up for one another. It’s such a blessing to be a part of this.”
Now, that love of theatre has extended to the next generation.
Hadleigh Sells, Bobbi’s granddaughter, is part of the cast of School of Rock, playing Marcy. “I love being in a play with my grandma and it feels great to be able to be in a show with her,” Hadleigh says. Performing alongside family feels natural to her.
“When I went on the stage for the first time it felt comfortable because I’ve grown up watching that stage with my family being a part of it.”
Hadleigh also gets to work under the direction of her uncle. “I love being able to work with my uncle in School of Rock,” she says. “He is really helpful and I appreciate how much he’s helped with the musical.” For Jake, directing and choreographing his mom, sister, and niece is a full-circle moment.
“It’s so much fun being directed by him now,” Bobbi says. “I taught him when he was little. I’m so proud of him.”
School of Rock the Musical tells the story of finding confidence, creativity, and belonging through music. For the Sells family, those themes are not just part of the script. They are lived experiences. Jake, now the Associate Director and Choreographer of the show, says, “Theatre educates, transforms, and brings people together. I do not take the importance of that influence lightly.” Sharing that work with family makes it even more meaningful. “Seeing my mom doing the thing she loves again and seeing my niece grow and blossom like this is truly so moving.”
Hadleigh puts it simply.
“I love GREAT Theatre and I love being in shows with my family and friends and I wouldn’t change that at all.”
Three generations. One stage. A shared history built on trust, creativity, and love. In School of Rock, the Sells family is not just telling a story. They are continuing one.
GREAT Theatre’s production of School of Rock the Musical runs from January 23rd – February 8, 2026 at the Paramount Center for the Arts
Come see the show. You might just see what happens when theatre becomes family. 🎸🎭
