playbill vip

Welcome to the show. My hope is that you will laugh, smile and enjoy the show!

I have never been a reader. I have never gotten lost in a book, or ever found the joy that it seemed everyone around me found when reading. If you ask me if a movie is better than a book, I would say the movie is better, because chances are that I never read the book (but the movie might inspire me to read the book). And here I sit as a director of Miss Nelson Is Missing, a book I had read to me as a child,  a book I read several times in elementary school. I remember sitting there in class and my teacher making the characters have different voices and how entertaining it all was. Never did I think I would sit here many years later and fall back in love with the story and understand its true meaning. In life, we take things for granted. We don't appreciate things like we should, and it is ok. We are human. However, when those things are taken away, pure chaos sets in and a panic happens. Sometimes we need reminders that what we had all along was something great.

A traveling show has always been a dream of AACT's Cora Connelly, and what better time than while AACT is “Out of the Box”! I am beyond excited to help fulfill that goal. As we dove deeper into finding a script and finding locations, we decided to go to locations that don't have an AACT in their backyard - in fact they don't have any theatre in their backyard. Suddenly, I realized that I have always taken theatre for granted. Theatre has been in my life since I could remember. My life would be in complete chaos if theatre was taken from me. Theatre has always helped me discover me. It helped me get lost in a story, and it made me believe in magic. It is a big deal and I hope to help make it a big deal for others as well.

There are tons of people I want to thank for bringing this story to life. Theatre takes a lot of hands and a lot of heart. None of this in front of you could be done without the names listed in this playbill, and so many more. Thank you especially to my family - John, Logan, Evan, Zoye and Gracyn for allowing me to continue to chase after my dreams and also pushing me when I am exhausted. -- Dana Tompkins

Director Bio

Dana Tompkins has been involved in theatre since middle school. She loves being on stage but finds her real passion as a techie, usually as a stage manager. Dana studied theatre at Seminole State and worked professionally with Orlando Theatre Project and Theatre Downtown in Orlando. You last saw her with AACT as Assistant Director of Sherlock Holmes and Make-Up Designer for James and the Giant Peach.