Dear Family, Friends, and Strangers alike,
I'd like to be the first to welcome you into our safe space, our community, our home; the theatre.
I have had the honor of growing up calling my local theatre home. It was there that I learned the meaning of family, love, acceptance, and being true to yourself. I learned that stereotypes often fall flat, and that no one should have to live in fear of being who they are. With that lesson, our story begins.
Trapped! follows the story of a modern day teenager who feels confined in her own body. She looks in the mirror displeased, and pained by what she see's, until finally, she sees exactly what she always wanted looking back. We follow what happens next in her daily life, but when she falls asleep her true self takes over.
This story will bring you right back to high school. It features friends, popular girls, bullies, and over achievers. You will experience the pressure of wanting to fit in(Waving Through a Window,) butterflies from seeing the girl you like(When She Smiles,) unsettling doubt of coming out to your parents(Who I Am,) instant nerves from sharing your feelings with your crush(Bro Duet,) awkward first dates(First Date/Last Night,) and so much more.
I hope some songs will make you laugh as hard as we did every time I called 21 Guns Forever 21. I hope it pulls on your heart strings as much as it did mine when members of the cast performed You Matter To Me for the first time. I hope that you get the chance to see the world from a different set of eyes. Regardless what else you may take from this performance of Trapped!, I hope you leave here with an overall message that you matter, and despite anything you may be facing, keep holding on.
-Ashley Michelle Cole
