They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky, they’re all together ooky, and I couldn’t be more to thrilled to be bringing this quirky and loveable family to the stage for Curtain Up Theatre Camp's Summer 2021 production.
After not being able to do a show last summer due to COVID, I had put Curtain Up on the back burner and didn't think we would be back. However, after directing a production of Junie B. Jones the Musical this past year at Minnehaha Academy with some of the most amazing people I have ever worked with, it reignited the spark in Curtain Up Theatre Camp and decided we had to come back. And we had to come back even better than before. We were fortunate enough to be able to run camp through Minnehaha Summer Programs, while I was so grateful for our partnership with District 196 Community Education, I am absolutely ecstatic to get to direct in my "home" theatre at Minnehaha. Being in a bigger and better space opened up a world of possibilities and allowed us to really think big! And so The Addams Family felt like the perfect show to return with.
Charles Addams’ original characters were first invented as a comic strip in 1938; since then his dark and gruesome Addams Family has been featured in a TV sit-com, movies, a cartoon, and most recently in an award-winning Broadway musical.
The Addams Family musical finds the charmingly creepy clan facing a new nightmare: daughter Wednesday has fallen in love…with a nice young man from OHIO! Despite the pairs' plea for things to just be normal for once, the dinner party hosted by Gomez and Morticia to meet the boy’s parents soon goes devilishly awry, testing the bonds of family, love, and unholy matrimony.
The past year and a half has been hard for all of us, but I have been in awe of the creativity and ingenuity of so many people that have made the best of a rough times. I think The Addams Family is such an interesting story, and can teach us something about how to deal with our darkness. It's a hilarious comedy, about a morbidly dark family. Laughter can be the best medicine and I have often found this to be true when I'm stuck in the dark. We all face darkness in different ways, but we all need to move towards it and know that there is light on the other side. What is your darkness and how can you move towards it?
And just as important, the story pushes us to consider what is normal. My hope is that it will have you asking yourself, “What is normal anyway, and honestly, isn’t it a bit overrated?” Because as Morticia Addams once wisely stated, “Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly.”
It has been an absolute pleasure to work with such an amazing cast and production team. I have been blown away by the talent in each and every camper, it's been truly magical. And the fact that they were able to learn this all in two weeks is absolutely nuts! I'm so grateful to be able to be doing this, it fills my cup being able to provide that magical theatre experience to so many people. So sit back, relax, and enjoy The Addams Family.
-Zac Anderson
Curtain Up Theatre Camp Director
