Notes from the Director
I chose this play because I rediscovered the wonderful novel it is based on, Nothing but the Truth, by Avi, last year when I was teaching my first year of Freshman English. When my wife pointed out to me that there was a dramatization, I was immediately intrigued, and even more so once I found out the unique nature of its casting choices (asking a small number of actors to play a large number of parts). However, as I analyzed and planned for this play, the same question kept creeping up on me: will this play upset people?
I continually come up with an answer that is “yes,” simply because of the subject matter. However, after working with this play for seven weeks, I have come to the determination that this play is not, despite what it shows on the surface, about The Star-Spangled Banner. That song is just the vehicle which drives the more important issues the play addresses: respect, communication (or a lack thereof), and understanding. This play could have very easily been just about talking during morning announcements and dealt with the same issues that we see Philip, Miss Narwin, and their friends, family, and colleagues struggling with, and it could have easily packed the same emotional punch.
Ultimately, the goal of drama is to entertain and get audiences to think. If on the way out of the theatre, I hear audience members asking themselves how things could have gone differently, debating who was right and who was wrong, and discussing the difficult questions that this play raises, my cast, crew, and I will have done our jobs. Thank you all for supporting your local high school Drama Club.
Mr. Koll
