playbill vip

In an opinion piece written Nov 21, 2022 by Emilia Cuevas Diaz for www.panthernewspaper.org, she writes that The Addams Family teaches us that the support we show one another matters far more in our relationships than what we're individually interested in.

This is true for Falls Church High School’s Spotlight Theatre company as well. We’ve created a safe space where no matter what is going on in our students’ lives, they can find a home where they are loved and supported to be their true selves.

The 65 students in the cast and crew overcame several obstacles to put on the show you see before you today. We love being back in the auditorium even though it is not quite finished. Students have designed and redesigned the set to accommodate the low hanging lights and curtains. They have painted in the hallway and used cutting tools outside in all kinds of weather while we wait for the scene shop to be handed over to us. They have applied the time management skills they learned on the road in The Phantom Tollbooth to get things done in time for opening night. They worked over spring break to make up the lost time when we didn’t get into the auditorium until six weeks later than we thought we would.

The theme of The Addams Family musical is the quest for unconditional love. It will be hard to say goodbye to this group of seniors. We have grown so much together over the last four years, and I am proud to see the leadership, creativity and talent that has come out of that group! We gain new members of our theatre family each year! I want to give a shout out to the “team” of booster parents (including our Founding Fathers Brian Fon, Scott Lieberman, Olaf Van T Erve, Andy Paparella and Sam White), our booster officers (Jessica White, Stephanie Frankovic, Carrie Wendell and Jennica Whitfield), our tech theatre director Kevin Curry, Choreographer Stacey Claytor and Music Director Dr. CJ Redden-Liotta. Our students are so lucky to have enjoyed your mentorship during the rehearsal and build process of this show. My love and appreciation for you has no bounds! Thank you so much for the acceptance and support you give one another and me.

Now sit back, relax and relate to this fantastic show!

Beth Becker (aka De Marco)

FCHS Theatre arts Director

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