DIRECTOR'S NOTES
I was fortunate enough to see the original cast of this show in June 2005, and not having heard of it prior to my teacher's trip to NYC, I was pleasantly surprised. I loved the fact that there was audience involvement , the fact that it had originated out of an improvisational workshop ( and was not yet another movie re-hash or jukebox musical) and that the adults were able to capture both the resilience and fragility of these highly competitive, awkward middle school aged students.
Two summers ago when I was at a MTI's Broadway Teacher's Workshop, I was able to take an improv workshop with Sara Saltzberg, who originated the character of Logainne Swartzandgrubiniere. Listening to her talk about the process of developing the characters and the musical itself, I decided to get a perusal script and look it over again.
There are numerous reasons why I choose the shows I do-- but I generally make decisions based on the strengths of my current batch of students, the possibilities for expanding their skills and experience by playing a variety of characters unlike themselves, and the overall lesson or theme that the work provides to the student population as a whole. In this time of increasing controversy over high-stakes testing and the plethora of assessments that our students (of all ages) are subject to, I felt that the frustrations and joys that the characters experience are akin to what all of us in education feel. Life is (often) random and unfair; and losing or failing at one thing does not condemn one to a life of misery.
I loved the home schooled Jolie-Pitt type family where good intentions might allow a special kid to fall through the cracks; the overachieving child of the Tiger mom who has lost all of the joy of learning through mastery of everything, the socially awkward mean boy who is simply reacting to the circumstances of his broken family and discovers he does indeed have an empathetic heart, the cocky champion who becomes a victim of his own puberty, the "Modern Family" child with a dad who wants to win at any cost, and a latchkey kid who only wants her parents to show that they love her. After 20 years as an educator, there isn't a single one of these archetypes that I haven't had in my classroom. Part of our annual teacher's evaluation is knowing our students-- sometimes we know more than we want to know, and it isn't unusual that I feel like I know the kids in my program better than their parents-- between rehearsals and travel, I often see them more frequently than Mom and Dad do! Seeing the growth and transformation of these young people over the four year period they are part of my program is the greatest reward of my life.
I hope you have as much fun watching this show as we have had rehearsing it! The addition of audience volunteers keeps it fresh and exciting at each performance, and the cast is thrilled to be able to include their teachers and parents in the show.
I do want to remind you that "Chip's Lament" at the top of act two is the reason for the PG-13 rating because of it's frank talk of puberty. If you prefer not to see this musical number, please wait outside an extra 10 minutes after intermission. One of my ushers will be at the door to let you know when the song is over. I do not believe in censorship, but I do believe in informing my audience so they can make an educated decision as to whether or not they want to see something.
ENJOY!
Christa Whittaker
