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     Thank you so much for joining us for The Grayling High School Players' performance of The Sound of Music. Like many of you, this show holds a really special place in my heart. I still remember the very first time I watched it—I was cozied up in my parents' bedroom on a Sunday evening, completely enchanted by what I was seeing on the TV. My parents even let me stay up late to enjoy the whole thing. My mom had the soundtrack on 8-Track, and we played it often. In 1988, I had the amazing opportunity to spend a month in Germany, exploring beautiful Bavaria. I lived right on the border with Austria, not far from Salzburg, where so much of The Sound of Music was filmed. I’ll never forget wandering through the Mirabell Gardens and experiencing an incredible feeling of déjà vu, as if I had been there before—but that couldn’t be true. Then it hit me: I was walking through the scenes from The Sound of Music.

     When my mom and dad first started dating, he took her to see The Sound of Music on the big screen at the Fisher Theater. The last time Grayling High School brought this beloved musical to life, my youngest daughter Phoebe arrived just three days earlier. Watching Chuck and Hannah bring their young children to rehearsals stirred fond memories of my daughters Mollie, Zora, and Phoebe playing in the aisles, their laughter filling the space with warmth and nostalgia. My niece Hannah had the honor of portraying Mother Abbess at my alma mater, Belleville High School. Truly, this show is woven into the very fabric of my family’s story.

    The Sound of Music is inspired by the true story of the von Trapp family. While certain aspects of the production differ from historical events, the narrative remains intact. The performance features various individuals who were integral to the experiences of Maria, Georg, and the von Trapp family, including nuns, friends, and members of the Nazi regime. In an effort to maintain the story's integrity while remaining sensitive to the cast, crew, and audience members from the Jewish community, I have invested considerable time in contemplating the appropriate representation of the symbols and salutes most closely associated with the Nazi regime. I have engaged in discussions with a Rabbi, as well as my cast and crew members, a costume professor at Southern Oregon University, friends, and members of the production staff. It will be evident that we do not utilize the swastika or the salute associated with the Nazi army. Instead, the soldiers don red armbands to signify the Nazi regime, and we employ red lighting in certain segments of the production to evoke the appearance of Nazi banners. 

   As with The Sound of Music, family is very important to me. I could not do this without my family and the GHS Theater family. I would like to extend a special thanks to my mom, for sharing her love of this show with me. I would like to thank my husband Neil for listening to me talk about theater, and supporting me on a masters program that takes me to the other side of the country for a month. I would like to thank my three daughters, Mollie, Zora, and Phoebe. It is not easy being the child of a teacher, but even tougher when your parent is involved in theater. They all have grown up in Joseph Stripe Auditorium. They have given up a lot of family time for me to do this job, I can’t thank them enough for that. 

   I dedicate this show in honor of a GHS Players alumni, Asher Topham. I would like to also dedicate this show in honor of my late father Bob Binert, who passed away recently. He, like Georg, would have done anything to protect his family. He was a humble man, a loving husband, a supportive father, and the epitome of a family man. If I can be remembered for being half the man he was, I will feel like I have done something good.

Mark Binert-Armstrong