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Dear Avalon Family, 

I cannot believe that it has been a year and nearly 3 months since I last had an audience in their seats and students on stage. It feels like a century. It has taken an incredible amount of work and resiliency to get to this point. I cannot express enough how proud I am of my students for continuing to work and move forward even in these extreme and imperfect circumstances. Over the past year, we have continued to create and explore and grow, and now we are excited to share that with you, in-person!

       This show came to life through the quick thinking of one of my students. Matt Carroll, one of our seniors, brought it to my attention and it was an easy choice. We were in the middle of a rock and a hard place in choosing which show we wanted our advanced musical theatre class to perform. Do we do a musical even though they are incredibly expensive and we might not be given an audience? Can we do one 10 feet apart, fully masked and unable to touch? Would we make money back to cover our costs? How do we rehearse virtually and in person? The more questions we asked, the more unfeasible it seemed. Then Matt brought up a show we had seen at the Virginia Thespians Conference in January of 2020. Our students loved it and had talked about it ever since. And had been begging me to perform it. I wasn't sure if we could do it or if licensing would be available under the current circumstances, so I told him to keep it quiet and we would see. Then we got approved for 25 people audiences and we took the leap. I won't lie, it hasn't been without its hurdles. It's been a rollercoaster with new and updated guidelines, challenges rehearsing virtual and in-person, and the late AP testing schedule, but we're here. You're here. We're doing it. 

      Over the last year and a half, the arts have taken a huge hit. Now we are on the verge of Broadway reopening and theatre across the world taking in audience members for the first time in a long time. I encourage you to support the arts this Fall. Support local programs and community theatres. Many are suffering in ways you can't begin to imagine and the only way we can begin to rebuild is through our patrons. That being said, if tonight's show was a blast, please consider donating through our portal on ChampeDrama.com. We have a lot of rebuilding to do and every dollar helps. Thank you. 

          As always, with any show, there are a ton of people to thank. First off, thank you to our amazing JCHS Admin who have allowed me to figure out the ropes and make strides forward into very unknown territory. Their unwavering support gave us the foundation to find this new path. Thank you to our Theatre boosters who support us on every step, and help me to think outside the box or honestly, cheer us on to keep moving forward. Thank you to the Fine Arts Admin who helped to support us financially in a very tough year. Thank you to Sarah Anderson who volunteered to be an extra set of eyes and ears with the current restrictions which would make it impossible to rehearse with everyone together otherwise. Thank you to my awesome family. You all deal with me ranting late into the night, yet we made it. Summer is coming, I promise. 

And finally, thank you dear Patron. Your support this year has helped keep our lights on and our smiles under the masks still growing. 

                                         Stay Safe and Well, 

                                      Nicki Cabaniss, Director