Dear Avalon Family,
Times flies! I cannot believe it is already the Fall and time to open our next show! This amazing group of kids have been hard at work for a little over a month to bring this show to stage and I can't wait to share it with you and VTA!
A little background as to what VTA is: VTA stands for Virginia Theatre Association, which is a group that strives to support Theatre in Virginia, including everything from Professional Theatre to Secondary Theatre (High School and Middle School) to Community Theatre, Theatre for Youth, College Theatre, Technical, and much much more. Every October, there is an annual conference where all these different parts come together to celebrate Virginia Theatre and to network, learn and grow from each other. This will be our first in-person VTA conference since 2019, and we are so excited to return to be with each other again! This cast and crew will be featured in the High School Theatre Festival and will compete against several other high schools throughout the festival. Make sure to tell them "Break a leg!"
Also, a little background behind this show. I love a historical drama, especially set in the era of the War of the Roses, so this show has been on the bucket list for awhile! Margaret Beaufort is a fascinating part of history and she may or may not have lead to the death of the princes in the tower, but I was excited to explore the what if's. There are many rumors regarding Prince Edward and Prince Richard and who knows, we might never know! Those skeltons under the stairs may never have their DNA tested, and the mystery may keep going! I hope you enjoy our take on what happened!
As always, there is an army of people to thank for helping get this production where it is now. Thank you to my amazing Assistant Director/Artistic Director, Sarah Anderson, who keeps us on track and does incredible work with our students. Thank you to our Technical Director, Molly Harper, who I am more than blessed to have in my life. You make actual magic! Thank you to Steve Carroll, who we welcomed back to our stage this Fall as our Assistant Tech Director. We're so glad you decided to come back to us even after the rollercoaster of graduating your twins. I am glad to have your hairbrained schemes rattling through this place once again. Thank you to the many theatre teachers and programs who advocated for many years to have funding for Theatre staff and the School Board for choosing to make it a reality. For most of my years at Champe, it was just me doing the jobs of 12 people and managing sometimes over 100 kids. Having a staff this year has changed my life and the lives of my kids in ways too numerous to count. Thank you to my Theatre Boosters. Thank you to our Fine Arts Team and all their work helping make realities happen for kids in our programs. Thank you to our admin team for allowing us to do theatre and put up with all our weird requests. Thank you to my bookkeeper (for putting all those orders in). Thank you to our fine arts admin for continuing to push forward despite amazing obstacles. Thank you to my amazing family, especially my husband, Jake, who tolerates the many late nights. Thank you to our patrons for their financial support and finally, thank you to you. Without an audience, there is no show. Thanks for coming back and filling seats.
Sincerely,
Nicki Shepherd, Lead Director and Playwright
