Dear Avalon Family,
Welcome back! We've had some an incredible year and I am so glad to welcome you to this show!
In 2020, we attempted to stage Disney's The Little Mermaid for the first time. We finished most of the bones of the show, and on March 12th, were told that our production was frozen. By March 23rd, we were informed that we would not be returning to school and we were cancelled. It was one of the most heartbreaking losses for our schools that year. My guest room was overflowing with mermaid tails half sewn, and scripts that would gather dust over the next several months. I am so excited to have a second chance at staging this show as it has always had a piece of my heart. At the age of 3, I would often be found singing "Part of your world" at the top of my lungs on a fairly regular basis and our VHS (yes VHS), had to be replaced multiple times. It's a treasure of a show.
As always, there is an army of people to thank for helping get this production where it is now. Thank you to my amazing Artistic Director/Choreography/Pixie Dust, Sarah Anderson who the kids affectionally call "Bad Cop" for her ability to give notes and help block, character work and in general "pixie dust" this beautiful show, organized spirit buddies and in general, helped keep us sane. Thank you to Steve Carroll, who helps keep the rest of us grounded and helps our kids not cut off their fingers. We're so glad you decided to come back to us even after the rollarcoaster of graduating your twins. I am glad to have your hairbrained schemes rattling through this place once again. Your evil laugh in the wings does haunt my nightmares. Thank you to my assistant director, Kira Simmons, who we gladly welcomed back this year (JCHS class of 2016!). It has been a joy to have you grace the stage again. Thanks for helping make this new generation even better. 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 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 for helping to revitalize this program and make it even better. 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. I can't believe you decided to be the official Theatre "Dad" even when they attack you anytime you set foot on campus. Thank you to Dakota, our unofficial theatre mascot, for your cute smiles and drool. 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
