ManeStage Family,
Change is never easy. These students have had the same music director for 10+ years. Heather then took over running the full musical and the kids ended up following her process. The old director was a force of nature and that is why last year was so hard. When she retired, this program went into the world of the unknown. This show has seen a new music director, technical director and most frustratingly, a new theatrical director. Even with all that change, the kids that will stand both on stage, and behind it, have proven that their love for this crazy thing we do is unbreakable.
I run the theatre program at Centaurus High School and I spend most of my time there. I gave these kids 2 days a week. I wanted to give them more, they deserved a lot more, but that is what I had. The idea of a school not having a production simply because they do not have anyone to direct was unimaginable to my wife and I. She teaches at the school and was kind enough to support me doing both projects, so that ManeStage can continue to thrive. I told the kids on Day One that I would have limited time to give to Mamma Mia, and that I would give them everything I had to help them reinvent their program.
Since Day 1, these kids have treated me with kindness, respect and trust. Directors need the trust of their teams to have any chance at reaching a cohesive end product. The trust of ManStage was remarkable for one reason, I had not yet earned it. Though it is my job to do so, I asked these amazing students to trust me early, and they did. Because of that, we were able to reimagine how people would respond to ManeStage Theatre Company.
I expected to enjoy working with these phenomenal students this semester. I did not expect for them to become such a big part of me. With a limited schedule and little time to get this show off the ground, I expected to be hyper focused on the work. That focus would lessen the time I had for the kids themselves. I could not have been more wrong. Your kids on the tech and acting side welcomed me in a way that sucked me in, and made me look forward to the time I was at MRHS. I have come to respect this program immensely and what is impossible to imagine, I have come to enjoy Mamma Mia, a show I am known for making jokes about. I have come to learn that a great cast and crew can make any show producible. We have tried some things Manestage has never done, from moving center stage, to building a 20+ level set, to changing the lighting plan. Through this unbelievable change, the kids have smiled, trusted and empowered every bit of my insanity.
Thank you Manestage for being what and who you are. You are now a part of my story and you occupy space in my heart. You all deserve the success of a lifetime. Berthalina and Imzadi, I love you and I will be home in a couple of days.
Jay Kinsel
Member Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
Member Dramatist Guild of America
Director ManeStage Theatre Company
