Director’s Note:
Hi Team!
Thank you so much for being here. Live theatre is all about having a conversation with the audience, and we, the creative team and cast, would not be able to tell the story of Seussical, Jr without you. Also, it’s highly likely that if you are reading this you are a parent of someone in the show, so we literally would not be here without you.
Storytelling and creativity are two central parts of the show that you are about to see. The Cat in the Hat is all about thinking and developing a sense of play, even though we see that JoJo and Horton are continually beaten down by a world that discourages thinking outside of the box. The world of Dr. Seuss is often frightening, but the protagonists persist in trying to find the hope in every situation.
As a director, I believe that every play is asking the audience to consider a certain question or intellectual problem. To me, Seussical is asking us to think about what it looks like to live in a world where thinking is frowned upon, and, perhaps more importantly, about what conditions create a mindset that fears creativity. The Sour Kangaroo hates Horton and his speck, but why? Mr. and Mrs. Mayor are so afraid that their daughter gets distracted in class that they send her to war. What had to happen to them for that to be a logical conclusion? Seussical is a powerful show, especially if we take the time to really think it through.
I would be devastated if I didn’t tell you about the cast of the show. WOW! Every student in this show is incredible. Conservative estimate: about one third of the staging ideas in this show came from your kids. This group of students is phenomenal - they work well with each other, and they work well with me, even as I make them do silly things like yoga or pretending to be penguins. I am so lucky to have such a creative, compassionate, dedicated, and responsive cast. And you’re lucky too, because you get to watch this amazing show that we all made together.
See you in Solla Sollew,
Lily
