playbill vip

Welcome to MCHS and our Drama Dogs production of 9 to 5, the musical. 

It has been such a fun experience working on this show, and I think the cast and crew would agree. You will laugh throughout the whole thing, and who doesn't love music written by Dolly Parton? 

Speaking of Dolly, I loved the movie 9 to 5 starring her, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda. It was so much fun and so funny. But more than that, these ladies used this movie to speak for so many who were experiencing the same struggles in their own lives. They showed the world, while in a funny and not realistic way, that things could change and needed to change. They opened the eyes of the world to real life challenges. Their talents, sharp thinking, and friendship gave them the strength they needed to make change a reality for the people in their office, and their message reached so much further and had so much more of an impact than those three women ever imagined. 

Maya Angelou said, "Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better." It's through the stories of others that we are able to know better, or at least better know. Sharing our struggles with each other and really listening to each other allows us to have a better understanding of what others in our lives are experiencing. This is how we learn empathy and compassion. We can never completely know what those around us are going through all the time, and it's so easy to get wrapped up in our own challenges that we forget to even think about anyone else. Hopefully by sharing our stories we become better. This is why we do theatre.

Our purpose in addition to having a lot of fun is to help to create a better world. Theatre helps us to "see a different perspective from our own." We are able to walk in someone else's shoes for a short time. We are reminded that we are not alone, and we can speak for those who are not always able to speak for themselves. Live theatre has the power to address issues and push for change. "Theatre promotes us to give power to truth, to take risks and to advocate for new and diverse voices." Yes, theatre is a lot of fun! But it also takes a lot of hard work and thought. These students have not only learned so much these last three months, but they have grown as people. More than even they realize.

When I look at the seniors, and I remember back to their freshman year, I remember not knowing what many of them looked like until May because of the required masks they were wearing everyday. These seniors have been through so much these last four years. They seemed like babies when they arrived at the high school and many performed in Grease, and now they are so grown all of a sudden. They have come SO FAR, and I am so proud of each and everyone of them. 

I hope that you enjoy this show. I hope that you laugh out loud. I hope that you find moments to empathize with these three characters throughout their stories, and I hope that you leave feeling better than you did when you arrived. 

Thank you for being here with us.

Enjoy the show!

Dr. Lenae Rose