Then and Now: Directing a Musical from My Childhood
Wow! What a year this has been! After being in depths of the pandemic in te 2020-2021 season, it was refreshing and invigorating to be back in person this season. Though we had to take many precautions, we have been able to safely bring back live theatre to the Munster Auditorium stage.
As we end this season with the classic musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, I am taken back to my early days in the theatre. You see, when I was in seventh grade, I was a "Neighborhood Kid" in my middle school's production. I had a wonderful time learning the songs and being involved in the show, even if I never got to be featured (and you probably don't want to hear me be featured in a musical unless I'm impersonating Carol Channing)! I am ever grateful, however, to my director, Ms. Gloria Fazio, who found a way for me to be involved. It kept my love of theatre going and helped me to still be a part of a show.
And that's what MTC is all about. Inclusion. While not everyone is the strongest singer, dancer, or actor, there are so many things that a show needs in order to be successful that we can usually find a place for anyone who just wants to be involved. And our students are some of the most welcoming people here at Munster High School.
And whe things got really stressful this year, when I was pulled away during the day to sub, or when I had to be home because my toddler was quarantined for the umpteenth time, it was looking forward to working with the theatre kids that kept me going mentally. My gratitude goes out to the students and their parents, for without them, this program could not exist.
I hope you enjoy this show as much as these students have had in producing it. They have been There are so many great philosophies about life and our world in this show. Several times in this production I was taken back to my childhood experience while at the same time I was able to enjoy the show in a very different way as a parent and director.
Thank you for being here to support us all!
--R. Palasz
Thank you, Mr. Wells
I want to take a moment to thank Mr. Wells for all of his support of the Munster Theatre Company. His trust in us to challenge our students and help them to realize their potential has helped us to gain recognition on the Regional, State, and International levels. More importantly, it has helped Munster Theatre Company to use theatre not just as a form of entertainment, but a vehicle for analyzing our world and ourselves and to take that analysis to our audiences. And for a number of our students, this has helped them realize that theatre is a potential career option for them. Mr. Wells has supported us by not just seeing our shows, but supporting us in our competitions, and he even took the stage in 2019 when we produced Hairspray!
We wish Mr. Wells the best of luck on his new endeavor! Thank you for your support!
--R. Palasz and P. Matanic
