Bye, Bye Birdie was a bit of a surprise to us. I usually get the opportunity to live with a script for several months, planning, brainstorming, and creating. As most of you know, we were going to do Grease, with all the rigmarole involving the rights-the rug was pulled out from under us, one week before auditions. The next best thing I could think of in my panic-stricken mind was a rock and roll/big band hybrid musical inspired by Elvis being drafted into the army in 1955. Amazingly, when Bye, Bye Birdie opened on Broadway on April 14, 1960, the producer, librettist, lyricist, composer, and most of the cast were virtually unknown. Chita Rivera landed her first leading role as Rose Alvarez. Leading man Dick Van Dyke made his musical comedy debut as Albert Peterson.
A friend of mine in the MTI (Music Theatre International) office literally laughed at me for a good 5 minutes when I called him and begged him to call over to Tams-Whitmark and help get me the rights ASAP. You see, because of the difficulty level, this show is RARELY done by a high school. I couldn’t help it though, when I was asked what was a good replacement, this title popped into my mind. I hadn’t considered it at all as show I ever wanted to do. But there it was, a challenging neon sign in my brain.
And that’s how I feel about this show. It has challenged Every. Single. Person. Involved. Whether you have to sit and wait patiently and focused FOREVER for your five minutes, or you have to do DIFFICULT dance lifts having never danced in your life-or singing as a main role and never sung in front of people, or you have to build that ridiculous structure on house left, costume 68 people, play the music, or get them all onstage doing the same thing, for even 5 seconds. How do you know what you can do-REALLY DO if you aren’t challenged? So maybe that was God’s plan all along. To change my plans for me and challenge me to figure it out. It’s an interesting touch, this year’s theme verse being "God is the one who gives me strength. He clears the path I need to take. Psalm 18:32” Maybe what we wanted to do and what we should do were two different things. The kids sure have taken the challenge, for sure. This show is HUGE, and they have taken it in stride. I cannot brag on your children enough. They have been versatile, extremely hard-working, and so trusting of my requests. As usual, they stepped up and put their money on it.
We also wanted to begin the addition of live music. As you can see, it’s more of a hybrid. This was done so that the kids could begin a process of experiencing live music in certain areas of the show, and having the safety of the track for my more inexperienced performers. Track dictates you, you partially get freedom with musicians. Thank you to all of our musicians for their work to support these kids.
Thank you to our administration for their unwavering support. All of our teachers. All of our volunteers. All of our coaches. My extended family in this Nashville Christian world, I know it takes a village to keep me on the tracks. Stoney Greenlee for making my set design come to life. Steve Collins and Bobby Hackett for putting on the flourishing touches and making sure Stoney was not alone. Thank you to both of my mothers. Nicole Arnold and Joey Boone. Trisha, Addy, Sam, and Hope McWright, Chris Alexander, Les Dahl, Kevin Durham. Chandler Clark. Shelley Greenlee, Julie Littrell. Shannon Thompson. Kathy Gupton. AnneMarie Alexander, Tollie Boone, Anna Jones, Abby Shivers, for going full circle with me my first full show at NCS three years ago, and their last full show at NCS. Professionals all, you should do this forever. Elijah Reid, Adam Young, and Joseph Dyer, who I just want to take to pilot season in LA and get them on TV, because they are adorable, kind, and that good. Hayden Jarrell, Tanner Goodman, and Garrett Collins, the three most gracious young men I know for helping with so many things. Those of you that came out for the first time and found out you just might like this. Those who came back to hang with me again, I appreciate you so much. Those that encouraged others to do the show, sometimes people just need a little nudge. Thank you to everyone for their countless hours of service to make this thing go. Tracy Brothers for being a rockstar right hand woman. Scout, Maisey, and my husband Josh Green. They are my world. And to God, for the incredible way he steers my life every day. I am humbled that he has steered me to Nashville Christian, where I have the honor to work with the most incredible people and the joy to spend my days with the most wonderful children. Enjoy the show.
