It takes a village to put on a show and we have been grateful for all of the volunteers, staff and students involved in our production. If your name has been inadvertantly left out, please forgive us and consider yourself thanked a million times over!
William Church, Director of Theatre Arts Division
Interlochen Arts Academy Theatre Faculty
Daniela Sánchez and Scott Kennedy, for being with us for so long.
Emily Spradling and Nicholas Gotham, for their music.
Drake George and Harper Hodgson, for working so hard.
The It Gets Better Project
Luke D'Alessandro
Kelsey Peterson and the Interlochen Arts Academy Residence Life Staff
All the people who donated to our GoFundMe page, and allowed us to pursue this production.
PRODUCER'S NOTES
Can you hold on to your innocence forever? For millions of people all over the world who grew up and continue to adore Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts” gang, that age continues to thrive. Even after Schulz’s passing over a decade ago, the characters remain in the hearts and minds of every generation, and continue to charm us.
I’m a big fan of them, myself. I remember lying in bed reading treasuries of “Peanuts” comics, listening to You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown until I could recite the show by heart, and renting the TV specials from the video store vividly. Like so many people, I was growing up with these characters.
But they never had a chance to grow up with me. Over the years, Charlie Brown has only aged from four years old to eight. Suddenly, I found myself only able to look at these characters with a strange sense of nostalgia. Then, Bert V. Royal wrote a play.
My first exposure to Dog Sees God was through a teacher of mine, Lisa Melinn, giving me a monologue to do from it. I was instantly obsessed. There is something deliciously inappropriate about seeing the confused and dysfunctional teenagers these characters had grown up to be. But this play was not written to shock, it was written to teach, like the comics have done for so many. Royal has posed important questions about bullying, death, mental illness, faith, and the overall state of teenage-dom, coupled with a hauntingly beautiful message.
When I mentioned to some people last year that I had an idea for this production, they laughed at me and said it could never be done. I was dejected and convinced it was an impossible feat, until one night in the dorms Nic Mains and Ross Bloedorn told me that they believed in me. Their unwavering support for me in that moment made me realize just how possible this show could be, with the right people. And I am thankful that one of them was Mark Mazzarella, who continues to inspire me every day, even if we may bicker like an old married couple. I love you.
I would like to thank all of those who encouraged Mark and me along the way, as well as those who did not. You all made us work harder to create something we are very proud of. Danny Fender, you are the most amazing stage manager I’ve ever met, and working with you on this project has been an incredible experience. Bill Church, my gratitude for you allowing us to do so many crazy things is neverending, and I am so thankful to learn so many valuable lessons from you. To the designers, crew, donators, faculty, volunteers, and everyone else who helped make this a reality, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. To my incredible family, I am so proud and happy to be related to you all and thank you for everything a million times over. My life has been forever changed by this play/cast/production/school/experience, but I have been lucky to be surrounded by the greatest people in the world. I love you all.
Most importantly, however, I want to thank those who have fought so hard for LGBTQ equality. Leelah Alcorn, Alan Turing, Harvey Milk, Jamey Rodemeyer, William Inge, and Matthew Shepard, to name a few of the many. Please do not let their message fade away.
— Yoni Weiss
