****NOTES FROM THE DIRECTOR****
Now in my 6th year of directing shows at Preble, I'm starting to feel like the captain of an oceanliner that crosses the Atlantic on a regular schedule. Sure, the trip can be treacherous, and not a lot of people do what I do, but I know what I'm doing. I know how long the journey takes, what hazards could be out there, and the best way to get from Dublin to New York. When a student asks me in August what we'll be doing during the week of October 3, I can say with certainty that we'll be blocking Act I. I am the captain of my ship, and I competently ferry our students from auditions to show.
But now, in 2020, I'm far away from the Atlantic. We are embarking on a safari through the wildnerness of an unknown land. I'm still in charge, but this year, I had no idea what laid ahead on our journey. Instead of standing calmly at the wheel, I slashed at brush with my machete, hoping to clear a path for us to walk through. I am the luckiest of directors that the students put their trust in me and forged ahead, and that I had the best team of Mrs. Sweeney and Mrs. Tolksdorf. We made it through the underbrush to the other side on this crazy adventure!
The trappist monk Thomas Merton said that if you can get to the intersection of now, here, this, then there is nothing to fear- you will be free.
*Now. 2020. One of the most tumultuous years in memory.
*Here. In an online world that holds so much fear and uncertaintly. That caused cancellations and disappointments and isolations.
*This. Creating art with students and coworkers I love. Learning new skills. Looking at things in a different way.
This isn't the way any of us hoped that the fall would go, but with all of us supporting each other and doing the best we can, most of it can be pretty spectacular. Thank you to everyone who supports the arts and works to create beauty. I love you all.
