Due to the COVID outbreak, our students were not offered the usual number of shows last year. Hence, we began this year with a need to get on stage as often as possible. When planning for this season, I told them that squeezing in an extra show might be possible, though it would mean performing before October and, thus, beginning rehearsals in the summer. I had seven students commit to that arrangement; luckily, there was a great script awaiting their talents.
Alfred Uhry’s The Last Night of Ballyhoo, a touching and revealing look at the cost of acceptance, has everything I love in a script: moments of hilarity, more than a bit of drama, and – especially -- a poignancy that fills one's heart. Sadly, discussions about outsiders and the cruelty inflicted on them by insiders is a topic that will always be relevant. So even though it was written almost a quarter-century ago, the play’s themes of validation and change are still germane to today’s political and social climate. There are lessons we still need to learn.
Other scripts were considered, but I kept coming back to this one because I really wanted to hear laughter again. The past eighteen months have been horrible for so many. This is our way of giving back some joy. Like the cooler temperatures and wintry holidays that will inevitably replace the searing heat and unbearable humidity we now endure, my hope is that our production will replace our current state of misery with a bit of laughter and joy.
Thank you for supporting our young artists. I hope you enjoy the show.
Billy Dragoo
