DIRECTOR NOTES
A theatre colleague from another high school recently shared an online posting that stuck in my head during the last month of this production. I've traced the words back to Amie McNee, an online blogger, and thought I'd share her advice to artists here:
"Artists are not like athletes. We cannot win gold. We cannot beat other creatives. We cannot come first. Sport is objective. Our craft is subjective. Creating to 'be the best' is a waste of energy. Instead, create to connect to the people who need you. Because they're out there. Create in your own way, because there is no right way. Take the pressure off, and focus on your unique brand of magic."
Many know the story of the Little Shop of Horrors from watching a mid-'80s movie that was based on an early-80s-era off-off-broadway musical, which was based on an an early '60's B-movie about a a nerdy and love-sick whose fate changes when he comes across a mysterious, bloodthirsty, man-eating plant. The 80s movie and its famous carnivorous puppets are so iconic that it can be tempting to be purely imitative. The famous example is out there. And it is beloved. It is a goal to be aspired to. It seems, at first, like that way is the right way.
And yet every theatre has a unique talent base and a unique (often uniquely limited) set of resources. This would make imitation impossible even if it were desirable - which, it is not. No matter how familiar a story is, the task of telling it is always a unique, and it is the unraveling of the storytelling task that is the lesson. This is truly the thing I love (LOVE) about educational theatre. Through any rehearsal process, problems, pop up like, well, the pods of an invasive plant species. Our puppet-making projects were both literal and metaphorical examples.
But for every challenge, there is always (ALWAYS) a solution to be discovered. How is it discovered? Through persistance, ingenuity, collaboration, hard (HARD) work, long (LONG) hours.
And what about the why? The why is to connect.
Thanks to our incredible Assistant Director, Mrs. Mensing, for her time and abundant array of creative problem solving talents. Thanks to our community and parent volunteers - Kristin, Gloria, Karen, Morgan - for sharing your brand of theatre magic. Thanks to a supportive administration and, especially, to our bookkeeper Mercedes and our custodians for their generosity. Thanks to all the parents for supporting the intensive rehearsal schedule.
And mostly thanks to the students who put their hearts and souls into this production. They are givers. Enjoy!
Sincerely,
Hilda Beltran
Director, Thespian Troupe 3563
