Dear Family and Friends,
I am not fond of writing director's notes.
I find I always say too much and yet never really say enough. I like to believe that a good show doesn't require an explanation, and that my work of course will speak for itself. Right? Or perhaps I'm just lazy.
But while I don't like talking about the show you are about to see (why spoil the surprise!), I do realize the huge value in gratitude. I also realize that most theaters have terrible dim house lighting systems that make reading your program before the show nearly impossible. So here, on a bright computer screen, I might have the opportunity to say thank you to some very important people and to actually have those words get read for once!
First of all, a huge thank you to the staff at South Eugene. Julie V and Bobbie, Kim and Karen, all of the teachers here at South, Kimberly and our front office staff, and our amazing custodial staff (Campbell and M.C. you're the best!), thank you all so much for welcoming me into the South Eugene family. And to so many of the SET parents, Monique and Megan and Carrie and Deborah and Jill and Jeremy, the list goes on, so many of you who have welcomed me into your families this year and supported me through this transitional season.
I would be amiss to not thank my partner in crime, Chris Dobson for all his magnificent work on this show. His challenge, helping the cast to create beautiful music, often from their closets (!) required tremendous skill and endless patience.
I would also like to thank our principal here at South, Carey Killen. It's a rare and wondrous thing to have an administrator who truly sees the value in arts education, and who is willing to champion that belief every day.
Finally, I know the cast and crew would join me in dedicating this show to my predecessor, Mr. Pat Avery (listen closely and you might recognize Pat as the enthusiastic 911 Operator!). Pat never got to complete his final show here at South, Shakespeare's The Tempest, before retiring. But I think the sentiments of Prospero's final speech really speak to the gift that Pat left us.
Theater is transitory. It's of the moment. And once that moment has passed all you have is the memory. We are all just borrowing our time in this profession. South Eugene Theater is on loan to me from Pat, and someday I hope to pass it on just as graciously to somebody else. We pass the torch from generation to generation, from teacher to student, artist to artist, peer to peer... Theater is the place where we turn off all the lights, and dream together!
Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air.
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself—
Yea, all which it inherit—shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep. (IV.i.)
Enjoy the show!
John Monteverde
