DIRECTOR'S NOTES
I wish I had this book around when I was an adolescent, struggling with the things we all struggle with as we grow into young adults. What a significant, monumental time in our lives! At that age we are hurtling toward adulthood: smart enough and mature enough to start tackling the big questions. We are grappling with new ideas and new changes for the first time, and all at once. And yet we know that from the outside, we are still seen as children. Or, at the very least, we have a feeling the adults are still not letting us in on what’s behind the big curtain.
This is why I love Lois Lowry’s beautiful, poignant The Giver. She writes to the adult in the child. She recognizes the issues and struggles they face. She pays adolescents the respect they’re due.
The Giver is a classic morality tale. It, like all good morality tales, reminds us of what we need in order to hang on to our humanity, what we need in order to hang on to all that is beautiful, joyful, and pleasurable in the world. We can see ourselves in our hero Jonas as he discovers the secrets behind his seemingly untroubled society. His is a community free of all discomfort and strife, free of all memories of pain and sorrow, and yet as Jonas discovers, if we remove ourselves from all that is difficult and painful, we in turn strip ourselves of all that is wonderful — love, joy, and beauty. And the key to hanging on to all that is beautiful in our world — the key to hanging on to our very humanity — is memory. We learn from our past. We learn from our mistakes. We learn from our collective experience.
This has been an amazing experience. I have been blessed to work with some truly gifted theatre artists. They have approached this difficult material with an honesty and emotional sensitivity beyond their years. This has been such a tremendous collaborative experience. We have such fine artists here on the Hilltop and everyone, from our brave actors to our stellar design team, has had such passion to tell this story. Good art should provoke thought and inspire change. As you watch tonight, I hope we are successful in this endeavor.
Jason Peck
Director
