Thank you for being a part of Steven’s Showstoppers 2019/2020 Season. This is my second year leading the program, and we’ve been making lots of changes! In addition to our name change, you may also notice updated lighting, and many new names in the Play Bill including Leah Ludwig, our Assistant Drama Coach. Behind the scenes, we’ve been getting some new shop and sound equipment. We hope this translates into more ambitious sets, and more effective lighting!
This summer, a committee of students and I set about the task of selecting a season. As a teacher, I felt that I had arrived in the promised land when students left each meeting with a stack of plays and intermittently posted summaries, analysis, and evaluations of ways that dozens of scripts matched our particular needs at SHS. This whirlwind of learning took on a life of its own. It was an absolute joy to be a part of.
As our season began to take shape we began to consider themes that might sum up what it is we are trying to say with this collection of plays. Ultimately, we decided that we want our audiences to experience what it’s like to learn and work with a group of people who value and accept each of us for who we are. When we are together, it feels like home. We want everyone to share in what that feels like. It was decided. Our season’s theme is - Welcome Home!
The Outsiders is one of the few movies I have seen without first reading the book. Before I watched the movie, all I knew of the book is the deep attachment that many people seem to have for it, especially my son and daughter who read it in 7th grade English with Mr. Shane Whidby at South Middle School. Since we announced this selection a number of adults have expressed their love of The Outsiders book and the film adaptation. S.E. Hinton was just 18 when the book was published. Certainly, she was an exceptional writer, but the longevity of her book is evidence that S.E. shared a view of the world that many of us share, or shared, when we were that age.
For the adults who are enthusiastically attending tonight; it seems that as we age, our struggle to find and accept who we are evolves rather than resolves. When the teenagers in our lives seem impossibly remote, at least we can find that in common.
Thank you for being a part of our The Outsiders journey. Enjoy the show!
--Arika Beals
