A Note From The Director
Thank you for coming to see Talents FXBG's production of Moana JR! I am so glad you took the time today to come and support this fantastic cast.
It has been an honor to work alongside this incredible group of families as we prepared for Moana Jr. Having the opportunity to work with this humble, hardworking, cooperative, kind, and enthusiastic cast of youth is the greatest joy.
As you watch today, you may notice there are many songs sang in Samoan and Tokelauan. The cast were led in this by our music director who is also a student herself, Gianna DeFazio. Gianna not only put together beautiful singing ensembles but also coached them through in learning the new languages as was needed for the songs in this show. It has been remarkable to watch the students grow under Gianna's direction into the strong vocal ensembles you will get to see in Moana Jr!
Taking nearly every step together with directing this play, Maria Coleman has taken on every element of this show with such thoughtfulness and care. Directing with Maria has been a privilege and I am so grateful for all that she gives to our group.
This year, Alexandra Tugman served as our student director and she directed the entire scene for when Gramma Tala returns. Alex's insightful suggestions have been the catalyst for much of what you see here today. I am very grateful for our many discussions about how to achieve our vision for Moana Jr.
I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the families of Talents FXBG. I have had the best time this season working on set, props, costumes, makeup, hair, tech, backstage with nearly every family in our group! I promise to always appreciate those palm leaves! I am humbled by your dedication, love, and hard work poured into our cast and production.
Speaking of Talents FXBG families, I happen to have one that does it all. To my daughter Ella, thank you for always being willing to practice new choreography ideas with me, try on costumes of every shape and size, always asking what you can help me with, and for cleaning your room so we could have tech days at our house. To my daughter Chloe, thank you for being patient, wise, and helpful as we prepared for Moana Jr. I will always treasure our late nights making set pieces while chatting by the tadpole tank. To my wonderful husband John, just an ordinary demi-Dad, thank you for all of your support, listening to me go on for 20 minutes at a time about how much I adore our cast, talking me through ideas, building set pieces, and running the lights for our show! You do it all and this production has been so fun to do with you!
Moana Jr is as much a beautiful show about self-discovery and finding your way as it is about finding happiness right where you are. That is what this cast exemplifies each week and what I hope you will find here today as you watch our production of Moana Jr!
Sincerely,
Lisa Dunnivan
Director
