playbill vip

Director's Note    

     The first time I directed Once Upon a Mattress was twenty years ago.  It was my first solo attempt at directing a musical at TF South so I chose one of my absolute favorites. Here is an excerpt from that first program:

     Being a good storyteller is vital to being a good actor. This musical is very good training for this since it was written to be the entertainment at a summer camp in the Poconos.  Mary Rodgers, Marshall Barer, and Richard Thompson created a little one-act skit that would suit the camp staff’s abilities and personalities…The hen-pecked husband, domineering wife, timid mama’s boy, brash, lovable tomboy, damsel in distress and self-absorbed knight in shining armor are only a few of the hilarious characters in this show who might remind you of a few people you know.

     I then told our own fairy tale, complete with references to the craziness going on in our “kingdom” at the time.  I think I’ll do it again, but with some adaptations to the story.

Once upon a time there lived a drama director, a choreographer, a music director, two tech directors, a pit director, and whole bunch of talented actors, singers, dancers, musicians, and technicians.  They all worked very hard, surviving the usual trials and tribulations of the time, and were able to create a wonderful couple of hours of theatre for their loyal subjects. And they all lived happily ever after.

                Enjoy the show!

                AW