Director's Note
“Somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world.”
When I first watched the movie Matilda, my daughter Madison was around 6 years old. She fell in love. We watched it over and over again. She could not get enough. Last summer when I had the chance to take her to see Matilda the musical, I jumped on it. I thought she would love it. Boy, was I wrong. She cried and she made me swear that I would never direct this show. When I talked to her about why she felt this way, she expressed the following: “Everyone is so mean to Matilda. She is so kind and they are all awful. Trunchbull is terrible. She is a big bully to everyone.” So far, I agreed with her, but how do you explain to a kid that there is a lesson in all of this?
So here we are now. I am directing the show. She came to a few rehearsals and was intrigued. I think I convinced her that through musicals we can learn lessons and walk away with a better sense of self. She seems on board now. I guess we will see this weekend!
The truth is, growing up can be hard. When you are little, everything seems like a struggle. People do not listen to you, everyone bosses you around, no one thinks you know enough or are experienced enough. It can be distressing and disheartening. But you learn. You learn to stand up for yourself. You learn to be a good person. You learn the right things to say.
I think there is a Matilda in all of us. Someone who knows what's right and who wants to scream it from the rooftops. But sometimes, we are stifled. Stifled by family. Stifled by friends. Stifled by co-workers and bosses. We know what is right and we want to make it right, but we feel…trapped. We feel lost. We feel like we are not being heard. And that can be hard.
I hope through this show, we all take away a little piece of bravery. A little thought that by using our voices and by standing up for what is right, against those bullies, we too can make a difference. There may be a mountain ahead of us, but we can climb it and we can get to the other side. We just have to believe in ourselves.
Carolyn Little
Director
