Good Evening and welcome to Spotswood High School, host of the Virginia All-State Performance of A Chorus Line Teen Edition. This production involves over 30 students from over 15 High Schools in the State of Virginia. Additionally, dozens of families and members of the community who have helped to make this production possible and whom we are extremely grateful for. We are so thrilled to be previewing this show for you this weekend and will continue on to perform on the mainstage in January at the 2025 Virginia Thespian Festival.
A Chorus Line has so beautifully and so imperceptibly become one of my absolute favorite musicals. It not only includes some of the most memorable musical theatre numbers, both in music and choreography, and so beautifully showcases the most vulnerable moments we as artists face in moments of adversity or struggle, whether in achieving breakthroughs, auditions or in life every theatre maker has felt the passion, emotion and drive you will see here today. The show reminds us all that we are capable of showing compassion and understanding through empathy in this art form, simply by sharing our story, sharing our art, by simply existing.
We keep the memories of our art alive by continuing to tell their stories, the pain and the prosperous parts, the ups and the downs no matter how hard, we tell the stories and in turn, we keep our art alive. This musical allows the audience to transport to a place most may have never seen before, an audition room. A place where magic, beauty, and joy come to life, and equally, a place where devastation, heartbreak, and sadness lives.
I continue to feel extremely fortunate to be teaching high school theatre full-time in Virginia. I am incredibly grateful for the support of our amazing executive director Addie Schafer-Benko, and my fearless team Mr. Dively and Ms. Emmanuel, and even more for the incredible community and parents who understand and cherish the importance of the work these students are doing.
Justine Mackey
A Chorus Line Teen Edition Director
