30th Season; 66th Production
Welcome to Mamma Mia!—a celebration of love, choice, memory, and the stories that shape who we become.
This production holds special meaning for Urbana High School, as it commemorates our 30th Anniversary . For three decades, this program has been a home for inspriring storytellers, students who dare to step into the light, take creative risks, and trust one another in the act of making theatre. Tonight’s performance stands on the shoulders of that history. I am honored to have been a part of this program for the past 19 years and the director for the last ten.
Over the past thirty years, Urbana stages have transformed into classrooms and kitchens, towns and dreams. We’ve told stories filled with wonder and wit in Matilda, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Guys and Dolls. We’ve danced and sang our hearts out in Newsies, Grease, and Little Shop of Horrors. We’ve embraced precision comedy in The Play That Goes Wrong and Noises Off, and we’ve taken on challenging, vital truths in The Laramie Project, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Our Town. Each production, whether joyful, chaotic, heartbreaking, or hopeful, has left its mark on this department and the students who passed through it and left a lasting legacy.
Mamma Mia! feels like the perfect way to honor that legacy. At its heart, this musical is about generations colliding, paths crossing, and young people standing at the edge of adulthood, exactly where many of my students find themselves now. It’s a story that embraces joy while acknowledging uncertainty, reminding us that the answers we seek don’t always come neatly packaged.
Set on a Greek island, our production intentionally looks back to the origins of theatre itself, which began in Ancient Greece as a communal ritual at a Festival in the City of Dionoysus, the Greek God of Theater and Wine where stories were shared to explore fate, identity, and the human experience. To reflect that tradition, we’ve incorporated elements of Greek mythology, most notably through the presence of The Fates. In ancient myth, the Fates spin, measure, and cut the threads of human lives. In our telling, they serve as ever-present omni-present guides - sometimes playful, sometimes ominous, but nevertheless, they quietly shape the world of the play while reminding us that destiny and free will are forever intertwined.
Sophie’s journey to uncover her past, Donna’s reckoning with the life she’s built, and the community that surrounds them echo the very purpose of theatre: to ask questions, to reflect, and to connect. Like our students, these characters stand between who they were and who they are becoming, learning that clarity often comes not from answers, but from experience.
This production is not just a musical—it is a celebration of 30 years of Urbana High School theatre. Thirty years of late rehearsals, quick changes, opening-night nerves, laughter backstage, and moments of magic that exist only because students and educators believed in the power of storytelling. Thank you to Stephanie Weigelt and Mary Lennon for the traditions you established, your friendship, and for trusting me to carry it on.
To the audience, Thank you for being part of this milestone. Whether you’ve been with us for decades or this is your first show, we’re honored to share this moment with you. Welcome to our island where the music is timeless, the stories are shared, and the threads of fate bring us together once more.
To Tina Bruley, Marlon Moran, and Kiara Lu - thank you for the tireless efforts and contributions you have given to this production. You have created something magical.
To the Drama Boosters - thank you for being there for me, your students, and the students of UHS Drama - no matter what, the energy you have put in to make this a successful program for students - to help fill in the gaps where I may lack - the students are lucky to have you.
To Christopher McGuire - for the past five years, you have been my right hand man. I have put my program and productions into your capable hands. The artistic vision you truly have is unmatched. It has been my honor to work with you and watch you turn into something special. You have challenged me and you have inspired me. I'm a better director for knowing you. The amount of times I heard "Ward, I got this" "Ward, I'll take care of it." Any student that has graced this stage while you have been apart of it has looked better for your efforts. I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart. And I look forward to working with you again - you truly are one of the most creative individuals I have ever worked with.
This show is dedicated to every single alumni who has taken part in a production here to help make UHS Drama truly what it is. You have left a legacy.
Enjoy the show!
- Stephen Ward
Be Safe. Be Well. Be Phenomenal
Page 9 of 9
