Directors Note
When I first stepped into our very own island of Kalokairi for Mamma Mia!, it didn’t feel like a fictional place to me. It felt like home.
I’m Greek, and in the summers I spend time in Greece surrounded by the things that make that place so special — music drifting through open windows, long dinners filled with laughter, the sound of the sea, and the feeling that life is meant to be celebrated together. When we began working on this show, I realized that directing Mamma Mia! was more than just putting on a musical. It was a chance to bring a small piece of that world back with me and share it with these students.
The spirit of this show — joy, family, resilience, and dancing through life even when things feel uncertain — is something I see reflected in the students on this stage.
The past few months have not always been easy. Like any production, we faced obstacles along the way. But what has impressed me most is the dedication of this cast and crew. Every time things got difficult, they responded with even more determination. They showed up. They worked harder. They supported each other. And slowly, piece by piece, the show you see tonight began to come to life.
That is what theater does. It gives young people a place to grow… not just as performers, but as collaborators, problem-solvers, and storytellers. It asks them to be brave, to take risks, and to trust one another. Watching these students rise to that challenge has been one of the most rewarding parts of this journey.
This production is also part of something bigger. We are building something here, a theater program that will continue to grow in the years to come. Each rehearsal, each performance, and each group of students adds another brick to that foundation. If this weekend’s production proves anything, it’s that the future of this program is full of talent, heart, and possibility.
So thank you for being here. Your support means the world to these students and to everyone who worked to bring this production to life.
I hope you enjoy this trip to Kalokairi. And we hope you’ll join us again for many more stories on this stage in the years ahead.
~Director Olivia Knapp
