My name is Katie Murray. I'm the director of the Little Tigers Theatre organization.
Our production of Schoolhouse Rock Live! JR. is being directed and musically directed by two elementary teachers. It's honestly been our own little Cinderella story of sorts. I brought this idea to our school leadership team, and our staff gave us their full support. Our students actually raised the funds to produce this show! We are excited to show the students of West Chapmanville Grade what their hard earned money went to. Our students, cast members or not, will hopefully feel pride in what our school came together to create. We are grateful to MTI for offering show kits that make it possible for organizations with small budgets to produce high quality shows.
I have been around theatre for about ten years. Surprisingly, I've never taken the stage myself. My older sister and I were always attached at the hip. She fell in love with theatre, and I followed along. The stage was never my home, like it was hers. I found a home backstage. In support of her theatrical endeavors, I became the best quick change assistant, props mistress, stage manager, set crew member, etc. You name it in the technical world of theatre-I've done it. So, I guess you could say that I eventually fell in love with theatre, but I think I fell in love with how much my sister enjoyed doing it first.
I actually have two reasons for deciding to direct this show. My sister, as I mentioned in the first question, was my best friend and extremely passionate about theatre. She passed away close to two years ago. Being involved in local theatre productions has helped me to feel close to her, and I know that if she had this opportunity, she would've definitely thought of this idea first. I also wanted to introduce theatre to our young students. The majority of our cast members have never done anything like this. I can honestly say that a lot of them have found their home on the stage. They have fallen in love with theatre and are proud to see their hard work coming to life. It's taught our cast members, ages 3-10, that theatre requires discipline and commitment. Theatre inspires people. That's what we wanted to do with this production.
During this process, I've reached out to so many people that I've worked for in the past as a stage crew member. I've always looked up to the directors, musical directors, technical directors, and props masters that I've worked for. I've learned anything that I know from them. This show has definitely been a team effort. I'm forever grateful to those that have given me advice or support.
– Katie Murray, Little Tigers Theatre, West Chapmanville Grade School, Chapmanville, WV