I fell in love with theatre at a young age when my dad took me to see "Lend Me A Tenor" at the Papermill Playhouse. I never had so much fun in my life. I love how musicals bring all artistic pursuits together into one final collaborative product the kids will remember forever. Advice that has helped me as a director is “take everything one step at a time. And everywhere you are is where you are supposed to be.”
I don’t have a specific MTI title to recommend for a new director as every junior title I have directed has been a hit. (Fame JR., Legally Blonde JR., Xanadu JR.) I love that the backing tracks are high quality and the student scripts are durable enough to last through all the rehearsals. The show-kit really is a musical in a box. I feel like a little kid on Christmas when the box arrives! I flipped the cafetorium to accommodate the Xanadu "roller disco" feel so a majority of the play was acted in the house. The audience was in the round set up in quadrants and the bulk of the performance took place in the center of the house while the skaters traveled around the audience. Only 3 scenes utilized the proscenium; the Andrews sisters half of "Dancin’", Danny's office, and Mt. Olympus. My students learned how to act in the round and I was able to accommodate a large company of 76 students. Plus we sold finger lights as a fundraiser to the crowd so the audience was in the show!
– Courtney Brooke Hess, Watson B. Duncan Middle School Drama Academy, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
