From the Director
Terry Pratchett is one of my favorite authors. His Discworld books frequently parody J.R.R. Tolkien, H.P. Lovecraft, William Shakespeare, and in this case, Gaston Leroux and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The first play I directed at BHS was Pratchett’s Wyrd Sisters, where we were introduced to three witches: Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick. We meet Granny and Nanny again in Maskerade, however, Magrat is off Queening in Lancre and is no longer part of their coven. They are thinking about adding Agnes Nitt as a third witch, but she has run off to the Ankh-Morpork Opera Company to pursue a career as a singer, and has also assumed the stage name of Perdita X. Nitt.
Another reason for choosing this play is that I was able to cast 21 actors. My cast, stage managers and I have had a lot of fun creating these Discworld characters during rehearsals–it was so fun watching them evolve over the past several weeks. My crews are an integral part of any production–they work diligently behind the scenes to ensure that everything goes smoothly on-stage. If you know someone in the crew, ask them about their responsibilities during the show – you will be impressed! Once the show opens, I rely on Aliye Serefiddin, (Stage Manager), Georgia Birchall & Eric Yarmolinsky (Assistant Stage Managers) to call the cues and make sure the show runs smoothly. They are an amazing team and I literally could not do this without them!
Creating theater is all about collaboration and I have a wonderful creative team who I am fortunate to also call friends: Ron Ho (Technical Director), Mark Eggleston (Scenic Designer), Brandy Fleming (Costume Designer), Lindsey Ainsworth (Props) and Christina Sullivan (Drama Booster President and volunteer coordinator). I am so grateful for all of the work each one puts in to make every production a success. I truly appreciate that they keep coming back year after year–they are an integral part of BHS Theater!
Finally, a big thank you to all of the BHS Drama Boosters! From coordinating poster canvassing, helping with building, painting, tickets, ad sales, concessions, fundraising and so much more, their constant support is crucial to the success of our program. I am so fortunate to be part of this wonderful theatre community.
Enjoy the show!
Cindy Skelton
