Welcome to the first show of our 2017/18 season. This is also the first Fall production I have had the pleasure to direct and produce in Plummer Auditorium. What you are about to see tonight is a show that was created through the collaborative process of the entire company and creative team. We are all cast members in this production because our ideas, skills, interests and hardwork have been used in this collaboration. This also marks the creation of the FUHS Theatre Collaborative; a group dedicated to creating new theatre and enhancing scripted theatre through collaborative and devised techniques.
Students at FUHS are no strangers to the devising process. The International Baccalaureate theatre class focuses on devised and collaborative theatre. In my theatre classes we discuss the difference between imitation, influence, and inspiration. As performers and producers of live theatre it is our mission to have our work live in the spectrum between influence and inspiration. As a company we are inspired by the work of the National Theatre of London who produced The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time and War Horse, Lookingglass Theatre Company of Chicago who produced Moby Dick and Kneehigh Theatre Company's Tristen and Yseult. These works of theatre demonstrate the power of teamwork in storytelling and have helped us set the framework for what you will see tonight.
This production is about time. Thomas Hardy, English novelist and poet, once stated "time changes everything except something within us which is always surprised by change." When I think of fairytales I am constantly reminded about time being part of the journey. The rose wilting, the clock striking midnight and being silent for seven years are all ways time is constantly moving. One day we go to bed as children and the next moment we are adults. Marcel Proust in his novel Remembrance of Things Past (French: A la recherce du temps perdu or In Search of Lost Time) states that, "We do not receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us" stressing that the "destination is no longer a place, rather a new way of seeing." We hope the journey you are presented tonight helps you to see the world in a different way.
Thank you to the California Educational Theatre association for the opportunity to perfrom on the mainstage. We are humbled by this opportunity and we look forward to sharing the stage with so many talented performers and schools.
I would like to personally thank the following people for the energy and time they put into a FUHS production. Genni Klein for being a wonderful creative partner and friend. Beverly Shirk for your creative ideas that inspire me always and for your ability to make adjustments to accomodate my crazy ideas. Emma Kremer for your tireless passionate work and leadership. David Wenderlich and Anthony Lange for all of your time, energy and care. Joefferry Wenderlich for working on the set design with me over the summer. Samantha Brackman and Breanna Love for leading this whole team. Michael Laverde for your creative spark and passion. Mykaela Sterris who is someone I know I can always count on. David Renken for your love and support. Finally the Secret in the Wings Company (Cast and Crew) for the pleasure I have had collaborating with you on this project.
Michael Despars
Artistic Director, FUHS Theatre Collaborative
Department Chair, Fullerton Union High School Academy of the Arts
2017 Site, District and Semi-Finalist for County Teacher of the Year
President-Elect, California Educational Theatre Association
