In 2006, Pete and I took our daughter Ashley and her friend to England for a trip of a lifetime. We took them all over London, and especially to shows in the West End. One night we didn’t have anything planned, so we looked in the paper and saw this show we had never heard of, called We Will Rock You. It was written by the remaining members of Queen and Ben Elton.
Being a huge Queen fan, I was intrigued and so we went. It was the best time of our trip! After that, I knew that I truly wanted to direct WWRY! Unfortunately, I had to wait almost 20 years for it to be available.
Years later, I used to talk to one of my Drama students about WWRY. He was a shy, long-haired kid who loved rock music and had a ton of talent named Tony. We agreed that if I ever got to do WWRY, he would be on that stage for me. And he is. His hair is shorter, he’s gotten over his shyness, but he’s just as talented, and he is my theater son. We finally made it, Tony Toler! Thank you for hanging in and waiting for WWRY with me, my Galileo!
I am also thankful that I get to direct Mattie Bond in her first main stage lead role at HLT. She is not only incredibly talented –my Scaramouche can sing the you-know-what out of this music! – but she is such a team player! She is always ready to jump in and help in any way needed! She even choreographed some of the numbers in the show! HLT is lucky to have her, and we will miss her when she heads off to continue her education in theater in the fall.
I am also grateful for our other players: Emily Angell, Aslan Smith, and Erik Copper all bring such heart and soul to their parts! I am also truly thrilled to welcome Libby Brewer to our stage as our magnificent Killer Queen! Libby is not only a true rocker (No, really! She is in a real rock band!), she is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet, which makes her a great actress, considering her part in the play! And what can I say about this ensemble? This bunch is just about the most talented bunch of people I ever worked with. Thank you all for all your hard work, both on and off stage.
I also need to thank my crew. My daughter Casey Colletti and her fiancé Dane, her crew; Sam and Katie in the sound booth; Thor, Bob, and Val on lights; Niki on projection; and everyone who helped create our futuristic wasteland. I must single out Kathy Helmer and Carole Courtney for the costumes for our Gaga Teens, Killer Queen, and other futuristic citizens. They put in many, many hours of work creating these costumes and thus our world. I also want to thank my
assistant director Brandy Bond, who helped keep everything on track (turns out she’s really good at herding kittens!). And thanks to Dan Epley and Dan McPhail for your help with props, especially the “Hair-Lee! You guys are the best!
Mostly, I need to thank my husband, Pete. He is doing so much for this show: playing Buddy, overseeing set construction, and being my Tech Director. This show truly would not have made it on the stage without him. He is so my “Guitar Hero!” Thank you for all your blood (literally), sweat (also literally), and talent, honey!
Finally, thanks to you, our audience! Without you, we have no reason to put this show on the stage. I hope you love Queen and Freddy Mercury as much as our cast and crew do, and we hope you feel free to join in and sing along! This is an interactive show! Have fun!
After this show is over, Pete and I have decided we want to move our lives in some new directions. If you want to know what’s up, feel free to ask us. Love you all! ROCK ON!!!
