A Note from the Director...
Every year the HHS Drama Club says goodbye to our most experienced actors and everyone wonders how the following year could possibly “replace” those that have graduated. Somehow we do just that. While the absence of those loved and respected is omnipresent, doors open for those still here. Some that walk through that open door were always in the entryway and some have dared to walk through for the first time, surprising us all. This year is no exception as you see both familiar and new faces gracing the stage in this production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
I’ve been a fan of Drood since the original production in 1986. (Heck, somewhere I even have the original Broadway recording on vinyl.) As soon as I heard a revival was being planned, I wondered if it was something we could mount here on our own stage. This was months before we even began auditions for last year’s Legally Blonde. Hesitant, I twice saw the revival, with that very possibility looming in my mind. I was lucky enough to sit in the front row one of those times and become entirely enveloped in the show, and become a part of it as well, which is part of its design.
I fell in love with the idea of bringing so many different experiences to the students of the drama club that come with producing Drood: audience interaction, the bawdiness of the English music hall, melodramatic characterization, a show within a show, the uncertainty of ending and that ending being in the hands of you, the audience. Could we handle it? Were these the right actors for this show? Would we be able to capture the necessary design elements? I hope the answers to those questions are as evident to you, as they were to me some 18 months ago.
I would be remiss not to thank the so many people that work alongside of me making Drood the success that it is: to Mr. Michael Doherty, my rock that wears more hats than you could possibly imagine; to my long time partner in musical crime, Mrs. Derelyn Kahler, to Mrs. Maureen Fish, for her choreography and always available sounding board; to Ms. Phaedre Sassano for her outstanding work with our pit band; to Mr. Brian Cincotta for adding his special touches to the pit and to Mr. Brian Faherty for his expertise in building. This year, we welcome new faculty into the fold, Ms. Alycia Campbell (choreography) and Mr. Jon Abrams (music). I also take a moment to thank all the parents that work so diligently in our Parents for Drama organization, but particularly President Sue Pett whose time, energy, and focus seems endless. A shout out, too, to Ms. Kathy Lincoln for her work with costumes, particularly all the actors’ spats. Thanks too, to all of the students and their parents, for believing in what the drama club stands for, and for going where I lead you. Lastly, I want to thank principal, Paula Girourd McCann, for her undying support of the drama program here at HHS.
Anita Levy-Sisk
