Dear Avalon Family,
Times Flies! I cannot believe it is already the Friday Knight Live 2023 (officially 10 years since our VERY first one!)
Friday Knight Live was born in the Fall of 2013 with the help of a handful of current juniors and seniors with a passion for playwriting and directing. It was roughly based off of Director's Fest at JMU, and built through the years with ideas and dreams. Seniors typically begin scheming their shows during freshmen year, and it has always served as a special rite of passage for our graduating students during their senior year. I am always amazed at the ideas and designs that come out of their brains and this year is no exception.
As always, there is an army of people to thank for helping get this production where it is now. Thank you to my amazing Assistant Director/Artistic Director, Sarah Anderson who helped mentor these awesome directors through the process. Thank you to the many theatre teachers and programs who advocated for many years to have funding for Theatre staff and the School Board for choosing to make it a reality. For most of my years at Champe, it was me, doing the jobs of 12 people and managing sometimes over 100 kids. Having a staff this year has changed my life and the lives of my kids in ways too numerous to count. Thank you to my Theatre Boosters. Thank you to our Fine Arts Team and all their work helping make realities happen for kids in our programs. Thank you to our admin team for allowing us to do theatre and put up with all our weird requests. Thank you to my bookkeeper (for putting all those orders in). Thank you to our fine arts admin for continuing to push for us behind the scenes. Thanks to my awesome husband. I can't believe you decided to be the official Theatre "Dad" even when they attack you anytime you set foot on campus. Thank you to our patrons for their financial support and finally, thank you to you. Without an audience, there is no show. Thanks for coming back and filling seats.
Sincerely,
Nicki Shepherd, Lead Director
