Director's Note

As we began rehearsal on Friday March 13, 2020, the cast, crew, and pit students of KAHS were a mere 10 days away from opening night of Legally Blonde: The Musical. We heard the news that schools would be closed starting the following Monday, and we told the students to prepare for a possible postponement of the production. We were scheduled to run the entire show from start to finish for the very first time that afternoon, and I told the cast to perform as if it was their last chance to do so, unaware of just how true that would turn out to be. They sang their hearts out, and the run-through was profoundly emotional for everyone involved. That rehearsal will forever be one of the most memorable for me, and I hope for the students involved as well. 

We had originally planned to produce Legally Blonde this year, but as the pandemic stretched on, and streaming rights were never released for the show, it became clear that we had to find another way to share the talents of our students with the community. We considered choosing another musical from the list of those available to stream, but we knew that there would be a much greater risk not only of spreading the virus, but also of being forced to cancel the show once again due to quarantining guidelines if any one cast/crew/pit member were to fall ill. The thought of having the students prepare for weeks only to have their show cancelled yet again was simply too great a chance to take. 

The show you will watch tonight was our way of allowing our students to shine on the stage while reducing the risks as much as possible, and I couldn’t be prouder of how it turned out. We have tried to capture the look, sound and feel of live theater and bring it straight to your living room. Many of the songs you will hear tonight were chosen by the performers themselves, and you will also have the chance to hear songs from newer, modern shows that aren’t yet available for production by schools. You will also see some amazing dance performances, and laugh out loud at the comedic talents of our Emcees (who wrote most of the sketches themselves)!

A huge thank you to the entire production staff as well as all the parents and other volunteers who helped make this process a success. I hope that you are as thrilled by tonight’s performance as we were creating it for you. And who knows? Maybe this will turn out to be the first ANNUAL Kiski Cavaret! Enjoy the show!

Production Staff