A note from the Director:
Wow! It is so wonderful to be back in the Blue Box Theater with these amazing students. Their growth and exhuberance has made coming back even sweeter. I think that we are all tired of hearing "It's been a tough couple of years", but it is really hard not to say that! It HAS been a tough couple of years, especially for performing artists. We came back to a group of students who have been missing the stage and a large number who had never been on a stage in this way. The production team came in feeling rusty and trying to get our muscle memory back after such a long time off. We all felt a bit "In the Woods". I know, I know. "Shocking! A director who is using the metaphor of their show to express life." But it is really hard not to do that with this show! It encapsulates the nerves, the hope, the fear and, most of all, the resilience that humans have. When given a common goal we fight for a way to get through the tough times. That fight might look really different for every single person. We are certain to look at others and blame them when things go wrong since we cannot see our way through the darkness of the woods in that moment. We also encounter obstacles; people and things that seek to stop our progress and feed our fear of failure. But, in the end, we come out of the woods. We find the way. We may be a bit scruffy and tired. We may carry the experience of that dark time with us for a long time, but we DO come through. We may not all find our happily ever after, but with the people we love, we do find the light. My hope for all of you is that during this show, you will see the light in the eyes of these young performers. They did it. They came through the woods and they are showing you what it looks like to thrive through some of the hardest years that any of us have ever known. They are the hope. They are the happily ever after for all of us. What they carry inside of them is enough to give us what we need to continue on.
Kristin Van Sickle
