playbill vip

Director's Note

Good evening and thank you for attending tonight’s performance of Big Fish. It sounds crazy after having been immersed in this production for so long now, but a year ago I hadn’t even heard a single song from this show. After the positive audience reactions to Mamma Mia, Brandyn, Resa, Chrissy and I talked nervously about what the future would hold for the Stage Crew and the Drama Club. It seemed like an impossible show to follow. Finishing a production with Waterloo, a disco ball, lasers, sequined shirts, platform boots, and confetti cannons seems to set up the following year as a letdown. And then we found Big Fish.

Big Fish might not have quite the same disco pop that we left off with last year, but its emotional grasp has been something that seems to have grounded all of us and brought both clubs together in trying to do as much justice as possible to the material. We just fell in love with this show. More than any production I can remember here in Palmerton, the discussions between directors and cast/crew focused on the life experiences and emotions that our characters were going through and feeling. And, even though the show takes us to the circus, has fish jumping over our heads, sees us shoot our lead actor from a cannon, and lets us walk amongst giants, it somehow never seems to lose touch with reality. The interactions between Will, Edward, Sandra, and Jospehine are as real as they come. The discussions that we have had in putting this show together have taught us quite a bit about the importance of storytelling, the value of relationships, and the power of theater. I wasn’t sure if the students would buy into this crazy story, but they never missed a beat. I can’t thank them enough for putting their heart and soul into this production.

We have come a long way over these last ten years. I often find myself taking a moment at the start or end of a rehearsal to look over the posters that now hang on the auditorium walls. When I do, I start to see the faces of all of the students who made each of those shows possible. I am overwhelmed to think back on all of the time and effort that our students have dedicated to this stage. Palmerton has become a place where students have put their tremendous talents on display for us show after show and year after year. I hope that they (and Brandyn and Resa and Chrissy) all know just how fortunate I feel to have been given the opportunity to work with them these past ten years. It has been a tremendous experience watching them build from one year to the next. Each year’s cast and crew have become an integral part of what these two clubs are today and I cannot wait to see what comes next.

Until next year...