Wow, we finally made it. I am truthfully beside myself with joy that we are able to welcome you all back into our theatre to share this time honored musical with you. I could have never imagined 3 years ago when we performed our Musical Revue that we wouldn’t be performing a musical again in this space until 2022. This year we have been slowly opening back up, starting with our Fall Play, The Brothers’ Grimm Spectaculathon where we welcomed our Parker bubble as audience members, to our Winter showcase when parents of performers were allowed to attend, and now being open to the public as a whole again. I can say with confidence that we missed you dearly. Welcome back.
The journey to this year’s musical hasn’t been all raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. At the beginning of this year, while planning this show, we had no idea what the world would look like come May. This made choosing a musical difficult, mostly because obtaining rights to be able to stream was challenging. The Sound of Music was in fact the fourth show we applied for rights to. But it is funny how these things work out; now I can’t imagine a more perfect show to re-open this theatre to our community.
The Sound of Music first premiered in 1959 on Broadway and was based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp. Our very own Parker School Theatre was built by members of the military between 1943 and 1959. This building and this show came to life alongside each other. And now, they are coming together once again to bring the magic of live theatre back to our community.
Our group of actors and backstage crew have worked so hard to make this a reality. We have several students ready to step on as understudies should they need. We have been making backup plans for backup plans. The one thing Ms. Duggan and I have known for sure is that we will, without a doubt, be putting on this musical, in this theatre, with you all here. Determination and grit have always been necessary attributes of those who participate in theatre. These past few years, more than ever, we have made use of those attributes. The students going through our program now will have a whole new appreciation for the joy and thrill of live theatre. Thank you for coming back to our hallowed space, thank you for all of your support always, and please enjoy the LIVE show.
All My Aloha
Sara Jane Lilley
The Sound of Music is one of my all-time favorite musicals. Hearing the beautiful songs sung by the hopeful, young voices of our Parker students has brought me to tears on several occasions and has reminded me of why I teach performing arts. As a young performer, I found belonging and purpose in the theater, and it is so gratifying to see our Sound of Music cast pull together as a family and support each other on the stage and off. It means so much to me to be a part of the Parker ohana and to share my love of musical theater with our young performers.
Candie Duggan
