Director's Notes
As my twenty third year of teaching draws to a close I find myself looking back at my teaching career and the highlights that lay in the wake. My involvement in this production stands out as one of these highlights. I have to say that in my younger years I never would have seen this as an avenue that my teaching career would have taken. Nonetheless, I am thrilled that life has pushed me in this direction. I am blessed to serve a community that is so supportive, caring, and one that appreciates the world of Fine Arts. When Mr. O'Connor approached me a few years back and asked if I would ever be interested in putting together such a production as this I was very excited. I knew that he was a purveyor of the arts and his leadership in that avenue would help our community continue to blossom in that area as well. The support given by our administration to provide the base funding for this project every year cannot go unnoticed. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to him for seeing a desire within me to promote our kiddos to a level of performance that most children and even adults may never have in their lives.
None of this would be possible without the assistance of my right hand ladies - Mrs. Marian Stukey, Ms. Alexandra Baxter, and Ms. Darby Shankle. This year it has been super amazing working with these ladies. Their talents in choreography, scene creation, and stage directing are excellent and awe inspiring. I cannot say thank you enough to all three of these very special and talented teachers, performers, and colleagues.
But...... the biggest thank you goes out to all the kids. They put in numerous hours of rehearsal during, after, and outside of school. They have taught me so much and I love each of them for their dedication to making this production a success. For those fifth graders moving on I hope they will all continue to be involved in the realm of fine arts, and for the returning students I hope to see them travel with us "Into The Woods" next year.
Bradley Bennett
Choreographer's Notes
I have enjoyed being a part of this program for 3 years and I look forward to more! A musical production is a lot of hard work and I am so proud of all the boys and girls for putting in the time and effort to do their best and make it a success. I know we run into our “not so fun” moments but it’s all for the best and it definitely pays off. Thank you! I also want to thank parents for all your support and help from practicing lines to costumes and production props. We definitely couldn’t do it without you. In addition, thank you Mr. Bennett, Ms. Baxter, and Ms. Shankle. I have enjoyed working with you and sharing this experience with a such a great group of people. It’s amazing to see the end product and also the excitement from our audiences anticipating the big show. Thank you for the blessed memories!
Marian Stukey
