Director's Notes:
I hope you enjoy this play. I was introduced to it about 10 years ago at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino. The production was quite sweet, magical and mysterious, and I wanted to have my chance to direct it one day. When Advanced Drama Class chose it as their selection for this year's play, I was pretty excited. When I received the scripts for this production and read the introduction, I was even more excited.
In the introduction, the playwright, John Carliani, takes the time to thoroughly describe what the people (characters) in this play are all about. These descriptions helped our actors and production staff understand where we are set (upstate Maine), when (as modern as today), who the characters are and what they are dealing with. I took the time to read a few of these passages to each cast member, even though I knew they had already read and diligently studied every page of the script by the time they arrived at their first rehearsal (wink wink). These people (the characters) are from Maine. They are not Canadian (no accents). They are not Southern (still no accents). They are not Lobstermen (no lobsters). They are not Urban. They are Rural people dealing with life's troubles. These people are struggling with all types of issues that only sometimes come up within the 10 minutes we get to see them. The cold weather is not a big factor in their lives. They just dress warmly. They are people who want love and to be loved. There is so much hope. There are so few lobsters.
I feel that almost everyone can connect with at least one person in this play. I challenge you to find that person you connect with or see yourself in and tell me about it after the show, or at intermission (if you can find me). I hope this show is magical and strikes something in yourself to realize that you have loads of worth and deserve so much happiness and love. No matter what we are going through, we can always hope for a better tomorrow.
Enjoy the show,
Ben Brotzman
Special Thanks
Saratoga Theatre Arts Booster Organization and all the dedicated Parent Volunteers, Jenni Yoshida, Greg Louie and all SHS Administrators, LGSUHSD District Administrators, Alison Montgomery, Anna Ybarra, Chris Arns, Chrissie Schwanhausser, Brittnie and Iris Brotzman, SHS Maintenance and Custodial Staff.
