Director’s Note:I was in love with Bright Star from the first time I listened to it. I felt then and I feel now that it is an unheralded gem of musical theater. When we first started the rehearsal process for Bright Star it was February of 2020. We had to push rehearsal back for a couple weeks while the world shut down. A couple of weeks turned into a couple of years, and I had turned my back on directing this show. There were other projects, other responsibilities and I wanted a break. This show has a way of taking hold of you and never letting go. So here we are 3 years after Bright Star was supposed to grace the stage of the Barnstormers Theater. The show means something different to me now than it did back in 2020, but my passion for it burns as intensely now as it did then. I’m fiercely proud of this production, of this cast, of this staff. I’m thankful that I have been able to work on this project from Day 1 with Meghan and Theresa. To feel the excitement from that first rehearsal and to know what we had was special. To take it from notes and words in a script to what it is today. At the same time, I’m jealous. I wish I was sitting where you are. I wish I could see it with fresh eyes. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did creating it.
