A note from our Co-Directors, Mr. Ethan Schrodt & Mrs. Kate Francis-Schrodt:
We are so incredibly thrilled to have been able to bring back live musical theater this year at Alden High School! Making our first directorial debut at Alden last year during COVID presented many challenges- and this year was no different. From both of us getting COVID the week before the show, to taking turns at rehearsals as we have both a three year old and three month old at home, this show was not without its challenges in many different ways. From the beginning, we told the students that this show would test their strengths. It’s an incredibly tough show musically, and there are (roughly) a million songs. If we were going to pull it off, we needed all hands on deck. And our amazing kids at Alden did just that. (Are we biased? I don’t think we’re biased…). As we’ve worked in other schools in the past, it always amazes us how independent and mature the students at Alden are. It’s not often that you can say a student designed, decorated and painted the set himself (Mason Brody), designed the lighting (Matt Sugg), managed backstage (Lawson Ribbeck) and handled the sound (Josh Baesen). We are so proud of the fact that our sets are built by our students, not just adults. And what’s more, some of the movement, props, blocking, and most of the costumes you’ll see on stage tonight were completely done by the student actors themselves. That being said, we’re very thankful for the handful of incredible adults that we could not have done this show without. And what better way than to thank them with puns from the show? To Bill Larabee, "Thank you for the Music"- not to mention all of the additional help you provided during the musical! Annlouise and Gillian-your costume expertise and long hours in the costume room made you both true "Super Troopers". Chris, "We Had a Dream" for what we wanted for Mamma Mia! visually, and thanks to your guidance and expertise on the tech end of things, you were able to bring those dreams to life. We’re still not sure how she always manages to do it, but every time we need anything done, Nancy Matthewson would answer our "S.O.S."- thank you! And last but certainly not least, there literally would not be a show without Julia Wallace- not only did she turn all of these kids into true "Dancing Queens", but she put so many hours into making sure they sounded spectacular as well, not to mention helping both of us with the many directorial decisions, planning and figuring out everything else that would have "Slipped Through our Fingers", had we not had her to help us. And now, we ask you to sit back, relax (and maybe dust off your Go-Go boots and bell bottoms) and enjoy Mamma Mia!
