Director's Note
When people hear that famous phrase "Grease is the word," many recall the 1978 movie Grease starring John Travolta and the late Oliva Newton-John. But the movie was based off of the msucial stage play by the same name, which made its successful debut in 1971. In fact, before being casted in the movie as Danny Zuko, John Travolta had performed as the character Doody on the national tour and on the Broadway run of the musical. While the musical has been adapted and changed over the years for various audiences, including the school version which we perform for you tonight, the fact remains: The story of Grease has continually captivated audiences and left an impression on millions.
The story of young people in high school trying to discover who they are and what their relationship is with the world around them is a timeless story. While we may have read Shakespeare in high school and read about dramatic betrayl, romance, friendship, and drama, we connect more closely with these themes when we see them expressed through the ordinary life of a high school student.
But why the above histroy lesson in the first paragraph? When you heard we were performing Grease, you most likely thought about the movie. But without the musical written for and performed in a theatre, there would be no movie. Without John Travolta traveling on the stage and performing as a side character, he would not have been able to study the character of Danny Zuko as played by a variety of actors and thus successfully audtition for his famous role in the movie.
Theatre has a unique ability to bring people together and bring to life simple words on a page. No two performances are the same and no two actors have the same portrayl of the same character. When we watch the same movie over and over, we know what to expect. We don't know what to expect with theatre, and in some ways that makes it more human. This is the excitement of theatre, and the valuable skills learned by the cast and crew translate across disciplines and accross professions.
It has been an absolute joy and honor to work with the cast, crew, marketing team, production team, creative team, and directorial staff who all made this show come together. It never ceases to amaze me how a community comes together and forms around a show and how while we all see the same show, none of us experience it in the same way.
I would like to personally thank all of the cast, crew, parents, teachers and staff members, and volunteers who have all come together to make this performance a possibility. They did amazing things in a short amount of time and have all left their mark on the histroy of the stage. I am proud of each and every one of them, the students most especially.
Enjoy the show, and thank you for your support of the Theatrical arts!
Tom Baker
Director
