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Sorry about the awful pun! To address the current situation and questions that are arising, the answer to most questions are “I’m not entirely sure.” If you are asking, “Will there be a Christmas show?” the answer is “I’m not entirely sure.” If you are asking what rehearsals will look like for the next two weeks, my answer will be “I’m not entirely sure.”. If you are going to ask “What do you have planned?”, again, my answer is “I’m not entirely sure.” These are unpredictable times, and uncontrollable circumstances. So many things are frequently changing, if you would have asked me at the beginning of April if I thought I was going to put on a Halloween show, I would have said no. If you would have asked me last week if I thought we would be doing a Christmas show, the answer is yes. But obviously, right now it’s sort of up in the air.
Despite all of the unknown things, I am sure about some things. We will be continuing to meet virtually on our scheduled dates. However, the length that we meet may be altered due to the virtual component, not longer meetings, but shorter. I am sure that these next two weeks I am going to focus more on teaching aspects of theatre, rather than teaching choreography and working on a show. All of you are extremely talented, however, I often skim over important subjects as we put together our performances. So I am excited to focus more on you guys and techniques rather than just performing and looking good on stage. I am also sure that we will still make the best of the rest of this company season. All 12 of our members are outstanding, and to just put the towel in and say we had a good run is not something I am interested in. Whether we do some sort of virtual performance, or a live one, I want to show people how amazing you guys all are!
To The Parents
The support from the parents is also something I would like to express my gratitude for. I know there were some changes, some within my hands, and some out of my hands, but I would like to thank the parents/guardians for being so supportive and patient. I don’t think many of you understand how thankful I am to be able to spend time with these 12 kids. This is what I love doing, and what I sacrifice money, time, and many other things for. These kids take priority over almost everything else, and I do my best to show them that. I couldn’t be more thankful that you have decided to share your kids with me, it means the world.
Back to the Kids
Now, back to my Apollo Members. I love all of you guys, and I am excited to continue to get to know all of you and work alongside you for the next month, whether it’s virtually or physically. I also want to congratulate all of you once again on a FANTASTIC show. I was so impressed with you guys, and I can not put into words how happy I was to see you guys succeed on stage and become more powerful performers on stage. I mentioned to you guys that I had specific things that I could say to each one of you on how I was impressed and have seen you grow, and I decided to also include a word that describes you in some way. Well here it goes:
Afton: I am very impressed on how much character you presented to me in the final week of rehearsal. There were multiple numbers where my eyes went to you because you were owning the stage, like I asked you to do. You are very devoted actress, and when you work hard, you excel on the stage. Congratulations on bringing your character to life.
A Word To Describe You: Driven
Ammon: I don’t think you understand how grateful I am that you decided to join us this season. It seems like fate knew that you were coming because the part of Victor was meant for you, and only you. The amount of personality that you put into your character was amazing from day one. You have such a bright future as an actor and I’m so privileged to work with you.
A Word To Describe You: Extraordinary
Arianna: I hope you know that you are talented. Once you get past your mental blocks I know that you can be the centerpoint of many productions and performances. The raw talent that you have makes me jealous. You certainly surprised me during the Friday night show, not because you did it, but because you did it and it blew my socks off. Great Job.
A Word To Describe You: Dazzling
Brandon: You are such a star. You are performing at the same level of the high school students. You are the reason that the age limit was lowered, and I was not disappointed. The amount of effort and conviction that you pour into your perfoming is always outstanding. I cannot wait to continue working with you, and I am certain you will continue to shine on stage.
A Word To Describe You: Prodigious
Emily: You already know that you are an outstanding performer, we all know that you are an outstanding performer. With your jaw dropping performances and the confidence you have on stage, you easily make me envy your talent. Although the part was not originally written for you, apparently it was always meant for you from the beginning.
A Word To Describe You: Powerful
Emma: Everytime you step on to that stage you know exactly what you're doing, or at least act like you do. Not only do you have so much natural talent, but your knowledge of how to hone in on your abilities is unfathomable. You excel in singingin, acting, AND dancing. I am constantly impressed by you and cannot wait to see where these talents take you.
A Word To Describe You: Brilliant
Erika: You are such a great performer. During our rehearsal process it was extremely evident that you know what it means to be a performer, a team player, and an overall intellectually driven person. When you look up and open your eyes on stage, the audience is faced with an electric performance that cannot be easily forgotten.
A Word To Describe You: Electric
Ian: I cannot begin to say how happy I am working with you. Ever since I saw you as Horton, I hoped that the day that I was able to work with you came. And I have not been disappointed. Your work ethic, sense of teamwork, and ability to lift up others are qualities that are hard to come by in this world. You are so amazing Ian, a perfect Vampire Dad. You gave Edward Cullen a run for his money.
A Word To Describe You: Unprecedented
Izzy: My favorite mummy. One of my most favorite examples of excelling during this show. As I’ve told you multiple times, the switch that happened when you brought Cordelia to life was like night and day. You went from skim milk to delicious eggnog in one day, and that was one of the most impressive things that I have seen throughout these past few weeks. I hope after this Season is over I get to work with you again. Such a bright personality.
A Word To Describe You: Superb
Porter: Everytime you come back to the Fine Arts Center stage, you get better and better. I am more and more impressed every time I have the opportunity to work with you. You are one the hardest working people that I have had the ability to work with. Not only that, but you are so flexible to changes and directions. Keep on this track, and you will obviously go far. Very impressive.
A Word To Describe You: Devoted
Savannah: You are amazing. The Friday performance was 10x better than anything I could have ever asked for. The words that I gave you were “Own the stage” as Bobby, and you definitely did, without a doubt. Each part of your character was natural, and your performance was near to flawless. Thank you for putting in the work to put on a phenomenal performance.
A Word To Describe You: Astounding
Seth: Seth, I freaking love you. We’ve been working together for a little while now, but these last few months it has been great to be able to get to know you even more. You have so much raw talent in your body that creates show stopping performances when you tap into it. As soon as that clicks, you are a force to be reckoned with. I am proud to be your director, and I cannot wait to see what goals you reach, and what distances you travel.
A Word To Describe You: Wondrous
Again, congratulations on doing the nearly impossible, we put together a worthwhile show in 17 rehearsals, despite all odds, and through these unprecedented times. We brought in at least $750 dollars for the Fine Arts Center with this show. I can't thank you guys enough for making me proud. We will be going through these next few weeks together, and I’m ecstatic that it is you guys who I get to be alongside. Please practice patience for me, Sydnee, Ivan, Jena, and Susan as we work together to find what we feel will be most beneficial for the Fine Arts Center as well as you guys. We will be meeting tonight (Monday, November 9th) at 7:00-8:30, via Google Hangouts. Please remember that this is not an added meeting, this is just a different format of a planned rehearsal, which as I stated previously, will be the format for the next couple weeks. During the meeting we will have an open discussion about the situation, as well as talk about our Santa Claus letters, and more about the show. Remeber to ask question when needed! Also remember to stay safe, stay healthy, stay smart, drink water, and wear your mask! See you guys tonight.
With Love, Your Director, Colton
