Wow.
This has been quite a year for the Theatre Department! Two (hopefully) very successful shows, Haunted Theatre, Michigan Thespian Festival, and so much more. Taking the helm of such a great group and asked to steer it in the right direction was daunting but here we are at the finish line and I am beyond proud of the work we've done together. Directors are lucky in that when a show goes well they get to hear a lot of the praise...but I'm not the one who deserves it, its the actors, and alumni and parent volunteers. They've put in the hardwork and long hours, they've driven people everywhere under the sun and moon to get to rehearsals, and they've donated time and energy from their busy schedules to make sure we are as successful as we possibly can be. We've made this show happen together, and I'm for ever grateful for the experience, and thank all of you for putting up and being flexible with our crazy fluctuating schedule, and the amount of grace and understanding you have given me as I navigate what it is to be be a theatre director. Theres a lot of moving parts that go into live performance that I never realized, it was a steep learning curve but I am ready to tackle a new season next year!
Percy Jackson was a popular book series when I was a teen. You were either a Harry Potter kid or a Percy Jackson kid. I was a Harry Potter kid so I was unfamiliar with The Lightning Thief before starting this show. I really fell in love with it and have been consuming all the Percy Jackson media I can; reading the books, watching the show, and really diving into this musical! I absolutely love the hero's journey aspect of it. Some no name kid who is labeled as trouble is thrust into a place of having to save the world from godly destruction. Its a consistent trope in media, and one that never fails to deliver. The best part of this trope, especially in this instance, is how every kid who has read the Percy Jackson books, or watched the movie, new t.v. series, or this show, can see a little bit of themselves in Percy. It reminds them that their perceived weaknesses are truly your strengths, because as Sally tells Percy, "Normal is a myth." Do the weird thing, be truly yourself, and at the end of the day you are the hero of your own story.
Thank you so much for being here and supporting us. This show will for ever hold a special place in my heart. I'm so full of pride and joy when I see this cast do this show. I am beyond grateful to be here doing this; something I never in a million years thought I'd be doing, but here we are and I'm loving every stess inducing moment of it!
Please enjoy The Lightning Thief!
Mr. Yule
