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NEMO

Hello, and welcome to the show!
I’m so glad you’ve chosen to venture into the big blue with us today.

Finding Nemo Jr. is a 60-minute show that’s not traditionally performed by high schoolers for their “spring” musical. So why this show, McInnis? Why, for your first musical, did you choose something so massive yet so short?

A couple of years ago, I was part of First Act at the Springer Opera House, a program dedicated to bringing theatre to students across Muscogee County Schools. During our first rehearsal, Sally Baker asked us to close our eyes and think back to our first theatre experience. That moment forever changed how I perceived theatre.

This was my first post-COVID show, and that question struck me deeply. When I closed my eyes, I pictured a little five-year-old me, perched on my dad’s lap, watching Mary Poppins fly over the Fox Theatre stage. Sally then asked us to think of words that embodied that moment. For me, the word that stuck was wonder.

Now, what does wonder mean? According to Oxford, wonder is “a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.” That little girl sitting in the Fox Theatre was forever changed by the magic of theatre. Sally’s exercise shifted my perspective from “What can theatre do for me?” to “What can I do to create theatre for others?”

I want every child to be enriched by the wonder of theatre—the beauty of the unimaginable becoming a reality. From Mary Poppins “flying”, to fish swimming next to you, theatre has the power to inspire.

Do I expect every person who sees this show to go into theatre and become a storyteller? Absolutely not. However, do I hope that every person watching this show feels encouraged, enriched, and excited by the idea that impossible things happen every day? Yes.

I hope everyone—whether they’re performing on stage, working behind the scenes, or sitting in the audience—experiences the wonder of theatre.

Thank you God for allowing me to have this position and to the Coweta County School Board and Principal Ashley Wilkes for trusting me with this incredible opportunity. A huge thank you to the Nixon Centre staff for letting us use this space and helping bring this magic to life. To my family and friends: thank you for loving me on my best and worst days and encouraging me to “just keep swimming” every single day.

Thank you.

Amelia McInnis