A Note From the Director

I can’t remember when I read this script the first time, but I do know it was given to me by the late Bill Brooks at the Amesbury Playhouse where I was proud to earn my first real theater chops when I was a teenager. I do, however, remember the first time I directed the show, which was at Tufts University, fall semester of my senior year with the student theater group Pen, Paint, and Pretzels (affectionately known as 3Ps).  The show is a favorite of mine for many reasons, not the least of which is that it is how I met my husband who stepped in to save that Tufts show (by building its set at a theater in the round!) and he has been my knight in shining armor ever since.

 

I have had so much fun working with and watching this cast tackle this beast of a show. Trust me, memorizing lines is hard at the best of times, but when we double back on ourselves as many times as we do here, it gets hectic fast! I’m pretty sure there was never a rehearsal where we weren’t derailed (often numerous times) by just how absurd this show is. Mr. Simon’s dialogue is, of course, hilarious, but the situational and physical humor abound as well. Thank goodness, the set calls for a bar!

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Such is the nature of comedies, of a farce! 

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I truly hope the audience has at least half as much fun watching the show as the cast/crew had putting it together. Because if you do, your belly should hurt from laughing by the end.

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I would like to thank the ECT Board of Directors for allowing me the chance to revisit a piece of my own personal theatrical history with a new team and a new cast. It was just as much fun as I remembered and more. 

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Lastly, I would like to thank you, the audience, for coming out and supporting community theater. These are not paid actors, they hone their craft after working other full time jobs and taking care of their families. They do this because they love theater, and they love to entertain. Theater and the arts in general are so important and we could not do it without the support of the audience buying tickets and concessions and advertisements etc.  We do this for you, but we could not do it without you. So sit back, relax and feel free to LOL as much as you want!

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Katie Gifford