As a child, I loved Dr. Seuss. When I became a parent, my child loved Dr. Seuss. His clever illustrations and whimsical rhyming stories took us all to strange places full of bright colors and imaginary creatures. The amazing genius of Ted Giesel (Dr. Seuss) helped us all think in new ways, to fly to the starts and back again. To have the opportunity to bring some of his most beloved characters to live on the stage has been a heartwarming experience, made the more so by the positive, collaborative participation of everyone involved in the making of this production.
One of the GREAT pleasures of ETC is watching the young people involved grow up to take leadership roles in the magical wonderful works of theatre. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight two such exceptional individuals for you.
I first met Michael David Stoddard (Choreographer) when he starred as the Tin Man in our 1998 production of The Wizard of Oz. A talented actor, in additional to choreographing for ETC, KAT and various other organizations, Michael also performs regularly for thousands of children all over the state with TIGER, PSU’s professional theatre company. It is no small feat to choreograph sixty-five performers of varying abilities in dance and Michael’s choreography for Seussical is incredibly creating, imaginative and character-driven. He has been a pleasure and a joy to work with from day one.
Kai de Mello-Folsom (The Cat in the Hat) has performed for many years at ETC and at the Kearsarge Arts Theatre (KAT), traveling to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Lithuania and South Africa with KAT to perform. It has been a pleasure to watch Kai cavort about the stage as the Cat in the Hat with the confidence of the seasoned professional he is. At 16 years old, I think you would agree with me that he is quite astounding.
Thank you Michael and Kai for your passion, commitment and talent. We love, admire and respect you both and appreciate so much all you have done to make Seussical a spectacular success! You are a shining example to those who will follow in your footsteps.
It has been a wonderful month and I will miss my ETC friends terribly once the set and lights are struck, the costumes put away and the cast party is over. Thank you cast, staff, drew and all our many parents and volunteers. Thank you Plymouth State University and the College of Graduate Studies for your incredible support. Thank you Plymouth Elementary, Friends of the Arts and the many business and “Raise the Curtain” sponsors who have given of their time, talent and resources to support this university and community production. Thank you, our audience, for joining us to celebrate the amazing power of creative collaboration in action.
“Oh, the things you can think, if only you try!”
Trish Lindberg
Artistic Director/Co-Founder ETC