04/22/2024
A Message from the Director:
Thank you to everyone who came out this weekend to support our Theatre programming. There are several people that I want to take time to thank.
Thank you to the Harmony Boosters for facilitating concessions and ticket sales. Thank you to Trojan Marketing (Brandi Myers) for the programs, comp tickets, and shirts.
Thank you to Naomi Haines, Olivia Haines, Aaron Blake, Taylor Blake, my dad Michael Coleman, my husband Elliott Mihelic, my students in Theatre and Harmony including Evie Groves, Hannah Haines, Jaime Loftus, Jocelynn Rainey, Austin Heavner, Cameron Hamm, Gavin Hall, Chase Burton, Alexis diZerega, Giselle Haines, Mackenzie Shaffer, Summer Haines, Makayla Orndorff, Sarah Oak, Shian Traylor, Rigby Aguilar, Zephyr Miller, Katie Harden, Mulledy Cook, Kaedyn Kuykendall, and many more that I’m sure I’m forgetting that helped to create the beautiful set and prop pieces you have seen on stage today.
Thank you to my sister, Elleigh for creating choreography as well as stepping in to play Toto. Thank you to Jaime Loftus as well for your contributions to the choreography and being willing to teach it to others.
Thank you to my mom, Sheri Coleman, for all of my sewing needs and to Elliott for the awesome tin man costume.
Thank you to Aaron Blake for the miracle of getting our lights to work. Thanks for the countless hours that you worked on the lights over the last month to get them working, and for training us on how to use them. Thank you to Potomac State College for loaning us some of the lights.
Thank you to the Parents and Guardians of cast members. Thank you to our munchkin moms/siblings for helping backstage. You all are rockstars!
Speaking of backstage, I want to mention our stage crew, Emma Blau and Jackson Savage, as well as our stage managers, Ayla Miller and Kaitlyn Ferguson. These kids run a tight ship and are so instinctual that they normally have things figured out before I can even come up with a solution.
To my parents again, thank you for everything, from costumes, set work, to baking…Your constant love and support is so appreciated.
To my partner in all of this. Elliott aka “Dr. M”, when I came to you with the idea to do this show, you had nothing but support for it. When I asked if you would lead the munchkins in rehearsals, again nothing but support. When I needed a costume piece, you were there. When I didn’t know how something would work, you already had the idea. You’re support and love for me, for my students, for this program has not gone unnoticed. The hours of dedication you poured into rehearsals, building set, doing the light sequences, just anything that needed done. I appreciate it so much!
To the cast, thank you for the months of dedication you poured into this show. I appreciate your willingness to do anything I asked you to try for me. As I told you last night, though the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion each were searching for something, in the end what they discovered is they already had the intelligence, heart, and courage to do anything. Each of you has shown that you are capable beyond what you may have thought before. I hope from this experience you have learned to believe in yourselves, because I have not stopped believing in you from the moment this journey began.
Thank you to the Hampshire County community and beyond for your continuous support for our growing program. I am proud to be a product of this community and always had a goal of coming back here to teach and inspire a new generation of performers. I will admit that 5 years ago when I started at HHS, I did not see the possibility of musical theatre performances happening here. Then, I looked at the beautiful, wonderful, talented students that I had (and have) and said, “This is possible!” It’s turned into a reflection of the talented students we have in this county, now evident in our incorporation of our elementary and middle schools students. I know with the support of community, this program will continue to flourish and grow for years to come.
Thank you to everyone again from the bottom of my heart. There really is no place like home. ❤️🌈 ~Bailey Coleman, HHS Theatre Director
