Imagine holding a brand new piece of clay in your hands. What will you do with it? Have you ever created anything from nothing before? Where do you start? This is how Amanda and I felt about two days after accepting the responsibility of producing Matilda, the Musical.
While both Amanda and I have been active board members for META, and I was fortunate to have been the musical director for West Side Story this past winter, taking on the responsibilities of producing came with many new and unforeseen challenges.
We were now responsible for the overall financial and managerial functions of the production. Including but not limited to securing the beautiful and historic Lincoln Theatre, raising financial backing, procuring the rights, hiring personnel for creative positions (director, musical director, choreographer, set and lighting designers, stage manager, orchestra, costumer, makeup artist, and last but not least, our cast).
Once our creative team was set and rehearsals were underway, just like the ball of clay, we started to see progress. Some things came easier than others did, but nonetheless, our clay was starting to take shape.
We auditioned nearly 90 amazing young performers and after long deliberation ended up with a cast of 48. The majority of them under the age of 16. They barely knew each other but it didn’t take long for them to see that “Even If You’re Little, You Can Do a Lot”
We would like to thank Joe Bowen and Peter Wheeler for their expert advice along the way. Their help has been invaluable to us as we sculpted our piece of clay into a beautiful piece of magic.
We simply cannot thank TJ Fantini and Glynna Goff enough for infusing our cast with their beautiful spirit, years of experience, and an overall love for molding the mind of the young performers of Skagit Valley. They are talented, driven, and care deeply for this cast.
We the Producers, are proud to count ourselves among this special group of creative talent. It is easy to see how much love everyone has put into creating such a beautiful show for you our viewing audience. Thank you for being a part of our story and for helping us continue the mission of META Performing Arts.
“You seemed so far away," Miss Honey whispered, awestruck.
"Oh, I was. I was flying past the stars on silver wings," Matilda said. "It was wonderful.”
~Roald Dahl
PERFORMANCES
THE LINCOLN THEATER
712 S 1ST ST, MT VERNON, WA 98273
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Friday, October 18th, 7:30
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Saturday October 19th, 7:30
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Sunday, October 20th, 2:00
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Wednesday, October 23rd, 7:30
Family Night! General Admission Discount Seating -
Thursday, October 24th, 7:30
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Friday, October 25th, 7:30
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Saturday, October 26th, 7:30
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Sunday, October 27th, 2:00
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Friday, November 1st, 7:30
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Saturday, November 2nd, 2:00
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Saturday, November 2nd, 7:30