I recently had the massive honor of directing my first musical, Cinderella! And boy, it was a wonderful experience! I learned so much and had a great time. While I’ve been in many shows over the years, I have only directed a few things in the past, including a staged radio version of It’s A Wonderful Life but this was my first full play and musical!

I am actually not a musical theatre actor, as I don’t really sing but there was a need for a director so I accepted and it was SO much fun! The casting by far was the hardest part, as we had about 40 women audition who all wanted a lead and only 6 speaking parts for women but it turned out so well and I absolutely loved the cast and gratefully many of the women who didn’t get a lead accepted parts in the ensemble, which is crucial to a show.

One of the best parts was that I got to be creative! And as such, I decided to change the aesthetic a bit and went STEAMPUNK!

It was so much fun, we even had a Pumpkin Dirigible instead of a golden carriage. And the costumes were fantastic! So many gears and goggles and grungy earth tones.

I definitely couldn’t have done it without my music director who helped everyone with the songs and my choreographer who came up with fantastic dances for the show. It was such a great experience.

It also happened to be the most successful show this theatre has seen since it started 6 years ago. I am beyond proud of my cast and crew and am looking forward to directing (and acting) with the Eagle Mountain Community Theatre in the future!