playbill vip

Greetings!

It is difficult to know where to begin.  We have all heard  "in these uncertain times," and "unprecendented," quite enough this year. This section is titled acknowledgements, so I will start there.

I would like to acknowledge that this production and this YEAR has been extremely challenging for everyone in different ways.

I would like to acknowledge that our students have worked exceedingly hard while attempting to navigate and balance a new "normal" that is anything but. 

I would like to acknowledge that there are multiple ways in which to create theatre in this world of "for now," and that I feel we made the right choice. I see other schools having parts of their casts and crews quarantined or sick, and I'm glad our production wasn't dependent on all of our kids being physically in the same space. 

I would like to acknowledge that we have all learned a lot this semester. We learned what works and what doesn't, and we've picked up some new skills along the way. 

I would like to acknowledge our fundraising difficulties this year. If you can, please consider supporting the Performing Arts at Lakeside High School by making a donation to Friends of Fine Arts, our booster club. They support our kids in many ways, including scholarships at the end of the year. Multiple sources of revenue have been closed off or reduced this year due to the pandemic, including our ability to sell concessions during intermission. There is a donate button where you purchase tickets and also a button for donations enabled during the performance as well.

If you'd rather mail a check, make it out to Friends of Fine Arts  and mail it to:

Lakeside High School

c/o Sarah Haman,

2871 Malvern Avenue

Hot Springs, AR 71901

I would also like to acknowledge thankfulness and JOY in the face of struggle. I have a front-row seat to the new LPAC (Lakeside Performing Arts Center,) going up right next door to my classroom, and it has been a treat to see it coming together. I also have a front-row seat for our up-and-coming talent, and I foresee great things in our future.

We have much to look forward to and be thankful for, and, like the characters in the play, are finding new ways to create, to dream, and to connect with each other. Our kids have created a beautiful show, and I'm so proud of them.

Special thanks to John Haman, the cast of this play, Abigail and Natalie, volunteers, our booster parents, our administration and school board, our Performing Arts Department, and the people who continue to support the arts in our community.

John Steinbeck famously said that theatre "is the only institution in the world which has been dying for four thousand years and has never succumbed. It requires tough and devoted people to keep it alive.”  We are Lakeside Strong in the dRAMa department, and will continue to create.

Be Well, and Go Rams!

(Don't miss our annual Smoked Pork Butt Fundraiser in spring, just in time for Easter weekend!)