The director next year will, for the first time in five years, be a familiar face on the Hill. Theater Director Mrs. Jordan Fox joked, “We’re breaking the curse,” referring to the the department’s high turnover over the past few years.

Fox was excited to drop the schedule and said, “The student director show is Junie B. Jones, the fall play is Almost Maine, and the Spring Musical is Big Fish.”

About Junie B. Jones, she said, “It’s just stupid fun — little kids being goofy, picking their nose — based right off the books.”

Fox explained the plot of the fall play. She said, “Almost Maine is twelve couples and it’s different points in their relationship. You have one scene where they’re on a first date and then another scene where they’re going through a divorce, and then you have another scene where these best friends fall in love.” She added, “They’re little vignettes, nothing ever crosses. They’re each a little play.”

Big Fish was first a movie which starred Ian McGregor. Since then a live adaptation has spent considerable time on Broadway. Without giving too much away, Fox said that it is “a story about mending relationships before it’s too late.”

Fox said that some plans have already been made for the Rookie Show in the winter as well. She said, “This year we had four people who wanted to direct so I think what we’re going to do is we’re going to give them each a twenty minute slot.”

Theater Department Head Mr. Michael Moffatt said, “There are some kids that are excited. There was something about SpongeBob that caught fire with everybody.” 

Moffatt said, “We’re starting this new tradition of doing a musical at the beginning of the year.” Junie B. Jones, then, will indeed be a musical this year rather than a play as has been the custom for the children’s show.

With a returning director for the first time comes shows that director has chosen and will direct. In past years the picks have been chosen without consulting the incoming director. Hopefully, this can be the start of a new era of stability for theater on the Hill.