Thomsen Talk: June 2023
As a kid, it was a dream of mine to direct The Music Man. In fact, “for fun,” I created a poster, scenic designs, and even a rehearsal schedule. And here’s the thing…. I still have them! I just pulled out the file folder and looked through it. My young, naïve, self made the schedule so the entire show could be mounted with 16 rehearsals — I scheduled 50 minutes for the barbershop quartet to learn all their music and a total of six hours to choreograph ALL the dance numbers in the show! Ha! I was so ambitious!
Years later, my scheduling is a little more “on point,” but my enthusiasm for The Music Man is still there. For QCT’s 100th year, I wanted a slate of shows that celebrated community, and for me, The Music Man is encapsulation of community. It starts with disconnected individuals and ends with an entire town recognizing the color, the lights, and the cymbals ablaze in the faces of their neighbors. Joy spills out of The Music Man from the writing into the performers and from the performers into the audience. You can’t help but feel better about the world as you walk (or march) out of the theater. I felt it as a young theatre enthusiast, and I still feel that way as “more mature” theatre enthusiast.
