“OMIGOD You Guys!” Director Susan Keady Tells it All

Behind the Scenes of Legally Blonde with Susan Keady and Amy Young from Encore Stage on Vimeo.

Susan A. Keady shares with us the excitement and positive messages portrayed in our upcoming production, along with her wonderful Encore journey!

The musical of Legally Blonde tells the story of Delta Nu Sorority Sister Elle Woods and her amazing journey as a major in Fashion Merchandising at U.C.L.A. to her admission as a freshman in Harvard Law School. Initially she is in pursuit of her college sweetheart, Warner Huntington III, who has dumped her because he plans to be a senator by age 30 and needs a more conservative and serious girlfriend. Warner does not believe Elle to be especially bright and, thus, not serious. Plus Warner has begun a relationship with a well-connected, elite, erudite East Coast Harvard girl. Elle tosses aside her future plans to design clothes, studies furiously for the LSAT, applies to and enters Harvard. Her adventure begins as we follow her from class to class, many hours of studying, and conversations at her favorite hair/manicure salon. Along the way, Elle meets some fascinating Bostonian characters, like her new BFF, her manicurist, Paulette.

The audience can look forward to an extraordinarily upbeat, fast moving musical performed by one of out best casts ever placed in Encore’s summer production, and executed with perfection by our backstage crew. The visual aspect of the show is attributed to our outstanding production team: Caroline Schreiber, Amy Young, Matthew Heap, Kelsey Meiklejohn, Rebecca Pfeil, Marji Jepperson, Kristin Jepperson, Aileen Pangan, Gary Hauptman and Sara Duke.

I have worked as a a director, designer, teacher, camp director for Encore since 1988, and during those 25 years, I have directed over 50 shows during the season of September to June with cast and crew all of whom are ages 9-18. In 1998, I was hired with the additional responsibility as the Artistic Director. For the past 25 years, I have had the privilege of working with countless college students and adults while directing ACT III nearly every summer. (ACT III refers to Encore’s summer productions.)

I can’t imagine anything that would be more fun during the summer than directing a show and working alongside such a brilliant group of people. What I like about working for Encore is a two-fold. First, it would difficult to find a better bunch of people with whom to work.

The production staff is compellingly creative and fun! I look forward to going to rehearsals each day/evening during the run of the show. Most of the staff has worked diligently for years to grow the program and their loyalty and enthusiasm for Encore is infectious. In addition, the growing office administrative staff has been an encouraging addition to our offices at 3700 Four Mile Run. The staff is helping us set up countless production projects using their high level of energy and attention to detail. We have some very smart interns. This is a special job; my passion to create live theatre aside–I love, love, love to go to work with my friends.

Next, the cast and crew. What can I say? I am extraordinarily blessed with this engaging script and score, and a cast and crew with whom I can confidently charge to learn difficult music and challenging choreography and bring the script to life. Many cast and crew return to Encore every summer to help work this show, although they have graduated college with a variety of impressive degrees, they work all day and still…attend a 4 hour evening rehearsal for Legally Blonde.

The schedule for this production is grueling, intense and tiring. Sometimes the whole staff, crew and cast has to take a breather and work on an improvisation for energy but my advice?

In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. (Albert Schweitzer) ….Especially our Board of Directors!

JUST REMEMBER: No matter where you begin your journey and what occurs along the way, it is where the journey ends and we know you will want your summer journey to end in our theatre laughing away all your worries.
See you in the theater!

Sincerely,
Susan A. Keady

Don’t miss this amazing show! Buy your tickets today online or call the box office at (703)548-1154.

Legally Blonde The Musical

Book by Heather Hach
Music and Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin
Based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture

July 19 – 28, 2013
Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre

125 S. Old Glebe Road Arlington, VA 22204