Home

I wanted to take a moment and thank publicly the dedicated and interested community and school folks who helped make the Steamboat Springs High School spring musical theater production of "All Shook Up" a resounding success.

Thanks to Karen Campbell and Denise Pearson for being wonderful PR people, for devoting countless hours persuading folks to let us borrow vintage 1950s paraphernalia, and for keeping the goodies coming for both cast and crew; Nichole (Dragonface) Young for her unwavering ability to bring beautiful music out of adolescent pipes; Jim Knapp, who gathered an amazing array of student and community talent to create a band that would have made Elvis proud; Pascal Ginesta, Tom Stockdale, Geri and John Harris, and other parents for helping to build a fantastic set; Rusty de Lucia for being our beloved "theater goddess;" Margaret Hair and the Steamboat Pilot & Today for being willing to help advertise local theater productions; all the other folks who had smaller, but no less important roles in the show's success; and, finally, to the students themselves, who allowed me in the space of seven short weeks to suggest, beg and demand that they portray their characters humorously, realistically and entertainingly to the audience.

For those of you who weren't able to see the show, you missed some of the most talented younger actors, singers, dancers, choreographers and "techies" we have in this town, particularly Grace Stockdale, Taylor Anderson, Sean Hill, Iliana Chase, Matthia Duryea, Cody Poirot, Marilyn Harris and Erin Lewis. And, without the help of the administration, parents and other teachers, all the young people in this show wouldn't have had the opportunity to develop more self esteem, confidence and true friendships with their fellow students and teachers. I can assure you that the students involved in this production came away from it with more pride in themselves, more basic life skills in working as a team, a more positive outlook in life, and a "burnin' love" for the performing arts.

Research has shown that communities that support the performing arts are communities interested in economic growth and healthy emotional and spiritual lives for their citizens. Thank you, Steamboat, for once again showing your love for your young people and your love of this community.

Mike Brumbaugh

Steamboat Springs