Thank you, MoLM folks

Dear MOLM cast,

Thank you for a beautiful journey this past week, and these past few months. You all grew tremendously, and I couldn't be prouder of you. It has been a great joy to watch you grow and change, some of you at a speed that has been nearly blinding. Perhaps you didn't even realize it at the time, just as when you are in an airplane you don't feel the speed. But the courage with which you undertook this journey humbled me, and I thank you for the opportunity to lead you down what at times might have felt to be a very perilous path. You are brave people, and I honor each of you.

You also helped me grow...as I said Saturday night, Don Quixote has helped me come to a different understanding of my father's illness. While Quixote is fictional and my dad is a real person, the gift of art is often that it forces us to confront real issues and look at things in different ways.

Thank you all very much for the flowers. I was touched more than I can say. It may be hard to imagine, but we teachers and directors often feel taken for granted. This gesture of appreciation was so thoughtful of you, and means very much to me especially in light of how challenging our work was at times. The flowers brighten our kitchen, and I'll always cherish the cards you wrote.

Many thanks also to Dr. Kittredge for leading the pit, Kseniia for being our orchestra in rehearsals, and our fabulous faculty and student musicians who brought the pit so beautifully to life. TONS of thanks to Cindy and Olivia for making stage management seem easy, to Ed for lighting you so gorgeously, to James for the amplification, and to Kenny for being our ASC contact. Thanks also to Alora for designing a stunning set, and to Lee and his crew for building it. We also would be nothing without all the props Marc so kindly loaned us, and the lances that my sweet husband built (which I'll be keeping, BTW: it's time to replace the snake on my wall).

We'll watch the videos sometime during the first week of April, T/Th at 3:30. Stay tuned: attending the showing is required if you are enrolled in the course. Learning from our work is part of the process. We'll talk about the different experiences you had during the two performances, and how you can grow from those very different experiences. I'll also give out toilet paper awards during that time. Each of you brought something special to the show, and acknowledging each of you is part of *my* process.

As always, you know I love y'all MADLY. Enjoy some well-earned rest.