Director’s note

Back to the 80's is a fun, silly and oh-so-nostalgic musical, dotted with all the high-school clichés you could possibly imagine.

When deciding what to pitch for MacMS’s first-spot show, I tossed around a lot of different ideas. So many that I began arriving at MacMS gatherings with lists of possible shows, just to see what people were interested in. Mentioning Back to the 80s always caused excitement, and since MacMS shows should first and foremost be fun, I hoped that it would be the perfect thing for first-spot - a show all about bringing new members into the society, and having a blast.

Then, during show week for First Date, as we were reconstructing the scaffolding and building our set, I had a wild idea. What if we did Back to the 80’s a bit differently to how I had originally imagined? What if we built the stage in the center and put the audience around it? Not quite theatre in the round, but perhaps theatre in the double? As those who were there could attest – I got very excited. When I brought the idea to my production team there were more than a few concerned expressions, and a few times it almost fell through, but my team worked so hard to bring this idea to life, and I am so grateful to them for doing so, especially Marie for going above and beyond to make sure everyone could be seen and heard all around the stage.

I also need to thank Aidan for putting together an amazing band, Renae for making everyone sound so wonderful and putting in so much time while also being in another show, and Rebecca for developing such fun double-sided choreography. Also, of course, my producer Eloise - who ensured that everyone had amazing costumes, all their props, and made sure everything kept running behind the scenes.

Lastly, I have to thank the cast for not freaking out when I told them about my staging plans, for making me smile every rehearsal, and for - sometimes- being quiet when I asked them to. It has been so much fun to work with all of MacMS’s new members (and the returning ones) to bring this show together - this is such an energetic and hilarious group of people, and it has been a joy to see them all becoming fast friends on stage and off.

With all that said, sit back, relax, and have a totally awesome time.