A Note from the Directors of The Blue Monster

Fairy tales are famous for tasking their heroes and heroines with the impossible.  This is true in The Blue Monster, the play we opened this past Sunday.

But this year, our young actors have been tasked to perform the impossible, too. Not just to put together a play with limited rehearsals; not just to learn how to tour a play instead of simply performing it in the same theatre repeatedly; but how to perform while mourning the death of their friend, a member of our cast.

Argo was part of our cast during both sessions of camp this summer. Over Labor Day weekend, he was in our “remount” cast – in rehearsals, playing our King, and sharing his wit, wisdom, and warmth like usual.  Then he suffered a fatal accident. He was 13 years old.

Grief is hard for everyone, and Argo’s loss is profoundly felt within our community. This is the first major loss most of these kids have experienced, and the first student Traveling Players has lost in our almost 25-year history.  It’s the loss of a friend, a peer, a child who could just claim being a teen, discovering his own authentic self.

We are heartbroken, reeling. Argo was a pillar of our community, at every event and auditioning for every play.  His infectiously playful spirit sparkled onstage and off. He was adored. As his teachers, we’re only now understanding just how central he was to the social fabric that knits together our community.

So, how do heroes and heroines succeed in the impossible task? They get a magical gift, and they have to have faith that it will be enough to get them through. In The Blue Monster, it will be a horn and a root you need to clench between your teeth.

For us? It’s been Argo’s spirit. Argo was determined to have fun, dedicated to whimsy, and wanted others to revel in joy, too. He was also brave, facing challenges like the early death of his own father a year ago. And he was kind, reaching out to befriend kids older and younger than him.

Argo is our magical gift.

If you can make it to any or all of our performances, please support these brave young actors and technicians. Seeing you in our audience would be a gift, too. Witness the beauty these kids created under impossible circumstances.

With Gratitude,

Jeanne E. Harrison & Morgan Shotwell
Founder and Producing Artistic Director & Director of Middle School Programs