A Love Letter

Dear Assassins Cast and Crew,

I can't even express my gratitude and admiration for the work you have done over the last month and a half. I know you all know how good you are and I am going to spend some time talking about that, but it almost feels trite because it doesn't really express how I feel. I love you all.

Assassins was a BIG risk for Endstation. It was selected because it was an exciting piece of theatre, thought provoking and powerful. I had no idea how audiences would respond both to the piece and in their willingness to buy tickets. Endstation did the piece because I wanted an audience that would come and enjoy a work like Assassins, not because I was sure they were out there. I lost a lot of sleep over my choice over the last few months... because I feared making some sort of mistake. If it was a mistake it would deal a big blow to the company. This was an important season for us and if we were unable to meet financial goals and continue to build an audience base, we could be strongly impacted for seasons to come.

I can't express how moved I am by the result. On a logistical end, the show did have some appealing circumstances. It wasn't a dance piece and that was one less gear in the machine for our first musical. It was also a small cast and I liked that it was an ensemble cast. Early going we got the Wolfbane guys involved (check out their Tempest in August!) and this was a huge boost. We knew we couldn't do this without the community that Dustin and Aaron have formed here in Lynchburg. I also knew that I wanted Chad Larabee to direct. His ability with musicals is incredible and I knew he could approach the tone and scale of the show with expertise and skill. Those two things, along with recruiting Randall Speer (who I had a wonderful experience working with at Randolph College) and already having our production team in place, is really all I can take credit for.

What happened next is magical. The cast that was assembled could not have been more perfect. Each individual in this production found their way to their roles with profound ability and skill. It was as if we had some giant New York casting pool and we hand picked people. This all from a pretty small but skilled community in the greater Lynchburg area (with the exception of Walter and Spencer... although I am sure they feel like a surrogate Virginians by this point). I feel so blessed by how each individual found their way to their roles with such skill. I could not have envisioned a better result than what occurred. I am just blown away.

You all made this a success beyond what I could have envisioned. This is one of the best productions I have ever seen in the area. Our bravery in doing it has paid off because you all brought such excellence to the stage. You took time out of your busy lives and put so much into this work by Sondheim. Endstation is forever grateful to you. You all have made our gamble pay off. As we end the run, we are meeting our ticket goal and audiences are loving the work. This will have a profound impact on our future.

Words can not express my gratitude and love.

Love,

Geoff