Fall 2025
Performed By: 14 3rd-12th Grade Youths
Directed By: Luca Tapogna
Assistant Director: Ruby Groussman
Director’s Notes
First I want to give my utmost thanks to the amazing, talented, and dedicated team and actors that made this show possible. In the time that I have worked on this show, I have come to a new appreciation of the incredible amount of work that everybody on the team must put in to make a show happen. Being a youth-led show, it has been a pleasure working with people my own age and younger, as well as our adult mentors. Our rehearsal process began in October, and in those few weeks, the actors blossomed into their characters. Oftentimes, as an actor, it is a big commitment to take on a show, even a relatively small one, and requires many hours of memorizing lines, practicing vocal work, rehearsing staging, and many other things done in and out of the theater. Our cast, which ranges from fourth to twelfth grade, is diverse, and I have had much fun and many memorable experiences working with them and getting to know each and every one of them. In addition to Ruby, my assistant director, I collaborated with Ciela, who took on costuming in addition to acting, Addison, who worked sets and props and created this beautiful backdrop we are standing behind, Elinor, our competent stage manager, and their various mentors.
Winnie-the-Pooh is such a sweet and timeless story that was written over a hundred years ago now, but stills rings true to this day. I think that it is important for our community, especially the youth in our community, to be able to enjoy such a wonderful story through the fabulous medium of live theater. Re-imagining the classical tales written by A.A Milne in a different style was a fun creative challenge, and bringing it to life through acting was a journey I will not forget. In today’s world, with everything that happens here and around the world, we need happy stories not just to remind us of times past, but to remind us to think about the future brightly.
Finally, I would like to give thanks my family for supporting me, and to everybody for coming tonight, and I would like them to know that they are in for a real treat. With that, I will leave, and let the show begin
— Luca Tapogna, High School Senior
From the beginning, Luca and I knew that we wanted our show to be a classic children’s story. Everyone has different stories from their childhood, and the lessons that come with them stick with you for the rest of your life; but from what I have seen, Winnie the Pooh has always been mentioned whenever the topic of a good bedtime story arises. I think that this is one of the main reasons that Luca and I decided on Winnie the Pooh to take on as our student-led production. It’s a well-known, well-loved, and a well-worn timeless tale.
I have had such an amazing time discovering the magic that is possible with live youth theatre. Bringing this production to life with my friends and peers under the supporting gaze of our mentors has truly been a one-of-a-kind experience. I thank everyone who put even the smallest amount of time into making this show the beautiful, whimsical production that it has become.
— Ruby Groussman, High School Sophmore
