‘Firebringer’

Director’s Statement

I am honored to say that Firebringer serves as my directorial debut at the College of Charleston with Center Stage. Before we began pre-production work, I sat and asked myself- why this show? As a member of the Center Stage board, I had a direct hand in choosing the musical- so, why? It was easy to say that the story was interesting, funny, and important, but none of that felt right. I realized I wanted to do this show because it was fun, and I wanted to have fun. I wanted to toy with the idea of play in theatre, because isn’t that why I started doing it? Because it was fun? I developed a passion for the craft, but at the end of the day, I always loved theatre because it was fun. Working in a rehearsal environment is always stressful, but playing games, taking time to breathe, and working together allowed me to step back and soak in the process. Doing this helped me realize- I was having fun. Theatre can be such a raw, heavy, and vulnerable environment to work in. I think everyone needs to search for an opportunity to tell an important story, but most importantly, an opportunity to have fun with a group of people that you are getting to know and growing to love!

- Bea Lemaster