15th Season of TIP Youth

This is most likely my last season with TIP Youth. This year I’m directing two productions: Legally Blonde Jr. and Hans Christian Andersen Jr.

I had never heard Hans Christian Andersen Jr. before starting this process. It has some genuinely beautiful songs, alongside ones I remember from childhood like “Thumbelina” and “The Ugly Duckling”. There’s something slightly strange about working on material that sits somewhere between nostalgia and discovery, especially with a cast who are encountering it for the first time.

I’ve worked on Legally Blonde Jr. before, and I still think it’s a difficult show for a youth group to sing. It demands a lot, energy, precision, and stamina, and it doesn’t give them much space to hide. That said, I’ve been really impressed by this group. They’re working hard, and they’re starting to find the shape of the show.

Soon we’ll move into the theatre, which always changes everything. The work becomes more fixed, and my role shifts from building to letting go. If this is my last season with TIP Youth, it feels like a good one to end on.