This summer, I headed back to Andy’s Summer Playhouse to direct a full production of Everything You Wanted by Jess Honavich, a show I was fortunate enough to help develop last summer.
This was the first time the show was performed by actors the same age as its characters, and truly, what an honor to be part of it. After two short stays last summer, I was thrilled to return to New Hampshire with the incredibly talented young artists of Andy’s. They worked so hard on Jess’s dense, witty script and absolutely knocked it out of the park. We had so much fun in the rehearsal room making discoveries, playing instruments, singing camp songs, blocking the most awkward dances imaginable, and maybe goofing off a little too much.
These teens have my heart, and I’m so grateful to Jess for trusting me with her words and to Andy’s for giving me the opportunity to bring this show to life in this way. My director’s note below goes a little deeper into what this process meant to me, so I’ll let my past self do the talking!
Director’s Note
Growing up and learning who you are rarely happens in a straight line. We change our minds. We make mistakes. We hurt people and get hurt. We fall in love. And most of the time, we have absolutely no idea what we are doing.
That messiness is at the heart of Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well, the "problem play" that inspired Jess’s beautiful and fun adaptation. It's a problem because, well, it sort of doesn’t have an ending. By bringing the story into a contemporary setting with modern language, I wanted to give these characters space to feel immediately relatable and uniquely themselves as they make sense of the world around them. This goes for the adult characters, too. They are navigating relationships, expectations, ambition, and identity while trying to make it to the End of Summer Banquet.
But what has made this production most meaningful to me is the company of young artists who have brought these characters to life. Over the course of this process, I have watched them take risks, make discoveries, support one another, and grow exponentially in just three short weeks. They have reminded me that becoming an artist, and becoming a person, is not about getting everything right. It is about being willing to try.
I am so proud of the work they have done, and grateful to the Andy’s community for giving us the opportunity to create a full production this year. EVERYTHING YOU WANTED is a story about growing up without having all the answers. I hope this production reminds you that, no matter how old you are, you do not need to have everything figured out yet. You don’t have to have a satisfying ending, or even an ending at all. Just like our show. You are allowed to be a work in progress.