The Prime of Miss jean brodie at theatre in the round

This post is long overdue, because The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie closed at the beginning of February, but I thought I'd like to share a few thoughts and reflections on my first fully staged production since moving to Minneapolis. I am so thankful to have been a part of Miss Brodie , for a number of reasons. First of all,  it was truly a pleasure to work   with such a well-established  and respected theater company. Theatre in the Round is the oldest community theater in the twin cities, and it remains a "community theater" in that everyone is a volunteer. However,  the level of professionalism I encountered there was unlike anything I've found, save perhaps for working at St. Olaf College. Every single member of the company, from cast to crew, was so dedicated to their craft.  

In addition, I was particularly struck by the talent surrounding me. Dann Peterson, our director,  truly has a gift for casting and bringing out the best in actors.  Though many of us schoolgirls didn't have names or  lines to speak of, our  commitment and  character work truly came through in every scene. I just felt  blessed to be on stage with these fabulous young women  (a shout out goes here to  Emily Rose Duea, Vivian Scheel, Lily Govrik, Elise  Sommers,  Thalia Kostman, Laini Devin, Mckinnley Aitchinson,  Tynelle  Marschal,  Molly Gearen, and Dani Pazurek) . 

I was sad to see the production end  - so much fun was had by all.    I look forward to  more opportunities to work at TRP, and  if  fate will have it, to work with some of the Brodie company again.  I also hope I get to use my Scottish dialect in the future - delivering my one scripted line, "Do you mean we will have to march -- ?" just got  me hooked on the dialect and sometimes I find myself slipping back into it at the most inopportune moments! 

"Little girls, I am in the business of  putting old heads on young shoulders, and all my pupils  are the crème de la crème." - Miss Brodie