After Mean Girls the Musical moved to May (May 3-5, 2024 to be exact), the choice was made to move forward with a new show this fall. After waiting almost six weeks in anxious anticipation and bouncing around a few ideas, The Addams Family was finally finalized! Now, having only two full weeks of October and the last three weeks of November, the cast and crew have been working overtime (literally) to move their production into the final three weeks and ensure it is ready to open on December 8!!
Not only has this talented group faced the challenge of changing their show and losing valuable time in transition, but the theater programs in Franklin have faced numerous challenges over the last year. After starting the FHS Players and Franklin Footlight Theater in 1994, adding FACT (Franklin Area Children’s Theater) in 2007 and a K-12 Arts Integration Musical Project in 2013 as well as a brand new middle school theater program just last year, the performing arts in Franklin are literally booming! The Opera House reopened in 2001 because of the passion for performance and the power of Footlight and the FHS Players and since that time, became its own non-profit that offered additional entertainment opportunities for the community.
The Opera House has become, over the last 22 years, the hub of entertainment and culture for the city of Franklin. When there is a show, especially a Footlight musical or a kid’s show happening, the streets are packed and the local restaurants are filled. This past summer when Footlight performed Beauty and the Beast, Waterhorse redid their entire menu to reflect the theme of the show and then remained open every night to entertain the cast/ crew after hours with their fans and families. It is literally, the place that brings life to the city. It is also the place that has become a safe place and a haven for hundreds of children and adults as they spend multiple days of the week there, many months of the year, sometimes year round, and thousands of audience members spend 5-10 or more times there watching and enjoying the shows.
Unfortunately, the doors are now shut and Beauty and the Beast was the last performance in July of this past summer. FACT performed Finding Nemo with no sound or lighting in a hot cafeteria, but the talented kids kept going. That is the overall theme of The Addams Family. The passion and talent of the performers and of all of Footlight and the FHS Players is that they will KEEP going. They are working around all of the challenges of lugging equipment here and there, not rehearsing in the space they are performing (which is much like never practicing in a field or court that you will play on), not having any storage space for costumes, props or sets, not having darkened windows, curtains or walls, not having lighting or sound equipment, not having the right temp control for the audience and having acoustics made for schools and not a theater. They have had to consider cutting back on their live band due to restrictions on sound and definitely cut back on their usual set designs as well as other technical design work to make due while they anxiously wait for word on when the Opera House will reopen.
In the meantime- they KEEP going!! The talent and the passion is still there and that you do NOT want to miss!!! The true backbone of theater, the true why of what gets the performers on stage is definitely apparent because despite all of those odds, they are still making it work. When it would be easier to just throw in the towel, they still fight to find a way to creatively succeed. Just like during covid, they work to find solutions. Get your tickets and find out how the community and school come together as one, students, teachers and community members with the same passion for the Arts, for performing and for sharing in an incredible journey!! Get your tickets to see The Addams Family on December 8, 9 or 10 at the Franklin Middle School!! Use the QR code on the poster to take you to a direct link to purchase general admission tickets online.
