Hello all! For those that don’t know me: my name is Elise Parks and I am a rising junior musical theatre major at Wright State University! I recently just finished directing my third production, Seussical Kids, at the Kent Island Theatre Summer Camp, with almost 80 kids between the ages of 5 and 11. However, I have aspirations to start directing all age groups.

When I was 16 I came across a performance online of a song called, “Come to the Fun Home”. The song included three children all singing around a funeral home, unknowingly ignoring the rather harsh setting they were in. As I learned more about the show the more its themes of self love, acceptance, grief, hardship, and family stuck with me. Allison Bechdel is like you and me- an artist who found herself through her art. Allison uses her love of drawing to mourn and process the grief of her father’s suicide. She discovers family secrets and repairs her relationship with her family. She even discovers that her and her father are not as different as she once thought. I knew this was a show I wanted to direct someday. This show has a beautiful and important story to tell, and it is my mission to bring its tale to the world around us.

But as many of you are aware of, being in college usually involves living quite frugally hahaha! The rights and materials for these shows can be quite expensive, but I desperately want to make this dream a reality. So, I need your help! Show rights and materials are about $1,300, with additional funds needed to help bring this simple, yet beautiful set to life. If you have any desire to assist, any and all funds would be so unbelievably generous and appreciated. All those who donate will be given a shout out in our Playbill, as well given/sent a handwritten thank you letter from all cast and crew. I have a star studded cast who truly are going to make this show powerful and beautiful. I’m so excited for the world to see the story they are going to tell!

I hope to bring this magical show to life. Thank you so all who have decided to help- your generosity helps keep this beautiful art form alive. Remember… theatre is magic!