Villains Night closed last night, and we are still coming down from it. What a show. What a semester.
This was the biggest Villains Night cast we have ever had. One hundred and eighteen Young Artists across our seven Aspire groups, every one of them on that stage. Six years in, and the company keeps growing.
What we keep coming back to is not the size of it. It is that we got to know each and every one of these Young Artists this semester. We have fallen in love with them. It is a privilege to work with them, to watch their talent come out, and to see their kindness toward each other when nobody is asking them to perform. We have also been lucky enough to get to know their parents and their families, who are every bit as good as their Young Artists are.
We love doing this work. It is now, and it will always be, about these Young Artists and their families.
The show itself
The performance went off without a hitch. We are so proud of these Young Artists, of the work they put in, and of what they can do when the lights come up. It was a great show and it was a lot of fun, and the crowd loved it.
The comment we hear most from families is that the show gets better and better every year, and that one never gets old. The other thing we love hearing is how much the Young Artists themselves love being on that stage. That is the part you cannot rehearse into anybody.
We ran four performances this year, plus our free sensory-friendly performance earlier in the week. Across that whole group of nights, we just love being with all of them.
Every seat, every night
Every night sold out completely. Every seat, all the way to the back. Standing in the wings and looking out at a full house four nights running is a feeling that is hard to describe.
It is exciting to see that kind of support, and not only for these Young Artists. It says something about this community and about where the performing arts sit in southern Utah right now.
This was our sixth year doing Villains Night. We are looking forward to many, many more, and we are grateful for the chance to share that stage with so many great Young Artists and with our team.
The people who hold it together
A big thank you to Kelby, Leslie and Shannon, and to all of our ambassadors who help make this come together. Their love and their patience are the beating heart of this organization.
To every family who bought a seat, drove to rehearsal, sewed a costume or sat through a tech night: thank you. We will see you at the next one.
Adam and the Encore Team