Sean can tell the story better, but as he doggedly pursued me in the summer of ’99, taut abs rippling beneath a worn, white t-shirt, I spat something to the effect of, “Why don’t you go find yourself another crush, an apprentice or something.” At the Williamstown Theatre Festival many of the apprentices were indeed something, often in perky, little packages that made my not-so-tiny, not-so-perky self ever so insecure.

This is not to disrespect those women at all, they were great. Seriously. I was just very taken aback by someone so easy on the eyes being so unabashedly into me. Fast forward 10 years and here we are, a little less taut, inexplicably perkier and together. Unabashedly. It took me a while, but three kids and a thriving business later demonstrate the rightness of it all.

Today we are wrapping up a project that takes me back to North Adams in the early spring of 2000, to a lush backyard in Pownal later that summer, and to the stretch of 2001 that saw me living in NYC and then signing my first lease in Boston. It is amazing how much a little bit of theatre can take me back. I had to share this because this has been where I’ve scribed some of my most precious memories, from welcoming Ave and waiting for Fin, to rediscovering joy and hope.

Tonight into tomorrow we’ll be promoting the creation of a new mark for the Adirondack Theatre Festival, literally rolling it out on their Facebook page. It isn’t where we met, but it’s where we love. It will be the place we go for dates this summer, the place we thrill our girls with the magic of the lights going down and make believe surpassing reality, and the place where ten years from now I hope I’ll be celebrating the difference we made way back when.

So many of you here have made me feel exception, through your comments and emails to packages for my girls. As I reach deep for whatever I can find to make this roll out a success, I find myself turning to my go-to team. I hope that you’ll visit the ATF Facebook page and see the logo we’ve created, maybe even become a fan if you feel so inclined. This has been such an incredible experience for us and, like most of my life, I wanted to share it with you.

Thank you.

-Amanda