I am not afraid... I was born to do this. -- St. Joan of Arc Appleton North Theatre Director Ron Parker has directed, encouraged, inspired and transformed 22 straight high school casts enroute to the Wisconsin High School Theatre State finals and he has received a Critic's Choice in all of them so far, a [...]
I knew I’d love the Appleton North production of Newsies before I even bought a ticket. First of all, I genuinely love anything Ron Parker directs and I am keenly aware of the extraordinary talent his program attracts. I also just loved the movie when I saw it in 1992 with my then five-year old [...]
Take a Tony Award winning playwright, a genuinely gifted director and a Chinese fable that is older than written language and you have the magic of Mary Zimmerman's The White Snake. On paper, the story of loyal friendship and the infinite power of unconditional love is charming. In the combined hands of Zimmerman and Appleton [...]
You're going to be fine. You think you're sprinting to the end of your race, but this isn't even the bell lap. Maybe you've tripped, or stumbled a little. Maybe you've hit your stride, oblivious to all the fuss. Maybe you face planted and now you’re lying on the track picking cinders out of your [...]
“Don’t ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~Howard Thurman This weekend, I'm honored to come home for the 20th anniversary of Appleton North High School. The “From this House” event will feature graduates who have [...]