Director’s Note

As a child I had a deep love for reading, and I devoured any book I could get my hands on. Books transported me to new worlds where I became all sorts of characters. The more fantastical the book, the better! I fell in love with the worlds created by authors like J.K. Rowling and Roald Dahl, and with books such as Ink Heart and A Wrinkle in Time. Theatre provides the same feeling of transportation that books do and like Matilda, I find a sense of empowerment and belonging in stories. Like Matilda, I had a deep sense of right and wrong. In the song Naughty, Matilda tells the audience that if something isn’t right then “you have to put it right.” As I’ve poured over the script, that simple line has continuously stuck out to me. Matilda also points out that even though she is little, she has the opportunity to make a big impact in her world for the better. All of these things Matilda says will make her “a little bit naughty.” I am reminded of people in the Bible who are holy troublemakers, who are looked on by society as being a bit naughty because they choose a different path, the path of Christ. People like Paul, Stephen, and Jesus. 

Four months ago, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Junia, named after a holy troublemaker found in Romans 16. As I’ve rocked her to sleep and prayed for her these past few weeks, Matilda’s words run through my head. I hope my daughter knows that even though she is little she can do a lot. I hope that when she sees wrong in the world, she has a desire to put it right. I hope that, in all the best ways, my daughter turns out to be “a little bit naughty.”