Meet Ms. McGery!!!
The New York Musical Festival (NYMF) is just 8 weeks away. And NUMBERS NERDS is ready!!! As you may recall, we are one of few invited productions chosen to participate in this year’s festival. The theatre assigned to us is amazing – The Peter J Sharp Theatre at Playwrights Horizon – right on 42nd Street. Our director is the incredibly talented Amber Mak (her production of DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID was one of year’s best!) And, we now have a full cast. Want to know who is playing the drama teacher turned janitor – Ms McGery?….First, let me remind you about who is Ms. McGery.
Ms. McGery has been the drama teacher at the all-girl Catholic school, in Waukesha, Wisconsin for over 15 years. She has built a solid reputation within the theatre community over these years. Her productions have been called “creative” and “inspiring”. Creative casting is where McGery excels. When audiences come to see her shows, they never quite know what to expect with an all-girl cast. She once cast an 80 pound Asian girl as Tevye in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. And, her production of GYPSY (with all mention of burlesque eliminated) is one for the history books.
When the nuns announced that the school would close as an all-girl Catholic school and re-open a few months later as a co-ed Charter School, Ms. McGery thought she would continue to teach drama to high school students, only this time with boys as well. She dreamed of doing productions of GUYS AND DOLLS (instead of DAMES AND DOLLS) and even MAN OF LA MANCHA (instead of LASS OF LA JOLLA). But, she quickly learned that her position had been eliminated. After not finding work all summer, she returned to the charter school and begged them to give her a job….any job. The only position available was janitor – which she took on the condition that she make this job – her own. So, she cleans the school with a “flair”.
Ms. McGery still LOVES the young women who have stayed on at Waukesha Charter and she’s a magical influence on our Numbers Nerds…. But you’ll have to see the show to learn about that.
We are extremely lucky to get the well-known TV and theatre professional, SHARON SACHS, has agreed to play the role of Ms. McGery. Read more about her here. I have included some pictures of Sharon. Don’t you think she just “embodies” McGery???
Larry Little
Producer