Festival of Music

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Setting

Songs & Scenes

FESTIVAL OF MUSIC

HIGH SCHOOL WIND ENSEMBLE

Choose Joy…………………………………………………………..…….….........Randall Standridge

LAKER JAZZ

Pennsylvania 6-5000…………………………………………………...……..…arr. Rick Stitzel Soloists - Noah Chen and Tristian Nguyen Beachfront Bossa………………………………………………..………….…….Bruce Pearson Soloists - Maya Sogawa, Alexandra Lang, and Anya Agnihotri Tank!…………………………………………………………………….……........…..arr. Paul Murtha Soloists - John Rafferty and Andrew Ribarich

BEGINNING BAND

Starfire Fanfare…………………………………………………...…...……..Randall Standridge Moonlight Bliss…………………………………………………………...………..…Adrian Sims The Tempest…………………………………………………………...……..….Robert W Smith

INTERMEDIATE BAND

Darklands March…..…………………………………………………...….....Randall Standridge Crystal Moon………………………………………………………..……………Larry Clark Byzantine Dances……………………………………………..……......……Carol Brittin Chambers

HIGH SCHOOL WIND ENSEMBLE

Amparito Roca………………………………………………………...….………arr. Gary Fagan Hymn for Band……………………………………………………………….…..Hugh Stuart Nathan Hale Trilogy (Mvt. 3).......................................................James Curnow

AWARDS AND SENIOR RECOGNITION

All-Director Award Patrick S Gilmore Award Louis Armstrong Award Sousa Award John Philip Sousa Award Senior Recognition

FINALE SONG

Special Thanks to the following piano students for providing both pre-show and transitional music during the concert:

Luca Chen, Xingyue Chen, Christian Hawkins, Kaua Pimental, Yetong Qian, and Ricky Yu

One Act (No Intermission)

Festival Of Music

HIGH SCHOOL WIND ENSEMBLE

Choose Joy…………………………………………………………..…….….......Randall Standridge

LAKER JAZZ

Pennsylvania 6-5000…………………………………………………...…….arr. Rick Stitzel Soloists - Noah Chen and Tristian Nguyen Beachfront Bossa………………………………………………..…………....Bruce Pearson Soloists - Maya Sogawa, Alexandra Lang, and Anya Agnihotri Tank!…………………………………………………………………….……….....arr. Paul Murtha Soloists - John Rafferty and Andrew Ribarich

BEGINNING BAND

Darklands March…..…………………………………………………...……Randall Standridge Crystal Moon………………………………………………………..…………..Larry Clark Byzantine Dances……………………………………………..…………......Carol Brittin Chambers

HIGH SCHOOL WIND ENSEMBLE

Amparito Roca………………………………………………………...….….....arr. Gary Fagan Hymn for Band……………………………………………………………….….Hugh Stuart Nathan Hale Trilogy (Mvt. 3)......................................................James Curnow

AWARDS AND SENIOR RECOGNITION

All-Director Award Patrick S Gilmore Award Louis Armstrong Award Sousa Award John Philip Sousa Award Senior Recognition

Finale Song

Special Thanks to the following piano students for providing both pre-show and transitional music during the concert:

Luca Chen, Xingyue Chen, Christian Hawkins, Kaua Pimental, Yetong Qian, and Ricky Yu

Production Staff

Band Director

Joe Stone

Band Director

Joshua Nelson

Technical Director

Nick Prowse

Venue Staff

School Administration Staff

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Musicians

Laker Jazz

Saxophone

John Rafferty - Alto 1 Tristian Nguyen - Alto 2 Oluseyi Adeleye - Alto 2 Zerui (Jerry) Yu - Alto 2 Arjun Bajpai - Tenor Sax Alex Lang - Bari Sax Michella Bautista - Clarinet 1

Rhythm Section

Brock Pitman - Lead Set Tres Redman - 2nd Set Matias Avalos - 3rd Set Rowan Yousef - 4th Set Zinuo Xu - Piano 1 Phillip Zhu - Piano 2 Garrett Rivera - Vibes Maya Sogawa - Vibes Jihan (Brian) Piao - Guitar Lucas Golden - Lead Bass Xingyue Chen - Keyboard Bass Winston Pan - Keyboard Bass

Trumpet

Anya Agnihotri - 1st Andrew Ribarich - 2nd Usman Ahmed - 3rd Noah Chen - 4th

Trombone

Amir Harmouch - 1st Sam Funk - Bass Trombone

Beginning Band

Flute

Nora Armor Julia Saft

French Horn

Eric Han Zain Samaroo

Clarinet

Evaleigh Dodd Kabir Mehra Isabella Sanchez Ryan Steinberg

Trombone

Austin Cheng Isabella Christenson Enzo Loyola Justin Ong Manuel Saavedra Micha Spartz

High School Wind Ensemble

Flute

Asmi Joshi Bernice Pan Alexander Salamon Hallie Stokes *Yike (Nicole) Wang

Trumpet

Anya Agnihotri Noah Chen Andrew Ribarich

String

Yinan Jiang Neal Kurupati

Trombone

Amir Harmouch

Clarinet

*Graham Bosak

Tuba

*James Funk Clement (Buckley) Newbold

Alto Sax

*Oluseyi Adeleye Tristian Nguyen *John Rafferty

Percussion

Winston Pan Thomas Redman III Garrett Rivera *Aryan Verma Zi Any (Josiah) Wang Zinuo Xu

Tenor Sax

Arjun Bajpai

Intermediate Band

Flute

Aviva Braun Sasha Campbell Elena Fujinaga Luiz Pizani

Oboe/String

Violet Elizondo (Viola) Xander Yacktman (Oboe)

Clarinet

Michella Bautista Nicole Chin Anaya Haroon Bailey Adeleye Rahil Patel Zy Soto Rodriguez

Bass Clarinet

Gavin Funk

Alto Sax

Alexandra Lang Mary Jane Skelin Keyan Almalki Perry Millender

Tenor Sax

Alina Naqvi

Bari Sax

Seamus Mathews

Trumpet

Jibraan Khan Cayman Conibear Liam Davies Ramsey Harmouch Salman Kwaja Aidan Small

Trombone

Anthony DeBello Lucas McKenzie

Euphonium

Elizabeth Yacktman

Percussion

Yerong (Amy) Qian Aarna Verma Rowan Yousef Luca Chen Nathan Purdue Maya Sogawa Clarie Yang Xiyao Zhang

Beginning Band

Flute

Nora Armor Julia Saft

French Horn

Eric Han Zain Samaroo

Clarinet

Evaleigh Dodd Kabir Mehra Isabella Sanchez Ryan Steinberg

Trombone

Austin Cheng Isabella Christenson Enzo Loyola Justin Ong Manuel Saavedra Micha Spartz

Alto Sax

Abhiraj Desai Luiz Pizani Sydney Schoedler Alice Spekla

Trumpet

Kaiden Coxe Caleb Pereira Luka Shrake Benjamin Sinoff Tiago Souza

Percussion

Gaby Parra Andrew Pokras Ashton Rahter Jiaxu (Verlin) Zhang

HS Wind Ensemble

Flute

Asmi Joshi Bernice Pan Alexander Salamon Hallie Stokes *Yike (Nicole) Wang

Trumpet

Anya Agnihotri Noah Chen Andrew Ribarich

String

Yinan Jiang Neal Kurupati

Trombone

Amir Harmouch

Clarinet

*Graham Bosak

Tuba

*James Funk Clement (Buckley) Newbold

Alto Sax

*Oluseyi Adeleye Tristian Nguyen *John Rafferty

Percussion

Winston Pan Thomas Redman III Garrett Rivera *Aryan Verma Zi Any (Josiah) Wang Zinuo Xu

Tenor Sax

Arjun Bajpai

Intermediate Band

Flute

Aviva Braun Sasha Campbell Elena Fujinaga Luiz Pizani

Bari Sax

Seamus Mathews

Oboe/String

Xander Yacktman Violet Elizondo

Trumpet

Jibraan Khan Cayman Conibear Liam Davies Ramsey Harmouch Salman Kwaja Aidan Small

Clarinet

Michella Bautista Nicole Chin Anaya Haroon Bailey Adeleye Rahil Patel Zy Soto Rodriguez

Trombone

Anthony DeBello Lucas McKenzie

Bass Clarinet

Gavin Funk

Euphonium

Elizabeth Yacktman

Alto Sax

Alexandra Lang Mary Jane Skelin Keyan Almalki Perry Millender

Percussion

Yerong (Amy) Qian Aarna Verma Rowan Yousef Luca Chen Nathan Purdue Maya Sogawa Clarie Yang Xiyao Zhang

Tenor Sax

Alina Naqvi

Board Members

Student Advisory Board

Credits

Lighting equipment from PRG Lighting, sound equipment from Sound Associates, rehearsed at The Public Theater’s Rehearsal Studios. Developed as part of Irons in the Fire at Fault Line Theatre in New York City.

Special Thanks

to our soloists on this concerts providing our transition music.

*Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

“Actors’ Equity Association (“Equity”), founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 actors and stage managers, Equity fosters the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors’ Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an International organization of performing arts unions. www.actorsequity.org

United Scenic Artists ● Local USA 829 of the I.A.T.S.E represents the Designers & Scenic Artists for the American Theatre

ATPAM, the Association of Theatrical Press Agents & Managers (IATSE Local 18032), represents the Press Agents, Company Managers, and Theatre Managers employed on this production.

Director of Fine Arts

Thank you for being here tonight for the Festival of Music Concert. Toinght we salute the musicians in our WPS Music Department. Their talent, hours of practice, hardwork and commitment will be evident in tonight's performance. We thank Mr. Stone & Mr. Nelson for sharing their talents with our students.

As you watch tonight's performance, please enjoy the projections from our brand new projector generously purchased by our "Families of the Arts". Their generosity has allowed for the purchase of this projector for our WPS Fine Arts department and school community. To help us continue to elevate the Fine Arts experience at WPS we encourage you join our "Families of the Arts" program. Please reach to the Director of Fine Arts, Rosemarie Redman or email rosemarie.redman@windermereprep.com for more information and thank you!

Meet the Cast

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Meet the Team

Joe Stone

*

Director of Bands

(

)

Pronouns:

Joe Stone is currently the Director of Bands at Windermere Preparatory School. Joe is responsible for teaching the 5th grade Band, Beginning Band, Intermediate Band, High School Wind Ensemble, and the Laker Jazz Band with Mr. Josh Nelson. Along with this, Mr. Stone also manages the private lessons program, is the fine arts budgetary assistant, and the lead for Middle School Fine Arts. Mr. Stone holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Western Kentucky University and is working on his Masters in Organizational Leadership at Florida Tec

Joshua Nelson

*

Band Director

(

)

Pronouns:

Joshua Nelson is currently enjoying his 21st year as a band director and music educator. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Indiana State University and a Master of Education from the University of West Florida. He currently serves as the High School Fine Arts Chair and Music Department Chair and teaches IB Music and Guitar. He also directs the Jazz Band along with Mr. Joe Stone.

Media

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2021 National Touring Cast

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While You Wait

With the help of our friends at Theatrely.com, Marquee Digital has you covered with exclusive content while you wait for the curtain to rise.

PADDINGTON THE MUSICAL Is Headed To Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre, And Thank Goodness

Kobi Kassal

June 16, 2026

45th Street is about to be filled with marmalade! This morning, it was announced that Paddington The Musical will head to Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre next spring, beginning Tuesday, March 30, 2027 ahead of a Sunday, April 18 official opening. The smash hit musical, which took home seven Olivier Awards this past April, has become the most awarded new musical in the history of London’s West End.

Based on the beloved “A Bear Called Paddington” written by Michael Bond and the award-winning film ‘PADDINGTON,’ by special arrangement with STUDIOCANAL, Paddington The Musical features music and lyrics by Olivier Award winner Tom Fletcher, a book by Olivier Award winner Jessica Swale and direction by Olivier Award winner Luke Sheppard.

A small, lost bear from Peru arrives in London in search of a place to call home. A chance encounter with the Browns leads him into an unexpected world of adventure, where kindness has the power to change lives and strangers can become family.

But London isn’t all afternoon tea and friendly faces—and even the seemingly happiest of families can have cracks beneath the surface. So, when a mysterious and vengeful villain sets her sights on Paddington, the Browns embark on a thrilling rescue mission, realizing they need this special bear as much as he needs them.

"It has been the greatest adventure of my career to be entrusted with bringing Paddington's story to life on stage alongside my brilliant creative collaborators Jessica, Luke and our producers Sonia and Eliza. The response from West End audiences of all ages has been unlike anything I've ever experienced. It's a great privilege to welcome New York audiences into Paddington's world of curiosity and I am absolutely thrilled at the opportunity for this very rare and special bear to be on Broadway,” said composer Tom Fletcher.

The new musical features musical supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Olivier Award nominee Matt Brind; choreography by Tony and Olivier Award nominee Ellen Kane; scenic design by Olivier Award winner and Tony Award nominee Tom Pye; costume design by Tony and Olivier Award winner Gabriella Slade; Paddington and puppet design by Olivier Award winner Tahra Zafar; lighting design by Tony and Olivier Award winner Neil Austin; sound design by Tony and Olivier Award winner Gareth Owen; video design and animation by Olivier Award winner Ash J Woodward; hair, wig and makeup design by Campbell Young Associates; casting by Jim Carnahan Casting, Jim Carnahan, CSA. and Jason Thinger, CSA; and Paddington Casting Consultant Annabelle Davis.

Tickets start at $69 and are now on sale at broadway.paddingtonthemusical.com

Billy Crystal’s 860 To Play Broadway’s Imperial Theatre This Fall

Alan Koolik

June 15, 2026

Billy is back! Today, it was announced that Billy Crystal’s new one-man show, 860, directed by Scott Ellis, will play a limited 14-week engagement at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre. Beginning Thursday, October 1, 2026, an official opening night is set for Wednesday, October 21, 2026.

In the aftermath of the Palisades fires which took his home, Billy reflects on his family and his career – the memories and moments that mattered the most, and how the power of laughter can overcome the most difficult of times. 860 is a hilarious and intimate story about family, friendship, love, luck, and loss.

The complete creative team will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets will be on sale to the general public beginning Thursday, June 18, 2026, at 10am ET at Telecharge.com

Crystal was last seen on Broadway in 2022 for Mr. Saturday Night.

SPRING AWAKENING Is Heading Off-Broadway This Fall And Theatre Kids Everywhere Are Freaking Out

Kobi Kassal

June 10, 2026

It was the Instagram post heard around midtown yesterday afternoon. Just before 5pm on the Seaview grid, 5 words were posted and group chats around the country started blowing up.

“One day all will know.”

Everyone knew what it meant and now we have confirmation. It was announced that Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik’s beloved Spring Awakening will return to New York this fall Off-Broadway at Studio Seaview directed by Tony Award winner Danya Taymor. The Tony and Olivier-winning musical will be choreographed by Celia Rowlson-Hall, in her theatrical debut, with music supervision by Or Matias.

The musical will hold open call auditions on July 10 and July 11. Further details regarding the open call will be announced on the production's social media, @springawakeningmusical, at a later date.

This new production will bring Spring Awakening into an intimate Off-Broadway setting, returning the musical to the raw force and urgency of Frank Wedekind’s once-banned 1891 play. Feral, honest, compassionate, and unflinching, the production will explore the experience of young people caught between desire, repression, fear, and discovery — then and now.

The show debuted on Broadway in 2006 with future stars Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele and John Gallagher Jr., and was later revived in 2015 with Deaf West Theatre directed by Michael Arden.

For first access to tickets and more information about Spring Awakening, please visit springawakeningmusical.com.

Theatrely News

EXCLUSIVE: Watch A Clip From THEATER CAMP Starring Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, and Molly Gordon

Theatrely News

READ: An Excerpt From Sean Hayes Debut YA Novel TIME OUT

Theatrely News

"Reframing the COVID-19 Pandemic Through a Stage Manager’s Eyes"

EXCLUSIVE: Watch A Clip From THEATER CAMP Starring Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, and Molly Gordon

By: Maia Penzer

14 July 2023

Finally, summer has arrived, which can only mean one thing: it's time for camp! Theater Camp, that is. Theatrely has a sneak peak at the new film which hits select theaters today.

The new original comedy starring Tony Award winner Ben Platt and Molly Gordon we guarantee will have you laughing non-stop. The AdirondACTS, a run-down theater camp in upstate New York, is attended by theater-loving children who must work hard to keep their beloved theater camp afloat after the founder, Joan, falls into a coma.

The film stars Ben Platt and Molly Gordon as Amos Klobuchar and Rebecca-Diane, respectively, as well as Noah Galvin as Glenn Wintrop, Jimmy Tatro as Troy Rubinsky, Patti Harrison as Caroline Krauss, Nathan Lee Graham as Clive DeWitt, Ayo Edebiri as Janet Walch, Owen Thiele as Gigi Charbonier, Caroline Aaron as Rita Cohen, Amy Sedaris as Joan Rubinsky, and Alan Kim as Alan Park.

Theater Camp was directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman and written by Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman & Ben Platt. Music is by James McAlister and Mark Sonnenblick. On January 21, 2023, Theater Camp had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

You can purchase tickets to the new film from our friends at Hollywood.com here.

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READ: An Excerpt From Sean Hayes Debut YA Novel TIME OUT

By: Kobi Kassal

29 May 2023

Actor Sean Hayes is what we in the biz call booked and blessed. On top of his Tony-nominated performance as Oscar Levant in Good Night, Oscar, Hayes has partnered with Todd Milliner and Carlyn Greenwald for the release of their new YA novel Time Out.

Heralded by many as Heartstopper meets Friday Night Lights, Time Out follows hometown basketball hero Barclay Elliot who decides to use a pep rally to come out to his school. When the response is not what he had hoped and the hostility continually growing, he turns to his best friend Amy who brings him to her voting rights group at school. There he finds Christopher and… you will just have to grab a copy and find out what happens next. Luckily for you, Time Out hits shelves on May 30 and to hold you over until then we have a special except from the book just for Theatrely:

The good thing about not being on the team the past two weeks has been that I’ve had time to start picking up shifts again at Beau’s diner and save up a little for college now that my scholarship dreams are over.

The bad part is it’s the perfect place to see how my actions at the pep rally have rotted the townspeople’s brains too.

During Amy’s very intense musical theater phase in middle school, her parents took her to New York City. And of course she came back home buzzing about Broadway and how beautiful the piss smell was and everything artsy people say about New York. But she also vividly described some diner she waited three hours to get into where the waitstaff would all perform songs for the customers as a way to practice for auditions. The regulars would have favorite staff members and stan them the way Amy stans all her emo musicians.

Working at Beau’s used to feel kind of like that, like I was part of a performance team I didn’t know I signed up for. The job started off pretty basic over the summer—I wanted to save up for basketball supplies, and Amy worked there and said it was boring ever since her e-girl coworker friend graduated. But I couldn’t get through a single lunch rush table without someone calling me over and wanting the inside scoop on the Wildcats and how we were preparing for the home opener, wanting me to sign an article in the paper or take a photo. Every friendly face just made the resolve grow inside me. People love and support the Wildcats; they would do the same for me.

Yeah, right.

Now just like school, customers have been glaring at me, making comments about letting everyone down, about being selfish, about my actions being “unfortunate,” and the tips have been essentially nonexistent. The Wildcats have been obliterated in half their games since I quit, carrying a 2–3 record when last year we were 5–0, and the comments make my feet feel like lead weights I have to drag through every shift.

Today is no different. It’s Thursday, the usual dinner rush at Beau’s, and I try to stay focused on the stress of balancing seven milkshakes on one platter. A group of regulars, some construction workers, keep loudly wondering why I won’t come back to the team while I refuse proper eye contact.

One of the guys looks up at me as I drop the bill off. “So, what’s the deal? Does being queer keep ya from physically being able to play?”

They all snicker as they pull out crumpled bills. I stuff my hands into my pockets, holding my tongue.

When they leave, I hold my breath as I take their bill.

Sure enough, no tip.

“What the fuck?” I mutter under my breath.

“Language,” Amy says as she glides past me, imitating the way Richard says it to her every shift, and adds, “even though they are dicks.” At least Amy’s been ranting about it every free chance she gets. It was one thing when the student body was being shitty about me leaving the team, but the town being like this is even more infuriating. She doesn’t understand how these fully grown adults can really care that much about high school basketball and thinks they need a new fucking hobby. I finally agree with her.

[She’s wearing red lipstick to go with her raccoon-adjacent eyeliner as she rushes off to prepare milkshakes for a pack of middle schoolers. I catch her mid–death glare as all three of the kids rotate in their chairs, making the old things squeal. My anger fades a bit as I can’t help but chuckle; Amy’s pissed-off reaction to Richard telling her to smile more was said raccoon makeup, and her tolerance for buffoonery has been at a negative five to start and declining fast.

I rest my arms on the counter and try not to look as exhausted as I feel.

“Excuse me!” an old lady screeches, making me jump.

Amy covers up a laugh as I head to the old lady and her husband’s table. They’ve got finished plates, full waters. Not sure what the problem is. Or I do, which is worse.

“Yes?” I say trying to suppress my annoyance.

“Could you be bothered to serve us?”

Only five more hours on shift. I have a break in three minutes. I’ll be with Devin at Georgia Tech tomorrow. “I’m sorry, ma’am,” I say, so careful to keep my words even, but I can feel my hands balling into fists. “What would you—?”

And suddenly Amy swoops in, dropping two mugs of coffee down. “Sorry about that, you two,” she says, her voice extra high. “The machine was conking out on us, but it’s fine now.”

Once the coffee is down, she hooks onto a chunk of my shirt, steering us back to the bar.

“Thanks,” I mutter, embarrassed to have forgotten something so basic. Again.

“Just keep it together, man,” she says. “Maybe you’d be better off with that creepy night shift where all the truckers and serial killers come in.”

Honestly, at least the serial killers wouldn’t care about my jump shot.

It’s a few minutes before my break, but clearly I need it. “I’ll be in the back room.”

Right before I can head that way though, someone straight-up bursts into the diner and rushes over to me at the bar. It’s a middle-aged dad type, sunburned skin, beer belly, and stained T-shirt.

“Pickup order?” I ask.

“You should be ashamed,” he sneers at me. He has a really strong Southern accent, but it’s not Georgian. “Think you’re so high and mighty, that nothing’ll ever affect you? My kid’ll never go to college because of you and your lifestyle. Fuck you, Barclay Ell—”

And before this man can finish cursing my name, Pat of all people runs in, wide-eyed in humiliation. “Jesus, Dad, please don’t—”

I pin my gaze on him, remembering how he cowered on the bench as Ostrowski went off, how he didn’t even try to approach me. “Don’t even bother,” I snap.

I shove a to-go bag into his dad’s arms, relieved it’s prepaid, and storm off to the break room.]

Amy finds me head in my arms a minute or two later. I look up, rubbing my eyes. “Please spare me the pity.”

She snorts and hands me a milkshake. Mint chocolate chip. “Wouldn’t dare.” She takes a seat and rolls her shoulders and neck, cracks sounding through the tiny room. “Do you want a distraction or a shoulder to cry on?”

For more information, and to purchase your copy of Time Out, click here.

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Reframing the COVID-19 Pandemic Through a Stage Manager’s Eyes

By: Kaitlyn Riggio

5 July 2022

When the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency in the United States in March 2020, Broadway veteran stage manager Richard Hester watched the nation’s anxiety unfold on social media.

“No one knew what the virus was going to do,” Hester said. Some people were “losing their minds in abject terror, and then there were some people who were completely denying the whole thing.”

For Hester, the reaction at times felt like something out of a movie. “It was like the Black Plague,” he said. “Some people thought it was going to be like that Monty Python sketch: ‘bring out your dead, bring out your dead.’”

While Hester was also unsure about how the virus would unfold, he felt that his “job as a stage manager is to naturally defuse drama.” Hester brought this approach off the stage and onto social media in the wake of the pandemic.

“I just sort of synthesized everything that was happening into what I thought was a manageable bite, so people could get it,” Hester said. This became a daily exercise for a year. Over two years after the beginning of the pandemic, Hester’s accounts are compiled in the book, Hold Please: Stage Managing A Pandemic. Released earlier this year, the book documents the events of the past two years, filtering national events and day-to-day occurrences through a stage manager’s eyes and storytelling.

When Hester started this project, he had no intention of writing a book. He was originally writing every day because there was nothing else to do. “I am somebody who needs a job or needs a structure,” Hester said.

Surprised to find that people began expecting his daily posts, he began publishing his daily writing to his followers through a Substack newsletter. As his following grew, Hester had to get used to writing for an audience. “I started second guessing myself a lot of the time,” Hester said. “It just sort of put a weird pressure on it.”

Hester said he got especially nervous before publishing posts in which he wrote about more personal topics. For example, some of his posts focused on his experiences growing up in South Africa while others centered on potentially divisive topics, such as the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Despite some of this discomfort, Hester’s more personal posts were often the ones that got the most response. The experience offered him a writing lesson. “I stopped worrying about the audience and just wrote what I wanted to write about,” Hester said. “All of that pressure that I think as artists we put on ourselves, I got used to it.”

One of Hester’s favorite anecdotes featured in the book centers on a woman who dances in Washington Square Park on a canvas, rain or shine. He said he was “mesmerized by her,” which inspired him to write about her. “It was literally snowing and she was barefoot on her canvas dancing, and that seems to me just a spectacularly beautiful metaphor for everything that we all try and do, and she was living that to the fullest.”

During the creation of Hold Please, Hester got the unique opportunity to reflect in-depth on the first year of the pandemic by looking back at his accounts. He realized that post people would not remember the details of the lockdown; people would “remember it as a gap in their lives, but they weren’t going to remember it beat by beat.”

“Reliving each of those moments made me realize just how full a year it was, even though none of us were doing anything outside,” he adds. “We were all on our couches.” Readers will use the book as a way to relive moments of the pandemic’s first year “without having to wallow in the misery of it,” he hopes.

“I talk about the misery of it, but that’s not the focus of what I wrote... it was about hope and moving forward,” Hester said. “In these times when everything is so difficult, we will figure out a way to get through and we will move forward.”

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