Valley View has a lengthy history of drama productions. In recent years we have taken advantage of our small yet well-equipped theater to produce everything from one-act plays to full length musicals. For the past three years we have had John and Linda Tomasi serve as directors. The Tomasis run their own community theater company in Hardwick, MA under the name of the Gilbert Players. This company has developed a solid reputation for creating shows with a high degree of talent and professionalism. In addition to the theater company, they have an extensive collection of costumes and props which are used in many theatrical productions in the area. Along with experience in set design and construction the Tomasis are a full service team. The quality of the productions at Valley View in the last three years has been highly regarded by all. In addition to directing at Valley View, the Tomasis are involved in artistic and musical direction at various area schools, ranging from elementary to high school and have worked with young people of all ages.
In their own words: "When we were approached by Valley View School to direct a show for them we were not sure what to expect. We were given a brief summary of the school's program and what we might encounter from the students. We selected Beauty and the Beast (a MUSICAL!!) as our first show and were told by the kids that none of them could sing or fully memorize lines! We said, "No" and proceeded to teach them their songs (they really COULD sing), and to tell them that memorization was vital to the show. The boys came through with flying colors and did excellent work. Our importing of several girls for the female parts helped out a bit I'm sure! What we have found, is that these boys are capable of amazing things when they are challenged to do so. We challenge them to produce a top notch production that they can be proud of and try to make them realize that only by working together can this happen. It is so gratifying to watch this process develop, to see what they can do, what they can learn, what they can teach each other. We try to laugh often during rehearsals and have a relaxed yet hard work oriented atmosphere. We let the boys be themselves, and then let them develop a character that is often different from themselves. Our overall experience has been very positive. We seldom if ever have encountered problems with any of the boys and continue to see good things come out of this experience for all concerned. We look forward to continuing these activities and perhaps expanding the program in some ways in the future. There is certainly no lack of talent in these young people. It just needs to be coaxed out of them and put to use. It has also been great to get feedback from a number of youngsters who have moved on from Valley View to report that they got the "acting bug" while here and continued their participation in the performing arts at their next school. We have seen the pride and the joy in the faces of boys who succeeded when they believed they could not. It's wonderful...." - John & Linda Tomasi