My name is Sandy Apps and I am so excited to be directing Getting to Know, SOUND OF MUSIC! I have lived in the valley for 28 years with my husband Jeff (financial advisor by day/rockstar by night) and my three kids, Christian (a graduate of CU Boulder), Nick (a junior and decathlete at Western Colorado University in Gunnison), and Libby (a junior at Red Canyon).

My day job, which I love, is being a full time real estate broker for the last 28 years. Currently I am a broker at Engel & Volkers in Vail and Beaver Creek. As a parent of three HPS alumni, I began my love for HPS theater nine years ago when my daughter Libby had her first role as a fork in Beauty and the Beast which culminated her HPS career as Ursula in Little Mermaid (so fun!)

As a former high school theater and band geek, I casually dipped my toe in and began volunteering here and there in Libby’s productions. Then the theater bug bit me hard! I am not much of a skier or outdoor athlete and I had flexibility with my day job so I began doing the costumes, props and sets which eventually led me to producing 6 HPS productions. (While many of you are out on a powder day, I get my kicks sewing furry costumes. Weird Huh?!)

I have had the most fun working with the kids here at HPS and getting to express my creativity along the way. Over the last nine years I have also had the privilege to observe 5 great directors and the gifts they each brought to the table at HPS. With the encouragement of the PTA Drama Club members, my husband, my kids and my sister in law, I realized that HPS theater was not quite something I was willing to move on from. I realized I had found “my thing” in the Vail Valley. I learned that this little theater program is my passion and that I was ready to take my turn at directing. And what an amazing adventure I took with the kids two years ago, directing my first production, The Lion King Jr. The show was a huge smash and I had the time of my life working with the kids and bringing the show to life. I took the journey again and directed Shrek Jr. in 2019 which was amazing!!! Fortunately we were able to perform in December prior to Covid hitting.

AND THEN THE THEATER WENT DARK. ALL OVER THE WORLD. And truly I felt enormous loss and sadness at the thought of not seeing through a production in the 2020/2021 school year. I have worked with most of these special 8th graders since they were 8 years old and the thought of them not having their last show was depressing. Quietly behind the scenes I have been researching this opportunity to perform at the Gerald Ford Amphitheater and what seemed like a long shot just continued to fall into place. Like it was meant to be.

So it is with great joy, and I will not lie, some fear that I write you this letter. I will be fully vaccinated on March 18th so the fear of getting sick from the kids has subsided slightly. I guess it is more a fear of the “what ifs” and the “unknowns”. I appreciate you once again taking this journey with me and I appreciate your faith, your willingness to volunteer, your optimism, your flexibility and every other personal attribute that will make this year a possibility. The bottom line is that it is all about the kids, and they are so worth the journey.

Here is to an amazing season!