The international touring cast of “Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical” spends time greeting Sanford students following their recent school-time show at SPAC.
Photo: Brett Wiliams
By: Brett Williams, Artistic & Managing Director, Sanford Performing Arts Center
Ten years ago, on January 13, 2015, the voters of Sanford and Springvale made a bold, visionary decision. By approving state funding for a new Sanford High School and Sanford Regional Technical Center—and voting to invest an additional $10 million in athletic facilities and a performing arts center—you laid the foundation for something extraordinary.
Since opening our doors in December 2018, Sanford Performing Arts Center has grown into York County’s epicenter for the arts. We’ve hosted thousands of events—national touring productions, musical theater, concerts, graduation ceremonies, dance competitions, lectures, community events, and more. It’s nearly impossible to imagine our community without SPAC now. We’ve grown into it—and it has grown into us.
The cast of “Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical” wrapped up their international tour with two school time performances at SPAC.
Photo: Brett Wiliams
I was reminded of this last week when we welcomed two school-day performances by the acclaimed TheaterWorks USA. On May 13, every Sanford student in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st grade saw Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus: The Musical—for free. Just a few days later, every student in grades 2 through 4 experienced Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical, also for free. Both productions, based on beloved children’s books, were bursting with energy, laughter, and joy.
As one Assistant Principal wrote to us afterward: “I just wanted to share how wonderful this morning’s show was! Our students were enthralled and I loved how their laughter was echoing through the halls of the high school. The play was hilarious and captivated students’ attention from start to finish. Wasn’t it great how at the conclusion the students gave such a roaring round of applause that it prompted a second bow from the performers? Thank you for a truly memorable experience!”
Moments like that aren’t rare anymore—they’ve become part of our students’ educational experience and that matters. Because the arts aren’t just enrichment—they’re essential. They help us understand ourselves and one another. They nurture empathy, imagination, and expression. The performing arts speak to what makes us human. Just like math builds logic and science fuels discovery, the arts shape hearts, voices, and minds. Our students are growing up knowing that the arts belong at the very center of a whole, well-rounded education. When we bring school time shows to our stage, we’re sending a message to every student who walks through the doors: The arts are important. You are important. And this community believes in investing in both.
Sanford audiences have grown alongside the Sanford Performing Arts Center. As the curtain has risen on show after show, so too has our community’s cultural literacy. We’ve become not just consumers of the arts, but champions of them—welcoming, appreciating, and understanding the power of live performance. Today, SPAC is a true destination. Audiences routinely travel well over an hour to attend our events, drawn by our reputation for excellence.
To the taxpayers who made this possible – thank you. Your investment in education and the arts has more than paid off and it will continue to reap dividends for generations to come. I hope you’re proud of yourself, Sanford. Because I sure am.
The post I Hope You’re Proud of Yourself, Sanford appeared first on Sanford Springvale News.
