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Ashley Directs The Hunchback of Notre Dame at The University of Tampa


When I first proposed the idea of a fully student led production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, I was met with a lot of skepticism. This show has been a dream of mine for years and it kept seeming to slip through my fingers, but this time I was not going to let it go. It took a lot of work, perseverance, countless hours researching, emailing, meeting, and Lord knows how many times I listened to the soundtrack but man, was it worth it.


Working with 36 of the most incredible, talented, and dedicated students over these past weeks has been nothing short of life changing. To my creative team and crew: Sofia, Kylie, Skye, thank you for jumping right into this project with such enthusiasm and excitement. It is your dedication to your craft and willingness to share your time and talents with others that helped get this show on its feet.


To the pit: thank you for lending your musical talents to help bring this story to life. Music in musical theatre represents an outburst of emotions so strong that the characters on stage can no longer simply speak what they are feeling. You were the heart beat of our production and helped to give it such depth and life.


To my cast: I don’t know if you all understand my gratitude. I’ve tried to express it to you as best I can over these past few weeks and I don’t know if I will ever fully be able to thank you for what you did. You took a vision and with hard work and dedication, brought our story to life impacting not only our audience, but myself as well. A LOT of challenges were thrown at us, but you just stuck by my side as we overcame them as a team, as a creative family, with such professionalism and grace. You put your trust in me. I know what I was asking was a lot but you pulled it off and did the most important job of an artist: you told a story that inspired thought, conversation, and love in our audience.


To everyone who came out to support our production: thank you. I am more grateful than you understand. Never in my wildest dreams could I have foreseen getting to share my vision for this story with a standing room only audience. An extra special shout out to those of you who STOOD for two hours straight because that just showed me you were invested in what we had to share and willing to go the extra mile to see it through to the end.


Quasimodo was scared to break rules and question the authority of Frollo for years. It wasn’t until he trusted his instincts and took a leap of faith that he got to experience life out there. And it wasn’t all sunshine, daises, and strolls by the Seine. But he had to follow his dream, and I had to follow mine. This production and process was hard. We faced challenges and set backs, but instead of giving into them, learned to embrace the obstacles and let them guide me through the experience.


Phoebus was looking for some Rest & Recreation, Esmeralda was searching for Someday, Clopin sought for acceptance, Quasimodo yearned for Heaven’s Light, and, well, I don’t think I can necessarily apply what Frollo wanted in this situation, but for all of those others, Friday gave me a taste of what that all must feel like: to watch a dream become reality.


Hunchback: you will be a show I never forget.


To view our virtual program:



To view our production photos:





For a glimpse into Friday Night:




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