“He can act and he can sing and he can dance.”

“There's only one other person in the world who can do all that, and that's Barbra Streisand.”

-Steve Stark (played by Michael Hitchcock) speaking about Corky St. Clair in Waiting for Guffman

Well, there might be at least two other people who can do all of that (and more!) if you include Michael Hitchcock who stopped by his old stomping grounds at the Theatre of Western Springs to chat with our students last Friday afternoon.

An alumnus of LTHS, Michael was active in the Children’s Theatre of Western Springs many moons ago. Since that time, he’s achieved great success as a writer, actor, and improviser. Lucky for us, he’s still a pretty down to earth guy who appreciates the years he spent at CTWS.

While our students would have been pleased simply to meet a celebrity, they were even more impressed to discover that Michael’s experience at the Children’s Theatre of Western Springs was not unlike their own. A community of young actors combined with a faculty that cares about students’ learning made for a great foundation for kids back in the 1970s and we’re still working to build that foundation for students today.

Michael is an incredibly generous guy, and he’s stopped by to visit our students a couple of times over the years just to chat, lead an improv session, or offer advice if they want it. Sure, he’s a writer on Glee and an actor in all sorts of films and TV shows. But Michael is also a guy who his old CTWS teachers still think of as one of their “kids,” and he’ll always be a part of the Children’s Theatre of Western Springs no matter where he goes.