Wilton High School Theatre has teamed up with the Wilton Garden Club on a new community project inspired by this week’s production of the heartwarming musical, Big Fish.
The initiative, called the Golden Encore Project, invites audiences to purchase “virtual daffodils” in the week leading up to as well as in the lobby immediately prior to performances on Friday-Sunday, May 16-18, at the Clune Center for the Arts. Daffodils are a key part of the Big Fish plot, and the show also features themes of imagination, family, legacy and the beauty of life’s fleeting moments — making it the perfect inspiration for a project that celebrates growth, memory, and renewal.
The money raised will go toward planting real daffodil bulbs near the Wilton High School sign by the senior parking lot on Rte. 7. The bulbs will be planted this fall and will bloom each spring as a reminder of the role the arts and local partnerships play in Wilton life.
The project builds on the Garden Club’s Golden Miles Program, which aimed to plant 15,000 daffodils around Wilton in honor of the club’s 100th anniversary. That goal was reached last year, and now the idea continues with help from a new generation.
“Big Fish is a show about how the stories we tell — and the things we plant — can live on beyond us,” Wilton High School Theatre Arts Director Kathryn Luckstone said . “This partnership allows our students to quite literally plant their legacy into the community.”
Laurie Musilli of the Wilton Garden Club agreed. “The spirit of this project is so aligned with our mission — beautifying Wilton while involving young people in something lasting and meaningful. We’re thrilled to be working with the theater program.”
The virtual daffodils are available to purchase now on the Big Fish page of the Wilton High School Theater website. For each dollar donated, approximately 50 cents will go towards the purchase of a daffodil and the remainder will support the theater program. The real daffodils will be planted on Saturday, Oct. 18, by students, families, and community volunteers.
Be the Hero of Your Story: Community Stories Wanted
Alongside the daffodil project, Wilton High School Theatre is also inviting the public to share personal stories as part of a second initiative tied to Big Fish.
The musical’s lead character, Edward Bloom, is known for telling larger-than-life stories filled with magic, love and adventure. Inspired by that theme, the Theatre Arts Association is collecting short stories from audience members and the community — funny, heartfelt or fantastical — to be featured in the show’s lobby display. The goal is to highlight the creativity, imagination, and experiences that shape who we are.
Submissions can be made through a form on the Big Fish show page.
Both initiatives reflect the message at the heart of Big Fish: our lives are made up of the stories we tell and the memories we leave behind.
Tickets for Big Fish are available now online.