‘Catch Me If You Can’ author surprises Ringgold thespians with appearance, check
After performing an encore production of the musical adaptation of Frank Abagnale Jr.’s “Catch Me If You Can” on Monday night to a soldout audience, student actors at Ringgold High School in Georgia were thrilled to learn they’d raised more than $18,000 for Save the Children relief efforts in Ukraine.
Then they got a further surprise when director Jané Cirlot Ellis told the students and the crowd a surprise guest was on hand to present one more check. That’s when Abagnale himself walked out on stage with a check for $10,000.
He was there for the soldout show at the invitation of Mark Edwards, whose daughter, Meg, a junior, was in the play. Edwards is in the public relations business and had reached out to Abagnale through his agent a couple of weeks ago after the school announced it would present an encore performance following a successful four-show run and that proceeds would go to Save the Children.
“He reached out right away,” Edwards said by phone, “and I wrote back that the only thing better would be if he showed up to see it himself. He said he and his wife Kelly were already making plans.”
Edwards had to keep it a secret, however, because Abagnale told him he didn’t want to disappoint people if he was called away for business, and he didn’t want the students to be nervous knowing he was in the audience.
Ellis, who teaches choir and musical theater at Ringgold, said by phone that the students came up with the idea of doing an encore performance and making it a fundraiser.
“We thought we could sell out the theater and with our expenses being low with some donated lighting and sound, we could maybe raise $10,000,” she said. “That was our initial goal, and we thought that was high.”
Parents got involved also, she said, and between them and the students selling sponsorships and program ads, more than $18,000 was raised. Abagnale’s appearance and check made the night “even more unbelievable and a oncein-a-lifetime event,” she added.
Abagnale stayed for about an hour after the play, meeting and doing a question-and-answer session with the students, Mark Edwards said.
“Catch Me If You Can” is based on the story of Abagnale’s adventures while seeking fame and fortune as a teenager who ran away from home. He traveled the world using his charm and imagination to help fund his exploits by writing millions of dollars in forged checks, and along the way posed as a pilot, a doctor and a lawyer.
Edwards’ wife, Julie, said by phone that her daughter, Meg, was especially moved to not only do the encore performance but to want to help raise money for Ukraine.
“She kept coming home from rehearsal saying, ‘Mom, people ought to know about this play,’” she said.
Julie Edwards, who hosts and produces “3 Plus You” at WRCB-TV 3, said she explained to her daughter that like any good news story, there had to be a compelling reason for people to be interested, and Meg found that after seeing a TikTok report of a teenager being killed during the fighting in Ukraine.
“She couldn’t stop talking about it,” Edwards said of her daughter.
All of the funds raised Monday will go to Ukrainian relief efforts by Save the Children, which says 85% of all the donations go directly to Ukraine to assist with the needs of children and their families.
Ellis said the experience has “already had us talking about what we can do next year.”