Welcome to westsidestory.com, the official West Side Story website! This is the place for you if you've ever been involved in or infatuated with West Side Story -- as an actor, singer, dancer, musician, producer, director, designer, crew or -- just as important -- as a fan. I myself have been a fan of West Side Story ever since my dad composed the score back in the fifties, when I was a little girl. I was too little to understand a lot of the story, but I loved it anyway. It can happen with a classic work that it will grow and unfold along with you over the course of your life. And so it was with me and West Side Story. At the age of ten, upon first seeing the film of West Side Story, I vowed I would see it ten times! By now, I've seen West Side Story more times and more ways than I can count: in three different Broadway theatres, in regional theatres all over the country, in movie houses, on video, in schools, in a punk rock version, in a one-woman version by Cher (!), and most recently, at the illustrious La Scala opera house in Milan, Italy, where the blue jeans and fire escapes onstage made a fine contrast with the elegantly dressed audience in the gilded balconies. Here at westsidestory.com, you can indulge your fascination with this groundbreaking musical in any number of ways. You can read about how the authors developed the show's concept and structure (did you know the original idea was for warring street gangs of Catholics and Jews?). You can "go backstage" at the original Broadway production in 1957. You can search through a calendar of West Side Story performances worldwide. As the website expands its content over the coming months, westsidestory.com would love to have your input. You can e-mail them at suggestions@westsidestory.com. I wish you happy browsing as you explore the world of West Side Story. It's a world I've lived in all my life, and I'm still enthralled by it. Jamie Bernstein Thomas