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Foreshadowing Your Future

4/15/2015

Lili and the 4th Graders

One of the lead characters in the "Parizade's Quest" cast, Lili Wilson, who was Parizade, asked me if I did children's theater when I was young. I told her that I did. She asked if I ever wrote scripts and shows when I was young. I told her that I did. Then she proceeded to tell me that she was writing a show for her 4th grade class to present to the school. She was a bit frustrated that the other children did not always follow her directions even though she had spent so much time and effort preparing the script and getting the costumes ready all by herself. I told her that directing a cast of your peers is difficult, but to keep trying and they will eventually come around.

Lili Wilson as Parizade in "Parizade's Quest"

Lili, I was a lot like you. When I was in 5th grade, my friends and I thought we ran the school. We worked quickly to get our regular assignments done so that we could spend time down in Mrs. Richardson's Music room. She was awesome. We would do her bulletin boards and coach the younger classes and help with folk dancing on Fridays. She especially loved having my mother available to accompany her special concerts and programs. At the end of our 5th Grade year, Mrs. Richardson let us put on our own version of "Peter Pan." I plagiarized the script, stealing from many sources, and we freely used music from both the Disney animated movie and the Broadway show. She let us create the costumes, sets, and staging and choreography. Well, she did have a group of singers sing along with us on risers to the side of the stage so that the event could qualify as a chorus concert. My mother accompanied and we put on a show!

Judy and Betsy singing and dancing "Wendy"

Judy played Peter Pan, Stanley played Captain Hook and I played Wendy. We danced and sang and pretended to fly and had a great time. We had wonderful support from our parents and teachers. We had the feeling we could do anything we put our minds to. We worked hard
and created something wonderful. Our efforts were rewarded by the fun we had and the enjoyment we gave to those who came to the performance. Little did we know that what we did was foreshadowing our futures. Judy kept singing, working with children's choirs, and putting on shows. Stanley went on to play cello in orchestras. And I continued to write, direct and produce children's theater shows.

So Lili, keep following your dreams. You may be foreshadowing your future!

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Best Supporting Actress...

4/8/2015

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Antagonist...villain....comic relief...yeah, the supporting actors. Where would the story be without these important roles? Where's the mystery, suspense, and comedy? The plot of a story is mostly served through the doings of the supporting players. It is all well and good to have fine lead players, but without equally good supporting characters, they would have nothing to play off to make them look so good.
Too bad that supporting characters and villains get such a bad rap in children's theater. Without them, the heroes and heroines would not shine. The contrasts between the character traits and individual choices of the protagonists and the antagonists are what make live children's theater so meaningful and instructive.
My goals have been to share stories where good triumphs over evil, where love conquers all, and hope springs eternal. Yes, these goals may seem old fashioned, but they are eternal truths and must be championed, especially for impressionable youth. And yet, how can good overcome evil if that choice is not offered in the first place? Hence the need for the villain.

In thinking about casting a nefarious character, my heart is often troubled. Whoever is cast must be of sufficient self esteem to realize that I am casting them strictly by their acting abilities and not because I think they have evil traits. Fortunately, a pair of just such actresses were available for the roles of Beheshteh and Chaman Banoo, the jealous sisters of the Queen, in "Parizade's Quest." These girls needed to portray jealousy, cunning and craftiness with a hint of comedy during the course of the play. The audience need not have any sympathies with them for their evil deeds. In fact, in the end, their banishment should prove to be satisfying to all.

And yes, I was glad they got a nice ovation for their hard work during the bows. They gave wonderful performances.

So kudos to Kaylin Wilson and Candace Taylor for being such great Supporting Actresses! You both did a great job!

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Strong Female Leads

4/7/2015

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In my experience with Children's Theater casting calls, the overwhelming majority of applicants are females. Also in my experience, these talented and often-times well-trained dancer/singer/actresses are vying for the same one or two prominent roles in the play. How heart-breaking it is, also, when the pretty little girls are asked to play male lead roles because not enough boys showed up for auditions or because there simply were not enough good roles for girls in that production. Knowing this predicament, I have constantly been on the lookout for stories that could be adapted to feature five or more strong female leads in important roles.

"Parizade's Quest" is just such a story. The play opens with a story teller (female) reciting her story to a master storyteller (male). He gives her some pointers and tells her he would like her to start over again but this time they will try out the story on "these good people here" (audience). The audience dutifully applauds to give encouragement, and Jamileh begins again. Master Ghalandar promises to be with her and lend support throughout the retelling. In fact he, he inserts more than Jamileh actually expects -- "Why not, it is an unexpected twist. You want to lead the audience on adventures in the mind and just when they think they know what to expect --- you surprise them!"

The character of Jamileh, the storyteller, however, goes on to control the entire story including jumping in to play other characters to move the plot along. The actress for this part needed many skills, not to mention having a great memory. Because she was included in nearly every scene, she had no choice but to have the entire show memorized. Fortunately, just such a talent appeared for auditions. Ellie Geslison gave a stellar performance as Jamileh, the storyteller, the Gypsy dancer and fortune teller, the Old Woman, and was the glue that held the whole production together. She is quite the triple threat -- a beautiful singer, actress and dancer and she even learned some tap dancing (new skill) in order to do the Finale.

Kudos to Ellie for her talent and grace. Thanks for lending such elegance to this premier performance of "Parizade's Quest!"

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Models and Inspiration

4/6/2015

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Hard to believe, but it was one year ago precisely that a friend told me about the story of "The Speaking Bird." She said that it was a tale from the Arabian Nights stories that she had only just become aware of. She had been struck by the notion that it would make a great Children's Theater play or better yet, a musical. I happened to be looking for a new project at just that moment. She liked the piece because it was not a romantic "love" story, but a reuniting of a family "love" story. When I read it, I liked it because it had great elements that make for good theater: mystery, comedy, magic, fantasy characters --- and a bonus for children's theater --- the opportunity for good roles for more than one GIRL. A beautiful "weeping" Queen, a "lost" princess, a clever storyteller, two jealous sisters, Gypsy dancers, and the magical Speaking Bird.

Creating a fantasy character that must be acted by a human can be a daunting task --- unless you have a great model for inspiration. One of my friends has a bigger than life persona and a rare and unique personality. I informed her frankly one day that I intended to model a character for my new play after her. And, in her inimitable fashion, she answered, "Absolutely! I have always thought that I would make a great character. You'll have to invite me to see the show!" So, with permission granted, I set off to give Shazelle, the Speaking Bird the funniest lines and the sassiest attitude possible! Thank you, Anne-Marie St. Felix!

But, then there is the casting dilemma. As a director, you wonder if you will have a young actress come to audition with the talent and ability to pull off such a character. Fortunately, just such a girl showed up. Lizzie Jensen was perfect for the role. She summoned enough inner "sassy attitude" to play this over the top character and even learned how to do a tap dance routine for the Finale! Way to go, Lizzie!

Here are the two of them together after the last show of "Parizade's Quest." And as Shazelle, herself, says in the play, "Girl, I am here to make sure the story is told right! I am the magic and mystery! Comedy, too!" And she really was! This wonderful fantasy character was a pure delight! "And trust me, honey! I am telling the absolute truth!"

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Foreshadowing Your Future

Best Supporting Actress...

Strong Female Leads

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