We’re Going Back in Time to the First Performances to Get Theater on the Menu.
Audience members, hold onto your foldable theater seats. I’ve started to lay the base ideas for my musical!
There was difficulty deciding a theme. Aliens? Pirates? Animals? There were too many childhood niches to choose from.
I then played with the category of “Historical Figures.” I was thinking in the realm of Mr. Peabody and Sherman or The Magic Tree House: kids travelling to different parts of history. Then I thought, “Hey, why not do this but specifically for time periods of theater?” Thus, my general theme was born. This also explains this post’s title which some may recognize as a rephrasing of a ridiculous line from the animated film Free Birds.
As for characters: the general idea is that there is one student that has to time-travel to learn the importance of theater with their two friends tagging along. Each theater era will have 5 featured roles, and these roles will be characters from a production during that period/category (e.g. Romeo for Shakespeare).
Some songs have been decided too! I mean, “Empire State of Mind” for the Broadway section is a given.
As for my internship, I started getting insight to EVCT’s spring break camp! Funny enough, this camp is about making a kids’ jukebox for the campers to help write and perform by the end. Since the theme is spooky, my task was to find cuts of musical songs that could be used for the numbers. I was happy to revisit The Addams Family, a musical I performed in last summer, as well as a favorite childhood series: Descendants (“Chillin’ Like a Villain” still remains amazing).
My mentor invited me to see a school’s first ever production last Thursday! It was Finding Nemo Kids, and this accomplished with the help of Disney Musicals in Schools. This program helps elementary schools jumpstart theater programs and specifically aims to teach the school’s faculty successful directing. It sort of aligns with my goals of how to introduce theater as a friend to kids’ lives. The production was adorable and magical: every inch of the stage walls was covered in blue wallpaper, with bubbles and kelp hanging from the ceiling. It was truly a wonderful first show!
Take 7 till next post.
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