Julietta Blogs: My Interview with Mitali Perkins

BACT Blogger Julietta had the opportunity to interview Mitali Perkins, author of the book Rickshaw Girl, at the show's San Francisco opening! She shares her experience below!

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The Rickshaw Girl play was super cool! It is about a girl named Naima. She wants to help her dad get some rest while still making enough money to pay back a loan for buying a new rickshaw, so she tries to drive the rickshaw. Instead, she crashed it. It will be very hard to fix such a beaten up Rickshaw, but if they don't fix it, her dad won't get any business with it.

 

A rickshaw built by actors with props!

 

I liked the book because it inspires girls to help them know that they can do anything. I liked how Naima's passion for art turned out to not be useless, but very important for her family. In the stories beginning, Naima really likes art, but she thinks because she cannot help make money, she is useless for the family. At the end, she realizes that it is a good thing that she was a girl, or else she would have not been given a chance to paint Rickshaws in exchange for the repairs of her dads Rickshaw.

To bring the play to life, they had to make a Rickshaw for the actors to use. At first, the Rickshaw is just a bunch of pieces, but when actors held up the pieces while moving it, you could see the rickshaw, and I thought that was a great idea. There was even live music for the play!

After the play, I got to meet the author of Rickshaw Girl, Mitali Perkins, to interview her. Her favorite part to write in Rickshaw Girl was when Naima's dad says "its a good thing you turned out to be a girl." She liked that part because she had two older sisters and everyone cried because she wasn't a boy and now her parents say that to her. She was inspired to write the book because of the Rickshaws she saw and she also learned how it was hard for girls to make money in Bangladesh. She thought it would be a great idea to show in her book how it is changing now. Besides Rickshaw Girl, Mitali wrote 9 other books! She is also working on a novel and a picture book. Mitali is local to Bay Area in Orinda. Rickshaw Girl is not yet popular in Bangladesh yet. The book is not translated yet, either. Mitali started writing books because she loved reading and she wanted to write books for other people to enjoy just like she enjoyed reading. She set the story in Bangladesh because that was where her parents were born. She likes art a lot. Her favorite tool to draw with is colored pencils. She especially likes to draw alpanas because they are really simple and easy. It was great getting to meet Mitali and it was really great getting to interview her.

Author Mitali Perkins (L) with BACT Blogger Julietta (R)

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Rickshaw Girl continues for one more weekend at the Children's Creativity Museum Theater before heading to the Osher Studio in Berkeley. Purchase your tickets today!

Kara Blogs: My Interview with Piggie aka Anna Smith

Actor Anna Smith and BACT Blogger Kara

BACT Blogger Kara had the chance to interview Anna Smith, who plays a Squirelle in Elephant & Piggie's WE ARE IN A PLAY! She is also the understudy for Piggie, and Kara was able to see Ms. Smith perform this title character.

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The play Elephant and Piggie's: We Are in a Play! is based on the books written by Mo Willems. The character of Elephant worries frequently and has a lot of emotion, but Piggie is more carefree and is good at calming Elephant down. Elephant and Piggie like to play together with their toys, share ice cream and play with their friends the Squirelles. After I saw the play I interviewed Ms. Anna Smith who plays Piggie and a Squirelle.

Ms. Anna Smith is the understudy of Ally Johnsen and when Ally Johnsen is there Ms. Anna Smith plays a Squirelle. Ms. Anna Smith did her first play when she was ten. When she told me she taught an after school drama program I wanted to learn how to write a play too. Her favorite parts about playing Piggie are spending lots of time with her friend Derek, who plays Gerald, the worrisome elephant and having exciting, exquisite interaction with the audience. She made the audience say “banana,” do the wiggle waggle and clap their hands. Her favorite part about being a Squirrelle is getting more time to rest and watching Ally Johnsen play Piggie. Also, she likes adding character to make her Squirelle to stand out because unlike Piggie you don’t know much about the Squirelles. The hardest part about being an understudy was trying to learn both parts at the same time. Anna Smith is making her fifth debut with BACT. She was also in Pinkalicious, A Year with Frog and Toad, Lyle the Crocodile and The Day the Crayons Quit. She likes all of the parts she has played equally but playing Piggie is exciting for her because the audience likes to see the character in the book come alive. For fun she likes to play electric guitar, ukulele and an instrument that’s like a dulcimer. Anna Smith’s advice for future actors is to have as much fun as you can no matter what part you get.

Anna Smith (center) as a Squirelle, along with Debra Harvey (left) and Aly Casas (right)

My favorite part of the play was when Gerald was going to share his ice cream with Piggie but it melted. Then Piggie shared her ice cream with Gerald. They sing a song about Gerald being the ice cream hero and he is really sad when he realizes the ice cream is melted, but Piggie ends up being the ice cream hero. Another one of my favorite parts is when the audience repeats saying “banana”, doing the wiggle waggle and clapping their hands at the same time. I was in the group that said “banana.” The moral of the story is friends always stick together.

Austin Zumbro: Exploring Art from A to Z

Playwright & Composer Austin Zumbro

We are thrilled that BACT’s Austin Zumbro is a finalist in this year’s Theatre Bay Area competition for Outstanding World Premiere Musical.

You could say that Austin, who wrote the script, music and lyrics for BACT’s hit show, THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT, THE MUSICAL, spent 20 years preparing for the bow he took on opening day.

As a student in the Oakland schools, he loved his classes but missed having the arts in the curriculum, so, he did it himself—writing plays, filming videos and making music with his friends.  He learned the piano, taught himself guitar. And, at summer drama camp, he acted in plays as a camper, directed them as a counselor, and ultimately wrote the plays himself.

In high school, he learned he had a gift for songwriting . . . by losing a bet. 

“I was bowling one day, and my friends wagered that, if I lost, I would have to write a song about them,” he said.  “I lost, wrote the song, and it got a good reaction.  So I had a moment in which I learned, ‘Oh, I can make up a melody and play chords. It’s not magic—you just have to write it down and remember what you played.’”

When Austin got to Stanford University, he parlayed his newfound skill into taking requests for songs from fellow students.  He also joined the university’s improvisational theater troupe and performed with it for the next four years.

“I didn’t know it when I applied, but Stanford has a very strong improv program,” he said. "We had two-hour practices three times a week, and we did 20 to 30 shows a year.  It was a great experience! I learned how to get up in front of people, and I’m comfortable with that to this day.”

Austin’s improv experience and encompassing memory has served BACT very well in emergencies, when he has stepped out of his role as BACT’s beloved patron services manager to fill in for actors on stage at the eleventh hour in shows like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie; The Little Engine That Could; Pinkalicious; and James and the Giant Peach.

“Some people would find that too stressful, but I’m willing to jump in and do my best,” he said. “I know the audience and the cast will be supportive. That’s what’s so wonderful about theatre—it’s a supportive community with everyone trying to make the show great!”

At Stanford, Austin majored in human biology, with an emphasis in neuroscience and psychology.

“I love learning about the brain and behavior,” he said. “I like to think about people and their motivation, their stories.  That’s also why I’m attracted to theatre.”

For BACT, Austin has created a comedy, Rudolph the Ugly Duckling, and productions for schools, including The Gold Rush Musical; Labcoats and Scapegoats: A Science Fair Musicalamity; and Rock the Block: A Walk and Roll Musical. 

L to R: Actors Anna Smith, Jacqueline Dennis, Carina Salazar, Brett Jones & Chloe Condon. Photo by Joshua Posamentier.

His interest in psychology served him well when he was creating the script for THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT, THE MUSICAL, a hilarious tale about a boy whose crayons go on strike, writing letters to express their grievances. 

“I spent a long time with the book, trying to read into the letters,” he said.  “The book is so successful because Daywalt and Jeffers use very short letters and simple drawings to create very rich characters on the page—that’s why people identify with the story.  So I was sitting with the relatively sparse words and pictures and thinking about who would write that kind of letter, what other words they would say, and why they would choose those words. I tried to be really true to that in the script and the lyrics.”

Austin’s choice of musical genres for the play came out of the same desire to bring his characters to life in ways that are faithful to their personalities and stories.

“I knew what kind of song I wanted to have, but I had to learn how to make it sound right,” he explained. “I created long playlists within each genre—gospel and blues, opera, musical theatre, etc.—and I tried to absorb them all to figure out what elements make them what they are.  I also asked people with more experience.  Then I synthesized what I’d learned for each number, and worked with our music director, Kevin Roland, to match the songs to the talents of the actors.”

Playwrights don’t necessarily participate in rehearsals for their shows, so Austin was “thrilled to be in the room” throughout the development of his play.

“It’s been a joy to be part of the team,” he said.  “I feel incredibly privileged to have done my part and see it come together!  I wrote it, but that’s just the first step. Nina Meehan (the director), the actors, and the artistic team deserve all the credit for beautiful execution.”

On opening day, Austin’s biggest question was whether the show would “appeal across the generations.”

“I know what I like,” he said, “and I work with kids all the time, but I was trying to write a show for everybody.”

Judging from the laughter and the thunderous applause the show received that day and throughout its run, he succeeded—from A to Z!

L to R: Actors Anna Smith, Jacqueline Dennis, Brett Jones, Matt Ono, Carina Salazar & Chloe Condon.
Photo by Joshua Posamentier.

Congrats to our TBA Awards Finalists for Crayons!

The Day the Crayons Quit, the Musical was honored in a very special way last week when Theatre Bay Area announced three TBA Awards Finalists from the show!

Composer & playwright Austin Zumbro is a Finalist for Outstanding World Premiere Musical.
 

Actor Brett Jones is a Finalist for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Principal Roles in a Musical.

And Choreographer Khalia Davis is a Finalist for Outstanding Choreography.

We had a chance to check in with Ms. Davis on her reaction to being a TBA Awards Finalist!

"When I found out that I was nominated for my choreography for Crayons, I was in disbelief. First of all, this was my first time creating choreography for adults for a main stage production. I had only ever worked with children. I couldn't believe that my novice work was being recognized in such high esteem among the other nominees. Secondly, this is a children's show! I couldn't believe that we were being given the same respect and special nods that the adult professional shows were also receiving. It made me realize that this theater community honors the work and doesn't care in what form it comes. I feel so lucky that my first main stage choreography position was with a group of individuals whom I admire and whom I consider family. Everyone brought something awesome to the table and helping bring Austin Zumbro's vision to life was icing on the cake. Our cast was full of talented actors who understood the value of collaboration and team work. I believe this show was such a huge success because everyone involved truly cared about making this show amazing and put all of their hard work into making it a memorable experience for our young audiences."

 

Congratulations to our three Finalists and ALL the Finalists for this year's TBA Awards. The awards ceremony is Monday, November 16. We'll be sure to keep you posted on the results!

Three Little Birds is a Theatre Bay Area Awards Recommended Production!

Congrats to the entire cast, crew and creative team on this great honor!

• Learn more about the Theatre Bay Area Awards
• Get your tickets to Three Little Birds, now playing in San Francisco!

Nina's Notes: Thoughts on the Theatre Bay Area Awards

What’s in an award?

Confirmation of a job well done, and hope for future excellence.

L to R: Christina Larson (Stage Manager), Will Dao (Actor),
Mina Morita (Director), Min Kahng (Writer/Composer),
Yusuke Soi (Props Artisan), Nina Meehan (Executive Director)

Monday’s gala award ceremony sponsored by Theatre Bay Area (TBA)—the largest regional theatre service organization in North America—accomplished that and much more for the San Francisco Bay Area’s vast community of theatre-makers, and, in so doing, energized everyone in the community to work even harder to entertain and engage the thousands of theatre-goers who come through our doors each season to see and discuss the fruits of our efforts.

When we think about the Bay Area, we easily think about our sports teams, but not everyone knows that the Bay Area is the third largest theatre center in the country, with more than 400 companies in nine counties, according to TBA.

So an awards ceremony akin to those in other theatre towns, like New York and Chicago, highlighting “the outstanding quality of theatre-making in our region,” is a dream come true—a way to call attention to an innovative industry that makes the Bay Area a cultural oasis for all to enjoy.

I was thrilled to attend the ceremony with other members of the BACT family. We were finalists for ten awards in our theatre category (Tier II, based on our budget and not having any union contracts) for our original musical adaptation of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and we were excited to learn what the judges had decided.

I couldn’t be more proud that Where the Mountain Meets the Moon was a winner in three categories:

• Outstanding Direction of a Musical: Mina Morita
• Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Sean Fenton (aka Old Man of the Moon)
• Outstanding Performance by the Acting Ensemble of a Musical 

In addition, we were honored to be finalists for:

• Overall Production of a Musical
• Lead Actor: Will Dao
• Music Direction: Tania Johnson
• Costume Design: Maggi Yule
• Scenic Design: Martin Flynn
• Lighting Design: Sean McStravick
• Sound Design: Colin Trevor 

Members of our BACT Family at the Awards After Party!

It was a glorious night for BACT!  And a night of promise for the entire theatre community. My thanks and congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to create Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and to our friends and sponsors who make it possible for us to introduce new work.

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Nina Meehan is the Executive Director of Bay Area Children's Theatre.