Beautiful Oops A Note From the Director

Dear Friends,

When was the last time you celebrated a mistake?  REALLY celebrated. Dance-around-the kitchen-throw-confetti-in-the-air-and-call-grandma celebrating…

“You learn from your mistakes” is a mantra that many of us as parents find ourselves repeating.  Mistakes are interesting things, and we know that it’s good to let our kids make mistakes. And though we often say it when consoling a frustrated child, we know know from history that mistakes are actually wonderful opportunities!  Opportunities to learn and grow and try something new. Thomas Edison failed over 1000 times before his light bulb was a success.

As part of the process for creating this show, I had the joy of interviewing kids about the “Beautiful Oops!” moments they experience when they are creating.  I was overwhelmed by the wisdom young people possess. They described using a mistaken blotch of paint to make a new figure, adding on to geometric designs in new and unexpected patterns, and remembering the “show must go on” no matter what happens.  As we rehearsed the show, we tried to remember these same themes, allowing the mistakes that happen in the room to inspire things that you’ll see on the stage today.

In my own home, I am also trying to apply these valuable lessons. 

That “oops” should be a guiding path and not a pain point.  Growing up is a slow and steady process that requiresmistakes.  My two-year-old needs to spill the milk in order to learn how to use the big kid cup. But, the next time that milk spills, I’m faced with two choices: I can get annoyed with the mess and tell her to be more careful, or I can congratulate her on graduating to the big kid cup and learning that big kid cups spill. Oops.

Which option will we choose? I vote for the latter. Let’s look for the beautiful in EVERY oops. Because honestly, who wants to send their kid to college with a sippy cup?

Playfully,

Nina 

The World Premiere of Rickshaw Girl

Emily Alvarado as Naima, painting a traditional alpana.
Photo credit: Joshua Posamentier

Bay Area author Mitali Perkins’ award-winning children’s book, Rickshaw Girl, tells the heartwarming story of Naima, an artistic ten-year-old in an impoverished Bangladeshi village who yearns to help her hard-working father, a rickshaw driver, earn more money for the family. 

Perkins grew up speaking Bangla and hearing her parents’ stories about their life in the part of the world we know today as Bangladesh.  Later, she spent three years in Bangladesh, meeting the people, learning what they hold dear, and observing the impact of changes, like the advent of microcredit, on local customs and culture.

“When I read Mitali’s beautiful book, I knew immediately that I wanted to bring Naima’s daring adventure to the stage for children and their families to see,” said BACT Executive Director Nina Meehan. “Naima’s story opens a window on a different culture for our young audiences, which is so important for their experience, yet it has universal appeal in its depiction of courage, duty and caring.”

BACT commissioned critically acclaimed playwright Aditi Kapil to adapt Perkins’ novel, and the world premiere of Rickshaw Girl was born!  Of Indian and Bulgarian descent, Kapil was raised in Sweden and resides in Minneapolis, MN.  In addition to her work for BACT, she is currently working on commissions with Yale Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, South Coast Repertory Theatre, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Directed by Vidhu Singh, with live music by vocalist Sonali Bhattacharya, percussionist Amit Sharma, and others, Rickshaw Girl whirls with color and song, as it welcomes families into the world of Bangladesh.

Perkins has worked with Singh and Kapil to help them develop the show, contributing to the authenticity of the production by contacting a friend, an educator in Bangladesh, to learn what songs daughters of rickshaw pullers sing these days and what games they play. These songs—everything from a lullaby to a patriotic song—are sung in Bangla. Perkins also brought her mother to rehearsal to teach the actors how to paint alpanas, the traditional designs that figure prominently in the story!

Mitali Perkins’ mother, Madhusree Bose with cast members, after teaching them how to paint alpanas

Describing the rehearsal process, Perkins said, “It’s magical! When I watch these fabulous actors and see the story in the flesh on the stage, I find myself being curious for Naima and wondering what’s going to happen to her, and I have to remind myself that I know what happens to her—I wrote the book!” 

Director Singh of San Francisco has devoted her career to nurturing South Asian theatre and bringing work from around the globe to the stage.  Born and raised in India, she holds a master’s degree in Dramatic Art from the University of California at San­­­­­­ta Barbara and a doctorate in Asian Theatre from the University ­­­of Hawaii at Manoa, specializing in contemporary Indian theater.

“This play is so up my alley,” Singh said.”I’m so grateful it came to me. When I heard about it, I got a copy of the book—it’s one of the best children’s books I’ve ever read.  It is a sweet, empowering story that is important for girls all over the world. The story is a window to another culture but it’s also a mirror—Naima learns that, with a little ingenuity and a lot of courage and grit, she can recover from a terrible mistake and make things right for herself and her family. Kids can see that they have so much in common with her.”

Artists at Rickshaw Girl workshop, l. to r., actors Radhika Rao and Salim Razawi, Director Vidhu Singh, Author Mitali Perkins, Playwright Aditi Kapil

The play, Singh explained, is “an ensemble piece” that blends theatre, dance and Bangla songs.  Five actors play the primary characters as well as secondary roles. The ensemble also functions as a chorus, becoming school children learning the Bangla alphabet, villagers celebrating International Mother Language Day, vendors selling wares, farmers toiling in the rice fields, town dwellers—a vibrant microcosm of life in Bangladesh.  

“This is very important work,” Singh said, explaining that Bangladeshi culture has rarely been reflected in American theatre or even in South Asian theatre.  “What makes the story remarkably powerful is its universality and its ability to inspire children as well as adults across cultures. I’m from India, not from Bangladesh, and I’m very particular about reflecting Bangladeshi culture and creating the world of Bangladesh. As a director of Indian descent, I take that responsibility very seriously.”

Rickshaw Girl is recommended for audiences aged 6 and up.

NOTE: Families can meet Mitali Perkins in person at Rickshaw Girl performances on Saturday, April 16, in San Francisco, and on Sunday, May 22, in Berkeley!

Purchase your tickets at: www.bactheatre.org

Julietta Blogs: Meeting Nick Bruel and the Kitty Creative Team!

BACT Blogger Julietta shares her perspective on a special donor event during which author Nick Bruel and members of the Bad Kitty On Stage creative team spoke about the show's creation.

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The Bad Kitty BACT donor event was really cool! Donors who give money to BACT support them because they appreciate the work they put into making a play. BACT gives back by writing plays and musicals for the whole bay area to enjoy! Donating to BACT helps them to create these plays and musicals for school kids who have never seen a play before. Nina Meehan, the executive director, said that at one of their school day matinee performances, almost everyone raised their hand when they asked who had never seen a play before. Even donating a small amount can make a huge difference.

Julietta gets her book signed by Nick Bruel!

At the donor event, they had the Bad Kitty author, Nick Bruel, the Bad Kitty On Stage costume designer, Amy, the director, Benjamin Hanna, and Min Kahng, who is the one who brought bad kitty to stage, talk about how they made Bad Kitty On Stage! The actor playing Bad Kitty even stopped by while on lunch break! Bad Kitty is a book series by Nick. He creates a character by drawing it and using a pen instead of a pencil so he isn't tempted to erase anything. Nick said it was easiest to find what bad kitty looks like because he had a cat named Zuzu who was all black, except for a patch of white on her chest. It took him 9 months to make the first book in the series, and now it takes him 6-7 months because now he knows the characters and what they look like so he only needs to make up a story with these characters.

I had never heard of Bad Kitty before, and now I'm a huge fan and cannot wait to see the play! At the end, I had my book, Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty! signed by Nick Bruel, and I also got a Bad Kitty mask signed! I was so excited to read the book after that, so I read my book all the way home and it is one of my most favorite books now! If BACT hadn't chosen great books like Bad Kitty, I wouldn't had known about Bad Kitty and a lot of the other books BACT turned into such great plays! I like that even the authors appreciate the plays BACT makes from their books! BACT makes the best plays I know and I cannot wait to see Bad Kitty On Stage soon!

Charlette Blogs: Meeting Nick Bruel and the Kitty Creative Team!

Sango Tajima & Nick Bruel signing posters at the show!

When I was invited to see the author Nick Bruel I was so excited. I heard him talk about his books Bad Kitty, and I heard the BACT theater people talk about the play that they made from his books. The author Nick Bruel has 2 cats now, but he had one when he was a child. Bad Kitty looked like his childhood cat named Zou-Zou. The cat was black from the tip of his ears to the the very tip of his tail, but just a big clump of white on his chest.  It took Nick Bruel nine months to finish his first book. He went to college and got a degree in English. Nick Bruel started out with board books for younger children and he really really wanted the kids to continue loving Bad Kitty books even when they're older.  So he started making chapter books of Bad Kitty, so older kids can read Bad Kitty too.

 

Amy Bobeda was the costume designer for the play. Some white feathers was used for Bad Kitty's chest of its costume. She clipped it onto overalls that Bad Kitty wore in the play. I am so excited to see the costumes that everyone will be wearing. I think maybe it was really hard to sew and put together all the costumes. I think she is very talented. 

Sango Tajima played Bad Kitty in the play. She came in on her lunch break so she couldn't stay there the whole time because she had work still, but I still think it was nice of her to come. Bad Kitty does not talk. She makes cat noises like purr or meow. She had to practice making the cat noises. She also had to look in the book and see how the cat positions looked like. I think it was hard for her to make cat noises to go with the feelings of Bad Kitty.

 

Min Kahng wrote the play Bad Kitty.  Min Kahng really really wanted for the audience to be excited and wowed during the play. He mentioned that in a comic book, on every page you see a pow or a boom it makes the reader excited. Min wanted that for every scene of the play. He worked with the director named Benjamin Hanna. I think it was hard for him to to direct all the characters. I bet he worked very hard.

 

The pianist and narrator of the play was Phil Wong. I think it was amazing that he can talk normal and play piano at the same time. He said he had to practice alot! The music was live because when in the play someone stomps or jumps really hard they would make a sound on the piano and match it with the action Bad Kitty was doing. I think he is awesome. 

Our BACT Bloggers: Kara, Julietta & Charlette!

After they were done speaking, Nick Bruel the author of Bad Kitty signed my book, Bad Kitty for President. Now, I am so excited to see this play and see everything come alive on stage.

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You can also see this play and see everything come alive on stage! Bad Kitty On Stage runs in Berkeley thru February 21 at the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse. The show then has a run in San Ramon from February 27-28 at the Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center, and in San Francisco from March 5-26 at the Children's Creativity Museum Theater. Purchase your tickets today!

Benjamin Hanna: Controlling Chaos

By Vivian Auslander
 

Director Benjamin Hanna

He directed BACT’s world premieres of Ivy + Bean, the Musical, which involved occasional worms, and Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy, the Musical, which featured a wandering dog, Bingo. Now, Benjamin Hanna has taken on an entire quirky pet store with Bad Kitty On Stage! Let’s hear from him what that’s like.

You are directing this production. What does a director do?

I play a variety of roles. One of them is to find a way for everyone on the creative team—actors, designers, producers, marketers—to see the core center of the play, to guide everyone’s vision, and to shape that collaborative effort. This play is adapted from a series of books, so I have the opportunity not only to look at the play but also at the source material. I’ve had the gift of working with the author and the playwright to do this. Another role is being a detective—sleuthing moments from the books that help us find the voice of Kitty and the world of her imagination. Since the books are like comic books, I’m watching to see if we’re giving the same effect that turning a page and seeing the word, “Pow!” or “Meow!” would have. If we do, then I know we’re resonating with the spirit of the books.

What do you mean by “the core center of the play?”

It’s as if you had a wonderful chocolate with something special in the middle that you can’t see but want to know what it’s like—how it tastes, smells, feels. Our job is to find that out.  It’s like making the map in a chocolate box so everyone can see what is in the middle of each character’s story.

So you are guiding both context and style?

Yes, we need to create the wacky, upside down world of Kitty, and we have to have that feeling of turning a page and discovering a new adventure. The play explores what being “bad” is like. Kitty isn’t being bad—she’s doing what kitties do naturally. And that’s what kids do—sometimes they get in trouble for exploring, and that can shut down imagination, understanding and connection. So we’re using Kitty’s world to look at exploring—and being different. Like a comic book, the play will be an explosion of “different” – all the animals will be exaggerated and unique.

What drew you to this work?

The opportunity to work with Min Kahng, the playwright. I’ve wanted to work with him ever since I saw his musical adaptation of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon—I loved that show. Also, when I read the books, I was intrigued by what a challenge they would present—and what great fun! When you step into our rehearsal room, it’s full of laughter, joy and celebration. I don’t feel like I’m working—I’m exploring with a group of highly gifted artists, who are smart, funny, and open. I’m honored to have been trusted with Min’s beautiful adaption and Nick’s amazing source material. And my team of artists has been delightful. They all understand working for children, and, in this short time, they have created their own Bad Kitty family.  

"It's like a roller coaster."

What has been the greatest challenge?

I thought that Puppy and Kitty not having words would be the challenge, but Min has done a phenomenal job of adapting the books so that “Meow” and “Woof” have hundreds of meanings. And Sango, who plays Kitty, is a genius. When Kitty meows, I know exactly what she is saying, because Sango knows every beat. The challenge has been controlling chaos. There is so much is going on, so fast, that I have to decide whether the train is going 100 mph, 96 mph, or 80 mph! I need to control the explosiveness so the audience can follow Kitty’s journey of learning. It’s like a roller coaster. You need moments when you dip down and have some calm to absorb what Kitty has learned and anticipate the next big event. The other challenge has been thinking through every aspect of Kitty’s life. A friend of mine overheard a 10-minute phone conversation I had with our dramaturg, Julie McCormick, about what kind of cat scratcher Kitty would want in her imagination, what would make it special to her.  My friend was surprised that we have dramaturgy in children’s theatre. But this is not just a play about cats. It’s about us—you and me—and how we get along. 

Are you looking forward to anything in particular on opening day?

Having an audience! The humor is very sophisticated. It will be fun to see which jokes appeal to the grown-ups in the audience and what will entertain children of different ages. One of the reasons I love working with BACT is that the company embraces the challenge of having everyone in the theatre enjoy the production and walk away with something to discuss.

Becca Blogs: Honk with Heart

Our Advanced Performers made us so proud today as they were the first group to represent Bay Area Children's Theatre at the Junior Theatre Festival.

Our day started VERY early with a bit of a backlog on the elevators (ask your student about it when they get home - way too many people for 3 hotel elevators) and then kick off in the giant theatre and right into our warm up room.  From there our students were exemplary performance and again showed tremendous patience as they waited to perform their set.

This was the moment they had been waiting for, and they put their whole hearts into the performance.  Their set was terrific, full of energy, life, and incredible teamwork.  The adjudicators complimented the actors on their use of the ensemble, character, and their strong voices.  They also had helpful feedback on how to take the physicalization of animal characters to the next level, finding motivation and objective (acting terms), and playing with levels of volume and counterpoint.

After a debrief and snack, we were able to watch several other groups perform and hear their feedback from the adjudicators.  After lunch we went on to a workshop about artistry and how to be a supportive audience, then on to an acting workshop, and finished up with a high-energy, funky dance workshop.

From there it was straight to dinner, and now we're heading to the New Works Showcase, where we'll see assorted songs from some of the new shows that are being released, including Madagascar Jr, which BACT piloted for iTheatrics/MTI.

Speaking of pilots, our dear Graylag Goose (airline pilot in "Wild Goose Chase") was ill overnight and barely slept, but he was determined to go on, and even received special recognition for his performance from the adjudicators.  (They didn't know he was performing on 3 hours of sleep!)

Sorry for the lack of photos, I was quite distracted by the logistics of the day and didn't have a chance to get many shots.  Once we're home I'll find a way to pull clips of the set performance off the camera and send it out to families.  We have an excited and happy (and a bit exhausted) group of musical theatre lovers amongst 5,800 other musical theatre lovers, which made for a very special day.

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Our Advanced Performers will be performing HONK! Jr when they return! You can purchase tickets for their performance here!

BACT Blogger Genevieve Interviews Benjamin Hanna

Here she is again! Genevieve is back, this time with an interview with Ivy + Bean, The Musical director Benjamin Hanna. Genevieve is ten years old and in fourth grade at Kensington Hilltop Elementary. She attended her first live theater performance at three years old. Genevieve also enjoys acting, particularly in musicals, playing the piano, writing, reading, traveling, and playing sports with her friends. She lives in Kensington with her parents and two younger siblings.
If you are age 9 and up and want to write a blog about your experience with BACT, email nina@bactheatre.org.

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My Interview of Benjamin Hanna
By Genevieve, Age 10

I have always enjoyed the Ivy and Bean books and wished that I could watch it live, as a movie or play. Well, my wish recently came true, because the current Bay Area Children’s Theatre (BACT) production is Ivy and Bean…The Musical! This play was one-of-a-kind and silly.

BACT worked with the Ivy and Bean series author, Annie Barrows, to develop a musical that stayed close to the original books and its characters. They added in some theatrical pieces, like throwing confetti, which I enjoyed. When people had two parts and they had to go change into their other outfits, they did it in highly incredible ways. You wouldn’t even notice that they had left; there was so much creativity in it. It had practically the exact same art in the scenery as was in the books, which showed they put time and thought into ways to remind the audience of the book series. The actors were just like all the kids I know--getting in trouble, dressing up, annoying siblings…all just on one Saturday morning. It was super realistic, and if you go to see it, you’ll agree with me—it was a wonderful play.

This time I interviewed Benjamin Hanna, the director of the play. He was interesting and talkative and fun to interview. Ben also acts. When he was a child, he thought he wanted to be an actor, which he did enjoy doing, but in college he also took directing and decided that that was his real heart’s desire. He still finds time for acting as well. He worked with BACT for nine months to make this play wonderful.

What exactly does a director do? I’ve always wondered this, and that’s one of the reasons I was excited to interview Ben. Ben believes that the director’s main job is to tell the story in an accurate and fun way. A director brings together a group of artists, such as the actors and the technicians, and discusses their thoughts about the production. Led by the director, the group works together to create the places actors go, the things people wear, the sounds you hear, the dances actors do, and the things people use onstage in a super realistic way. The director helps actors put meaning into their words to make everything real to you. “I love directing because I get to work with the most interesting and creative people and I learn something new every day!” Ben smiles, “Directors do a lot of things!”

While directing the production, Ben thinks back to when he was young to make the show as kid-friendly as possible. He also has a seven-year-old cousin whom he read the books to. Ben has younger siblings, as well. He thinks he is most like Nancy, because he was the oldest and would always baby-sit his sisters and brothers. But he acted more like Ivy on a Saturday morning, sitting on the front porch reading.  He got some of his ideas for directing the play from fun, exciting experiences in his own childhood and he tried to make the musical as fun as it could be. He wanted the play to be realistic to children so they could really relate to their own neighborhood experiences.  I definitely think he achieved his goal!

Ivy + Bean, the Musical director Benjamin Hanna.

Ben is new to the Bay Area. He came here from Minnesota, so he has never directed for BACT before. Two of the very many plays that he has directed include The Hobbit and Go, Dog, Go.  Now that Ben has directed one play for BACT, he totally thinks he would do another. “If they asked me if I would do another play for them,” Ben mused, “I would say ‘Great! So, what’ll it be about?’ and settle down to prepare on the spot.” 

As I was finishing our interview, I had the opportunity to meet the actress who played Ivy, Megan Putnam. She started acting when she was eight years old and this was her first BACT production. Megan says she didn’t know any of the other people making the play when she started, but by the end they were all like family. She read all of the Ivy and Bean books and definitely agrees that Ivy was the part for her. “I don’t know what I would be if I didn’t get the part of Ivy! She’s perfect for me,” Megan says. She told me that her dream play to be part of is Wicked; she would love to play Glenda.

I am really impressed by this great play, and I would love to thank everyone who put time and thought into it. It turned out wonderful. Go, Ivy and Bean!!!