10 Years - Imagine That!

Bay Area Children’s Theatre is about to embark on our 10th Anniversary season. I couldn’t be more thrilled and excited about the shows we have lined up!

The Cat arrives at Fairyland in June!

We open the season with a new and innovative interpretation of Dr. Seuss’ classic, The Cat in the Hat. This production uses the words from the book as the dialogue in the show, while adding hysterical audience interactions accompanied by live sound effects and musical instruments. The incredibly talented cast will bring to life the mischievious Things, Sally, the Boy, the Fish, and, of course, the Cat. I can’t wait to see the delight on the faces of our youngest audience members as the world of Cat is revealed on stage at Fairyland.

Coming to a school near you!

This fall, we will tour local schools with The Gold Rush Musical!. BACT is commissioning this show to directly address the California Content Standards for social studies. This fast-paced, comedic, musical adventure through the history of California will be designed to educate and entertain elementary school students throughout the Bay Area.

The beloved classic returns!

Just in time for Thanksgiving, we will be revisiting one of our all-time favorites, A Year with Frog and Toad. I adore this heart-warming story about friendship, and the music is captivating for all ages.

Meet the porcine wonder!

In January, I cannot wait to bring to life one my son’s absolute favorite book series, Mercy Watson. If you are not yet familiar with this “porcine wonder” do yourself (and your family) a favor and pick up a copy of the Mercy Watson books, by Kate DiCamillo. You will giggle the night away as you read about Mercy and her escapades.

A magical journey in ancient China!

Following Mercy Watson, BACT is proud to bring to the stage another new musical by Min Kahng (book, music and lyrics for Tales of Olympus). This time, Min will be creating an original musical adaptation of the Newbery Honor book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. I picked up this book and read it one night after I heard from a librarian friend that she couldn’t keep it on the shelves at their school library. And I am excited to see it realized on-stage next year!

Let your imagination fly!

Finally, we close our season with another world premiere! Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy, the Musical will be written and composed by local musician, Julia Norton. The show is a celebration of the power of imagination—a theme I hold near and dear to my heart.

We hope that you and your family are as psyched about the season as my family is. My son keeps asking me, “When is the Cat coming to town?” Well, the Cat arrives in June. Looking forward to seeing you at the theatre as we embark on the next 10 years!

- Nina

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!!!

 

Dramaturgy 101 - A Guest Blog by Dramaturg Oona Hatton

 You may have seen the word before and wondered at its meaning. Or you may be encountering the word for the first time here in this blog. Dramaturgy (or being a dramaturg) is often a mystery word to audience members. But as Ms. Oona Hatton will describe below, dramturgy is an essential part of the theatre-making process.

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Hi there! It’s your friendly neighborhood dramaturg, here to unlock the secrets of new play development! If you have been to one or more shows at BACT, you might know that in addition to producing great plays for kids, we’re also interested in creating brand new, never-before-seen great plays for kids. This season includes not one but TWO new works, Tales of Olympus (by Min Kahng) and our current show, Ivy + Bean, the Musical (by Scott Elmegreen).

A dramaturg’s job is always different depending on the needs of the show, but I like to say that our main responsibility is to make sure that a play’s story is being told as clearly as possible. For a new play, a dramaturg learns from the playwright what story they want to tell, and collaborates with them (and often with the director) to decide how best to tell that story. Last summer, BACT ran two week-long workshops during which the playwrights, directors, and producers of Tales of Olympus and Ivy + Bean had a chance to see early drafts of these plays on their feet. Over the course of a few intense rehearsals, the actors learned all of the music and some simple blocking and presented staged readings of the scripts before an invited audience. With feedback from the director, producer, myself, and our dedicated audiences, the playwrights were sent off to do rewrites. In the case of Ivy + Bean, we were also lucky to have Annie Barrows, the author of the Ivy + Bean series, come to a few rehearsals to share her insights about whether the play was remaining true to the spirit of the characters.

Ivy + Bean, The Musical makes it to the stage with the help of a dramaturg!

One of the biggest challenges of creating a show based on a book—or in the case of Ivy + Bean, a whole series—is that the play cannot be an exact replica of the original. A playwright who adapts a book is a translator who works to communicate the spirit of the story, but in a way that is appropriate for a live audience. While a play has to give up some parts of the original, it also brings new elements to the story. In this case, these include the catchy, hilarious, and touching songs Scott has written.

As a dramaturg, I try to find a balance between being faithful to the original stories and understanding that the play is its own work of art. If it is hard to choose between a book and a play, it is even more difficult to decide where one’s loyalties lie when it comes to live people! A playwright, a director, and a producer can have conflicting ideas about the script: a playwright might think about the life of her/his play after the first production, while the director is focused on the show they are putting up. Likewise, a producer must be concerned with making sound business decisions that ensure that the show is ready to go on time and within budget. I often have to ask myself: to whom am I most responsible? Personally, I think of myself as an advocate for the play and the playwright, but with the understanding that theatre is by necessity a collaborative art in which a number of people come together to build something. Like any art form, theatre is subjective, so I recognize that my opinion is only one of many. And ultimately, it is the audience’s opinion that matters most! So I hope you enjoy the show, and if you have feedback about our adaptation of Ivy and Bean, we would love to hear from you!

Parent's Perspective - A Guest Blog by Cynthia House Nooney

On a rainy Saturday afternoon last month, I escorted my twin nine-year-old boys and one of their friends to Berkeley Rep’s new Osher Theater, where we’d purchased tickets to see Tales of Olympus. Even though December is the busiest month of all and I had a ton of other things to accomplish, I was thrilled to be taking them to this debut musical – not that I let on to that, though; I knew my best bet was to act blasé about it. I’ve learned not to project my hopes and interests onto my children. That will get me absolutely nowhere. My plan was to covertly observe their expressions during the show – just in case, you know – they weren’t willing to say much afterward. They are nine after all – big fourth-graders who aren’t as eager to reveal their innermost thoughts and preferences like they once were. 
             Have I mentioned that my boys are highly energetic and active? They’re not exactly inclined to sit quietly for short periods, let alone what they might perceive to be lengthy, so once we were seated (very nicely by a staff member, I might add, who didn’t appear peeved in the least that we were five minutes late), I exhaled and crossed my fingers until intermission, when not one of my charges asked to leave. I smiled inside and gave myself a mental high five. In the corridor, where the boys munched on cookies, I pretended not to overhear their conversations. “Who do you like best in the play?” one of them asked. “Hermes is my favorite,” answered one. “Jason is mine,” said another. “But I like Zeus too.”

The three of them huddled in a corner together, one rapping the way Hermes had done earlier on stage, the other two singing Don’t Swallow The Babies, a rollicking fun song that Zeus had just performed.

Did the playwright have my boys in mind when he wrote Tales of Olympus? All three of my small attendees were captivated from the beginning, following the action with huge, engaged eyes. They laughed and cheered right along with Jason (a “bard” in training), and related to his reluctance, never catching on to the fact that they were learning about Greek mythology at the same time.

The Olympus cast tells the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece.

“I wish I could fly!” one of my twins exclaimed after the play ended. “I wish I could go to Mount Olympus!” said his brother. Their friend, typically more reserved than my boys, declared his desire to go back in time, like Jason had. Collectively, they discussed their delight with the way Jason told the Golden Fleece story. “But the Icarus story was so cool, too! And Zeus’s!”

When cast members greeted them immediately after the show and autographed complimentary posters, the boys held back smiles and did their best to act nonchalant – but once inside our car, they compared signatures and commented on Aphrodite’s beauty and Athena’s funny sarcasm.

Although I tried not to ask questions on the way home, I couldn’t resist at least one: “What was your favorite part?” My oldest twin answered quickly. “That’s hard to say, Mom, it was all so good! Very adventurous and exciting. I’m going to tell everyone in my class to go!”

It wasn’t until the next day that I discovered the actor who played Hermes is also the writer of the musical. When I shared this fact with my sons, their eyes became as huge as they were during the show. “Are you serious? How did he do that?!”

I wasn’t sure how to answer adequately enough (although plenty of thoughts came to mind: Min Kahng clearly has a great imagination, he’s supremely talented, and hardworking), but instead, we all just shook our heads in deep admiration and decided where to hang up their posters.
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Cynthia House Nooney has recently joined the board of Bay Area Children's Theatre. 

BACT Blogger Genevieve Interviews Min Kahng

Our special guest blogger Genevieve is back! Genevieve is now ten years old and in the fourth grade at Kensington Hilltop School. 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 Min Kahng
By Genevieve, Age 10

I got lucky enough to interview Min Kahng, the playwright of the new and wonderful BACT production, The Tales of Olympus: A Greek Myth Musical. I was so excited to hear I could interview him! I really enjoyed the play. I loved all the songs and the funny lines. Min is a great writer and based some of the main ideas on his own childhood life.

The mortal character, Jason, learns an important lesson about trusting himself while he is taught some classic Greek mythology from a few of the more famous Greek Gods. The character of Athena was a know-it-all and she seemed true to my imagination of her behavior. Aphrodite was very graceful and it was funny when the Gods were arguing and she sang her song which made everyone’s thoughts turn to love. Calliope was bossy and caring and Zeus showed his power in many funny ways.

Playwright/composer Min Kahng playing Hermes

The costumes were creative and they used many small props to help the audience understand the stories. Min Kahng probably did not know that nearly all of my fourth grade friends are very into Greek myths when he and Nina, the Executive Director of BACT, got together to think about the theme of their next play. Nina suggested Greek myths and Min liked the idea because of his great elementary school teacher who taught him how exciting Greek myths were by having him and his classmates act out the stories.

After he knew what he was writing about, he needed a deadline. He started in the spring and had the script mostly ready for a workshop in June 2012. A workshop is a time when acting businesses hire actors to read out loud the script to make sure that the lines work and the story makes sense. Then, in between June and October, Min had to revise the script and lyrics to be sure they were ready and perfect to start rehearsing with the real actors.

Min was also hired to be the musical director of the production, so he helped the actors on their solos and harmonies. Also, he would stay around at rehearsals to make sure the lines made sense and did not need to be adjusted. Min did not entirely memorize the lines of the actors, but knew the basic arch of the story. For example, when I saw the play, something happened to Jonathon Brooks, the actor playing Hermes, and Min took his part and did very well.

Min works on short plays and songs in his spare time. Some of his plays are The Song of the Nightingale, Bust, The Plans of Theodore Crumb, and some BACT teen plays, Café Broadway and Beasts of I’m very grateful to Min for spending some time with me so I could do this interesting interview with him! I am also thankful for the great cast who put on the play and made it wonderful!

Writing Olympus - A Guest Blog by Min Kahng

Min Kahng wrote the book, music and lyrics for Tales of Olympus: A Greek Myth Musical, playing in Berkeley from December 8th thru 22nd. Min is also an instructor with BACT's Youth Education Program, as well as the Marketing Coordinator for BACT.
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Greek mythology is cool. So cool, in fact, that all I have to do is mention the title of my new show (Tales of Olympus: A Greek Myth Musical) and people of all ages respond "Ooh! That sounds cool!" Understandably so. This ancient pantheon of gods and goddesses takes our imaginations on fanciful journeys that could rival the best super-hero/fantasy/science-fiction fare today. The myths also teach us something about our world and our society. And, quite simply, they're fun.

A Greek myth musical? Sounds cool to me.

What was perhaps less obvious or self-evident was how to give Tales of Olympus its form or shape as a show.  I knew I wanted to introduce young audiences to a handful or so of Greek myths - like a "story sampler platter" as one of the characters in Tales says.  But I also wanted to prevent the show from becoming one of those overstated works of "edu-tainment," which ironically serve to lose a kid's attention.  I had to come up with a through-line - a story that tied all of the myths together, so audience members would be thrust into this recounting of Greek myths without feeling like they were in school.

I knew this through-line had to be centered around something that was important to me, something that captured my heart.  So, I looked back to why Greek myths strike a chord with me. I recalled how Mrs. Abelmann, my fifth grade teacher, introduced me to Greek mythology by acting out portions of the famous lore in class, and eventually had us write our own myths. Mine was on the origin of the sunset, and I was quite proud of it. There was something very empowering about being able to create my own story. I was joining the ranks of Homer - or at least following (far, far behind) in his footsteps. I realize that because of Mrs. Abelmann, Greek mythology will always be a part of my own journey as a writer.

This led me to think about the other people or events that have influenced my writing journey.  Encouraging teachers, mentors & professors who affirmed, critiqued, sharpened my writing voice. Hours spent alone, dreaming up stories and scenes on paper, video camera or at a keyboard. I also remembered the doubts and set-backs. The times when I denied my writing ability because I felt like I would never be good enough. Or my hesitation to let others read or hear what I have written, for fear of harsh criticism or ridicule. These fears were especially strong during my middle school years. I remember writing a song for a 7th grade class project. My teacher lauded it and gave me an A+. Then she asked if she could play the recording for the class. I said "No," embarrassed at the thought of drawing attention to myself, and later, full of regret for not having taken the chance.

What had it taken for me to finally declare that I was a writer? When did I finally start thinking "I can do this?" Perhaps, more poignantly, why didn't I just give up and go another route? What made me stay on this path in spite of my own defeatist attitude?

I think the answer has to do with the work of writers that came before. Books, plays, films - anything with a narrative that has inspired me - kept nudging me to find my own footing; Greek myths included.

And then I had it; this would be my through-line. 
Tales of Olympus: A Greek Myth Musical would be my little nudge to younger artists and writers.

Zeus & Aphrodite show Jason the wonders of Olympus.

This led to the birth of the character Jason - a talented, twelve-year old storyteller who needs some gods and goddesses to help him see his potential. Meanwhile, the gods and goddesses need Jason's storytelling ability to keep their tales alive. The show is indeed rife with popular Greek myths, as the title promises. But underneath all that is the coming-of-age of a young bard who is influenced by the work of bards who came before him. Tales of Olympus is a story about telling stories.

And I'm pretty sure the ages of human history would agree that stories are pretty cool too.

BACT Spotlight On - Actor/Educator

As we prepare for the holiday season, we are excited to bring back one of our most popular shows from last year: Pinkalicious, the Musical!  We thought it would be fun to interview Pinkalicious herself, or rather the very talented actress who plays her: Katie McGee.  In addition to being a performer, Ms. McGee is also one of the educators for BACT's Youth Education Program (YEP). We asked her about both her life on-stage and her life as a drama teacher.
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BACT: Let's get right to what everyone probably wants to know. What is it like to play Pinkalicious? In what ways are you like or different from her?

Katie: Playing Pinkalicious is a delight! It is very similar to a crazy sugar rush - spaz, crash, and return to normal. I relate to Pinkalicious in a lot of ways. The relationship Pinkalicious has with her little brother, Peter, is very similar to the relationship I have with my little brother. Like Peter and Pinkalicious, we were very close growing up. Much like Pinkalicious, I was (my brother would argue that I still am) a bit of a bossy boots. Also similar to Pinkalicious, I love the color pink. When I was a kindergartener, I went through a phase where I would only wear pink. Red was a big wardrobe no no. Unlike Pinkalicious, however, I have always loved my greens. Yum!

BACT: Pinkalicious, the Musical was one of our most successful productions. Why do you think kids relate to Pinkalicious so much?
 
Katie: I think one of the biggest draws is the magic. She turns pink! And then red! Pinkalicious brings to life all of the wives' tales our parents told us. "Don't cross your eyes Tommy or they will get stuck that way." "Don't eat all of your Halloween candy Susie or your teeth will fall out." Also, many of the audience members know the story of Pinkalicious before they see it. Therefore the dramatic irony builds each time Pinkalicious eats another cupcake. There is something very suspensful about knowing a character's fate and watching them ignore your warnings.
 
BACT: We're getting ready for the return of Pinkalicious to the BACT stage this December. Will it be easy to jump back into the role? Will there be any new challenges the second time around? What are you most looking forward to about doing the show again?
 
Katie: Since closing, Pinkalicious has followed me around like a shadow. The kids I nanny for frequently request Pinkalicious living room performances. (I thought these requests would fade, but here we are in November and it is still happening!) Thanks to them my lines are pretty solid. I will, however, need to dust off my pink tap shoes and start practicing my footwork! I am most looking forward to reuniting with the cast and crew. They are a hoot!
 
BACT: You also help out with BACT's Youth Education Program. Can you describe what you do?

Katie: This semester I have been helping lead Montclaire Elementary first and second grade students on pirate adventures and jungle explorations. It is the BEST. BACT's curriculum is based in process drama. Teachers and students are in role (playing news reporters, jungle explorers, pirate captains, etc.) throughout class. While in character, students are asked to help teachers solve problems and make discoveries in real time. For example, last week I played a starving hunter. The student jungle explorers were asked to help me come up with alternatives to hunting. They concluded that they would help me plant crops and loan me some of their food. They were so sharp and generous!
 
BACT: What do you enjoy most about working with kids, specifically as it relates to theatre and dramatic arts? What have you found most rewarding about working with children?
 
Katie: Such a hard question! Many aspects of the job are extremely rewarding. Most recently I have enjoyed watching students make discoveries about human relationships. For example, last week I was participating in a pirate tableaux with a few first grade students. I was cast as a timid crew member opposite an evil pirate captain. I put on my best scared face and made eye contact with the "captain." I watched the lightbulb go off in the captain's head. As she observed my frightened face, her face got meaner and nastier. She discovered that our emotions and demeanor generate a reaction from others. Awesome!

BACT: Many teachers say that they learn a lot from their students. Is this true for you? What have you learned from your students?
 
Katie: I am constantly learning from my students. The teaching I do inspires a lot of what I do onstage. The biggest lesson I have learned happened while I was working as a music director for a student production of Peter Pan. It was someone's birthday and cookies were getting passed out backstage. One of the second graders was getting into costume and asked if either my co-director or I could set a cookie aside for her. We both said yes and immediately forgot to do it. Later while apologizing to her, she stopped us and said, "Guys, it's just a cookie." Now whenever I get worked up over something I say to myself, "Katie, it's just a cookie!" 


BACT: What advice would you give to any young actor who wants to one day take the stage (perhaps to play the next Pinkalicious or Peter)?  

Pinkalicious (Katie McGee) and Peter Pinkerton (Evan Boomer)

Katie: Start now! Pets, friends, stuffed animals, parents all make great audience members. Some of my best performances happened when I was five and performing for my dog Bob. The more you practice acting and storytelling, the better you get.

BACT: Great advice, Katie! Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to share your thoughts with us! We wish you the best with your students, and break a leg on the return of Pinkalicious, the Musical!