shooting. The age limit is 15 and up, our
highest yet. The phenomenon of school
shootings is new and perplexing. How does
someone go unnoticed and then suddenly
emerge as a shooter? I want us to be proactive, to talk about the bad stuff before it
happens [again].
hat are some
misconceptions about
“children’s theatre?”
That it’s somehow “less
than,” that it’s just clowns
tying balloons onstage.
If that was ever true, it’s not anymore.
Writers whose work has been on Broadway
also write for child audiences. We believe
good acting is good acting, and a good play
is a good play. Our audiences are ready to
suspend their disbelief, and they deserve
high-caliber productions.
That it’s [necessarily] fairytales or old
stories. We think kids want to see their stories; that’s why we have more of a contemporary literature bent than a classic one.
That it’s for younger kids. Internationally,
“youth theatre” spans from age 4 all the
way up to 25. Children’s theatre is so new
in the U.S. It’s only really been widespread
for about the last 50 years.
Tell us about the upcoming shows.
Ramona Quimby, I see as a great Portland
story. Of course Beverly Cleary is an Oregon writer, so the setting already feels appropriate ... but more than that, Ramona’s
a person, an individual. She’s mischievous,
and she reacts to things in her own way.
That’s why little girls like her. I personally
sympathize with her sister Beezus, who is
a reasonable human being trying to cope
with a sibling who takes up her whole
family’s mental energy.
Schoolhouse Rock! spans so many generations! I’m 62 and I know it, but so do
people in their 30s ... 20s ... on down to
kids still in school. It’s just a part of pop
culture that’s survived like crazy! Songs
like I’m Just a Bill, Conjunction Junction,
Three Is a Magic Number — they’re classic
rock now. [In 2013] CBS did a 40-year
anniversary special on it. They think it still
has an audience, and I do too!
Columbinus [the spring project of the
Young Professionals company] is, of
course, about the Columbine High School
The first act is just a normal day, and it
doesn’t identify the shooters; you have
to guess. Then the second act is the day
of the infamous shooting. The delivery is
very Brechtian; you’re not seeing people
shot onstage and blood spewing, instead
the characters narrate what’s happening
to them, like, “I’ve been hit. I’ve fallen on
the floor ...” I find it more impactful than
objective gore because you’re hearing each
character’s point of view. When the YP actors read the script, they said it rang true,
that high school feels like a battleground.
Impulse is our improv program by our
troupe of the same name. The group is
great; they’ve won 10 consecutive improv
battles at Curious Comedy. Improv in general is good for you because it focuses you.
Of course you want kids to
eat their vegetables, but
we want to give them a
process of discovery, not
just tell them what to do.
I love getting actors back after they’ve done
Impulse, because I see a huge difference
in the way they interact, their alertness
and responsiveness within a scene. They’re
more agile. The main idea in improv is
“What if ...?” Anything could happen. So
they come back prepared for adventure,
ready to go along with dynamic changes in
the mood or shifts in a story.
What shows are you currently developing
and with whom?
I love new work. We have two new works
this year, and we’ll have two next year.
Right now we’re developing a script called
The Snow with First Stage Children’s
Theater [in Wisconsin] and Magik Theatre
[in Texas]. Jeff Frank from First Stage —
whom I’ve known for many years — talked
me into it after we initially opted out. He
just said, “C’mon, Brother, get involved in
this!” First Stage is the biggest partner,
sponsoring 50 percent of the commission,
and Magik and Oregon Children’s Theatre
are each giving 25 percent. We Skype regularly with the playwright in Australia.
Skippyjon Jones was kind of the opposite;
I was already really eager to do it and when
I heard that Dallas Children’s Theater was
developing a script I kind of horned my
way in on it. That ended up being good for
everyone, because we were able to provide
Spanish language support with two Spanish-speaking actors who helped proofread
and helped the composer, Nick Martin,
rhyme some lines in Spanish.
With new works, it’s all about who the
partners are and how much you trust
them. But generally, collaborations are fun!
Partnerships give more scripts a chance to
be developed.
What’s your take on educational theatre?
When we were signing on to our partnership with Kaiser [Permanente], we told
them, “We’re not going to do dancing vegetables.” I was once in that kind of show,
Professo ȁ