I'm sitting in the dark, waiting for Annie Jr. to start. Schoolchildren around me jostle and poke, whisper and prod. It's a field trip, a social occasion. Around me, the historic walls of the KiMo Theater display the Pueblo Deco designs that made the building famous. Onstage, Annie and the orphans of the New York City Municipal Orphanage start to sing and dance. The audience kids hush. Suddenly, they are there with Annie. Suddenly, it's 1933.
Youth Theater in New Mexico exists in large part because of a dedicated, professional group of directors, producers and crews. Many are volunteers. Some make a little money. No one gets rich. But the wide variety of possibilities available to youth should leave no one out of the theater arts.
"Coming to a theater to see a live production teaches children to appreciate the live arts," says Annie Jr. Director Rick Nickerson. His youth theater group, New Mexico Young Actors, produces stage productions at the KiMo and tours schools with Character Counts plays. The school tours are important and help with theater receipts.
"But it's not the same as coming to a theater." he says. "Without the costumes, without the feel and sounds and excitement, it's not the same." Experiencing live productions also teaches children theater etiquette, Nickerson says. Learning that there is a time to applaud and a time to stay quiet is important.
Nickerson knows theater. He has taught it for 28 years. Prior to running New Mexico Young Actors, he ran Nickerson's Young Actors. But Youth Theater hit a snag in the 1990s, and attendance began to decline. Nickerson turned his theater group into a non-profit organization. That kept the group alive. But his dreams for youth theater are different –more families attending live shows; more children exposed to the live arts; more drama in schools, not less.
It's a dilemma faced by all youth theater in New Mexico. Longtime dramatic arts educator Jonathan Dunski points to the challenges the dramatic arts face: schools spending more time on core curricula and forcing cuts in spending for the arts, often perceived as "extras." Or DVD movies, which keep families at home. Add that parents face an increasing time crunch, and the shift away from theater is no surprise. But what children get from theater is monumental.
"You see kids who struggle with school, and you see them on the stage, and all of a sudden, they're important," Dunski says. "They have a particular job to do and they come back and constantly improve. That's an important thing to demonstrate to them, that it's not just pass or fail. It's staying with something that counts."
Judging by the excitement and enthusiasm backstage at the KiMo, Dunski is correct. The show has ended, but the young actors mill about, change back into everyday clothes. Their faces shine with the glow of fresh applause.
For Drew Frost, 13, who played Daddy Warbucks, there is nothing like acting. "I like performing and hearing the laughter and the applause," he says.
Acting takes you out of yourself, says 14-year-old Lauren Isaacs, who played an orphan. "You get to be someone else every day," she says. "It's always fun to be someone new." agrees Katie Quesnell, 14, who played a French maid. "It's fun to be somebody you really aren't."
And it's fun to play someone you already know. Marianna Gallegos, a 14-year-old who played 11-year-old Annie, has acted with New Mexico Young Actors since she was 12. "It's fun and easy to play a little kid because I was one. I kinda still am," she adds with a smile.
The social aspect of theater is important, says parent Stephanie Molina, whose daughter, Meredith, played orphan Pepper in the show. "They learn so many skills," Molina says. "It's as though theater has all the same benefits as a team sport. They work together as a team, learn to work with adults and peers, and interact with children both older and younger. They make friends." For Molina, the social aspect is especially important, as Meredith is home-schooled. "She's always been a performer, but here, she performs and gets to see her friends."
Gaining self-confidence and making friends is important, says Kathryn Morales, who runs Albuquerque Little Theater's Family Education program. Morales has been involved in youth theater since it first jelled on the Albuquerque arts scene in the early 1960s. She learned theater with Bill Hayden when he started the Albuquerque Children's Theater (ACT) in 1962. ACT merged with Albuquerque Little Theater in 2002, giving it a permanent home.
Doug Montoya of the Box Performance Space focuses on comedy improvisation with children. Montoya, along with Dunski, wishes there were more ways to get the community excited about youth theater. "If youth theater had playbills posted on the sides of buses, it might be a good start. Like in Phoenix,” Montoya says. “The city pushes the Sun basketball team, which you see on the sides of buses. There should be excitement for theater generated by the city or state."
It is a common misconception that communities support the arts and culture at the expense of local economic development. Both locally and nationally, the arts mean business. They support jobs, generate revenue, and are a cornerstone of tourism. They help local economies thrive.
In the Santa Fe area, there is no lack of children's shows. Lisa Lincoln of the Eldorado Children's Theater produces large musicals with children and teens that include orchestra and the use of top quality choreographers. "I set the bar pretty high in terms of my expectations, and that shows in the quality of the productions,” Lincoln says. “It sets the kids up for a higher level, and they can go on to professional theater." Lincoln was a shy child whose life changed when she took part in a high school musical at age 15. "Theater builds so much self-esteem, confidence in every aspect of life, in building relationships and the teamwork, which is so irreplaceable,” she says. “The skills involved, putting the show together, bringing it to fruition, is such a huge thing."
Eldorado Children's Theater offers acting, drama and dance to kids ages 6 to 18, with shows in the spring and fall. Some of the students have been in every show since the program began in 1999. "Kids have watched this group grow from working in a gym in 1999, to full sets of costumes and big shows," says Lincoln.
Some students simply can't attend live shows, but even then, there are options. Christopher Leslie of Pandemonium Productions takes drama to the classroom. He is Artist in Residence at five Santa Fe elementary schools. "Teachers select the curricula and I bring in the performing arts,” Leslie says. “It's a kinesthetic way of teaching, good for the kids who don't learn by reading a book. For example, some students are now studying tall tales. The students are going to write and act out their own tall tales."
Once Upon A Theatre in Albuquerque also takes productions to schools, eliminating the need for buses, time off, and difficulties encountered with field trips. Director Myrna Smyer believes theater brought to children in as many different venues as possible truly serves the child.
"The whole idea is that you want young people to have as many theater experiences as possible. At best, we want them to have all of these experiences, not just one of them," she says. She also sees the value in exposing youth to the dramatic arts for the creation of future audiences.
"We have people telling us that they went to live theater for the first time after seeing one of our shows," Smyer says. "We invite parents to the shows at our schools. We want parents to be involved."
Like Kathryn Morales and Rick Nickerson, who have been on the Albuquerque theater scene a long time, Smyer now presents programs to children of her former students. Christopher Leslie of Pandemonium Productions had one student in more than 24 productions. Leslie watched him leave for college. "He became a kind of apprentice," Leslie says. "He knew so much and helped in so many aspects of the theater: sets, props, everything."
More than many other artistic medium, the theater arts are about community and the collaborative process. Santa Fe Performing Arts (SFPA) has a motto: Leave Your Ego Outside. "This is about that collaborative energy," says W. Nicholas Sabato, executive artistic director at SFPA. "You can't do theater alone."
Sabato has been with SFPA for 17 years and believes community is at the heart of what they do. "Our programming comes from the community," Sabato says. "We look to the community and say, what are the needs here, and what can we do to help? That's what separates theater from film and the Internet. We're your neighbors. We're live. We're here to do what we can do to help."
Whether working in schools, providing theater destinations for students, or teaching acting through productions, those involved in youth theater believe in the importance of drama for children.
"It's not so much about making actors out of these kids," says Sabato of SFPA. "It's about allowing them to discover an art form so they connect to themselves. Then they understand their value. Then they don't need drugs or gangs or those other things they think they might need.
"It's not about the show," says Sabato. "It's about the child. After the show closes, it's gone. But the child remains, and how that child has grown, that's what's important. And that's what children's theater is about."
If you're a family interested in what local drama offers your child either in school or outside of it, here are some of the many options.
Albuquerque
Albuquerque Little Theater
224 San Pasquale SW, 505-242-4750,
www.albuquerquelittletheatre.org, Contact: Kathryn Morales, Education Manager
Albuquerque Little Theater offers Family Theater classes as well as homeschool classes for the dramatically inclined. Classes are offered in fall and spring, with varying content and levels. Children 4-17 can learn acting, puppetry, comedy improv, Shakespeare, and play writing and presentation that centers on characters such as Harry Potter.
The Box Performance Space
1025 Lomas Blvd. NW, 505-404-1578,
www.theboxabq.com, Contact: Doug Montoya or Kristen Berg
Classes for kids and teens from Jan. 5 through Feb. 9. The informal, improvisational classes help students learn to think on their feet and hone public speaking skills. Ages 8-15. Summer classes for kids and teens.
The Growing Stage
505-288-1205,
www.thegrowingstage.com, Contact: Kari Reese
The Growing Stage (TGS) is a children's theater that began in 2003. It has collaborated with Musical Theater Southwest and now produces plays at the South Broadway Cultural Center and other venues. TGS offers Saturday drama classes over 8 weeks each fall and spring at a Northeast Heights location. Varying class levels serve children ages 3-16 in performance skills and vocal techniques. Summer classes are also available.
Mother Road Productions
info@motherroad.org,
www.motherroad.org/education/avenues.html
Mother Road offers storytelling to playwriting, a theater arts program that teaches the art of playwriting. Using improvisation, creative writing, and theater games, students create short dramas based on their personal lives. All programs are tied to state and national standards.
New Mexico Young Actors
7117 Loma del Norte NE, 505-821-8055,
www.nmyoungactors.org, Contact: Rick Nickerson
New Mexico Young Actors (NMYA) trains young people 9-18 in the theater arts. Students participate in musicals and plays for the community and area schools. Currently, NMYA offers four productions per year. Two take place at the KiMo Theater in both spring and fall. NMYA also takes plays to Albuquerque schools when educators make arrangements. NMYA curriculum includes voice technique, basic acting and improvisation, stage stunts and overall development of self-confidence. Students build toward stage performances through rehearsals. Drama I classes take place Wednesday and Friday evenings. Fall seasons run August through December; Spring sessions run January through July.
Once Upon a Theatre
13170-B Central SE, No. 130, 505-299-6020, Contact: Myrna Smyer,
www.onceuponatheatre.org
Once Upon a Theatre brings educational outreach programs to schools and assists teachers with study guides and teaching tools for before and after shows. The award winning Once Upon a Theatre plays are written by Myrna Smyer, longtime theater arts teacher and theater arts advocate. Two separate productions tour schools each year, adapted from famous fairy tales or literary pieces. Once Upon a Theatre seeks to fill the need for arts in the schools. The program has served more than 80,000 adults and children in the greater Albuquerque area.
Ovations Film Actors Studio Workshop
116 Morningside NE, 505-610-5945, Contact: Corinne
For kids ages 6-12 who want to be in films, Ovations offers the basics of on-camera acting. Covers monologue, audition technique, cold reading, and some improv. Children accelerate at their own pace. Classes continue with Children's Film Acting II and III. Ovations gives children a chance to learn how to listen and interact with other actors in a studio with full sets. Wednesdays, Children's Film Acting I, 4:30-5:30.
PLAY Conservatory
321-9531,
jonathan.dunski@gmail.com, Contact: Jonathan Dunski
Teaching artist Jonathan Dunski offers educational programs in-residence at theaters throughout the Albuquerque metro area. Longtime educator, actor and director, Dunski has staged numerous productions and oversees the Youth Theater Forum. For youth ages 7-adult.
Schooltime Series
Popejoy Hall, UNM, Contact: Laura Maness, 505-277-6746,
www.schooltimeseries.com
The Schooltime Series at Popejoy offers students field trips to see plays produced specifically for children. Provides backstage tours to Broadway shows like Phantom of the Opera. Study guides for each show provide lesson guide formats for instructors and assessments for teacher and students. Whenever possible, Popejoy works with other arts educators to make the program even more valuable to students and teachers across the curriculum. Plays are offered each fall and spring at Popejoy Hall.
Theatre in the Making
505-242-2327,
www.titm.org, Contact: Brian Haney
Founded in 1989, Theatre-in-the-Making offers regular classes in Shakespeare, story-theatre productions and Radio Books Alive. BooksAlive! introduces students 8-14 to acting in story theater and the chance to play multiple roles. In Playwrite, high school students create a play and work with an ensemble cast. With Radio Books Alive, performers ages 8 and up create radio scripts to be aired on KUNM's Children's Hour radio show. In Shakespeare, children 11 and up perform Shakespearean comedy to demystify the classic texts.
Tricklock Theater Company
1705 Mesa Vista NE, 505-254-8393,
www.tricklock.com/Company/company.htm
Tricklock offers teens the opportunity to participate in The Manoa Project, a teen playwriting and ensemble apprenticeship program. The Manoa Project's 2008 competition seeks young writers ages 14-18 to submit a one-act, six to 12 character unproduced play for consideration. The winner will further develop the play with Tricklock members and work with the Summer Ensemble Apprenticeship Program members in June-July 2008. Deadline for submission is April 1, 2008.
UNM's Saturday Children's Theater Classes
Popejoy Hall, UNM, 505-277-4332;
theatre@unm.edu,
www.unm.edu/theatre/community/saturday_classes.php
The University of New Mexico offers Saturday theater classes for children ages 4-15. During its fall and spring semesters, the 10-week classes in the Department of Theater Arts at Popejoy Hall introduce children to basic acting, creativity, confidence building and development of the imagination. Classes are taught by college theater students and culminate in a final showcase performance. Scholarships available.
East Mountain Area
East Mountain Community Theater
505-286-1950,
www.eastmountaintheatre.org
East Mountain Community Theater (EMCT) begins its first after school program for kids January 2008. Kids 6-12 will learn character building, improvisation, and overall creative dramatics. Class starts Jan. 8 and runs from 4-5:30pm. Teens 13-17 can opt for their own eight-week program starting Jan. 9, also running 4-5:30pm.
Española
Northern New Mexico Community College
505-747-2293
Northern New Mexico Community College offers children's drama classes on Saturday mornings at the Fine Arts Auditorium. Children 8-13 can participate in storytelling, acting, improvisation and other theater arts.
Santa Fe Area
Eldorado Children's Theater
Contact: Lisa Lincoln, 505-466-3302,
www.eldoradochildrenstheatre.org
The Eldorado Children's Theater (ECT) provides children 6-18 with theatrical training. ECT Artistic Director Lisa Lincoln has over 25 years experience in directing and voice training. ECT Company Players is open to ages 9-18 by audition. Company Players will present Oliver! with live orchestra and full production in late January and early February 2008 at the James A. Little Theatre in Santa Fe. Rehearsals are Tuesdays and Thursdays, September through January, 4-6 p.m., at the Eldorado Community Center. Beginning and advanced classes in musical, theatrical and dance training are available for students ages 7-18. Participants perform in stage presentations at local theaters. ECT has a May teen musical and a summer advanced workshop.
Pandemonium Productions
6532 Camino Rojo, 505-920-0704, Contact: Christopher Leslie,
www.pandemoniumprod.org
Pandemonium produces musicals and partners with Santa Fe Public Schools, College of Santa Fe, the Santa Fe Opera, and El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe. Pandemonium offers students an equal emphasis on theater, dance and music. Pandemonium offers educational outreach and scholarships. Classes for Willy Wonka begin in January with performances at the James A. Little Theater in May. Contact Christopher for information on auditions.
Southwest Children's Theater Productions (SWCTP)
142 East DeVargas Street, 505-984-3055,
www.southwestchildrenstheatre.com, Contact: Rebecca Morgan
SWCTP has offered theater education since 1988 and is the resident children's company of the Santa Fe Playhouse. Young Actors classes are available for 3rd-9th graders in spring, summer and fall, after school on Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 3:30-5:30. For 1st and 2nd graders, classes take place Fridays from 3:30-5pm and are available in spring and fall. Creative play and theater games culminate in the production of a classic children's story. Sliding scale fee. All classes held at the Santa Fe Playhouse.
Santa Fe Performing Arts School
505-982-7992,
sfpa@aol.com, Contact: W. Nicholas Sabato,
www.sfperformingarts.org/performing_arts_school.html
For nearly 20 years, SPFA has provided bilingual productions and on-site training in the performing arts for kids. Emphasis is on process rather than product. SFPA offers after school and summer classes in drama for children from 6-18. The City Different Players, an after school program for kids 8-12, culminates in performances open to the public and includes low cost weekday performances for school classes. The Teen Company offers 13-18 year olds after school and summer classes in drama, music and dance. The Teen Company helps students cope with teen issues such as drugs, gangs and depression. Teens write and produce programs such as "Violence: What is it Good For?" SFPA offers scholarships. SFPA School offers teachers training in integrating theater arts in the classroom. Performances are at the Armory for the Arts. SFPA will open its doors to a private performing arts middle school, grades 6-8, in Fall 2008. Call for more information.
Taos
Taos Center for the Arts
133 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte, 575-758-4677
Youth programs for 30 years.
Theater Resources
Theater Salon for information on any upcoming theater events, casting calls, auditions, and more.
www.theatersalon.com
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New Mexico Kids!
PO Box 93385, Albuquerque, NM 87199
505-797-2708; 1-888-466-5189
Fax 505-797-2808
www.newmexico-kids.com
