I’m very excited to tell you about some good news! I have been invited by the Seattle Public Theater to write about their youth programs!!! Have you ever wanted to act in a play on a stage? If you answered “yes” or even “maybe” then the youth programs are for you! It’s a great way to get started on your acting career.
The Seattle Public Theater has classes for kids that teach you how to act and move on stage. Right now there is a group of 3rd and 4th graders who are rehearsing for The Wizard of Oz. I got to visit them while they worked.
I was a little bit nervous at first. But Todd, he’s the director, introduced me to the kids. They all made me feel very welcomed and they didn’t mind that I sat and watched. While they worked hard I heard Todd instruct the kids about their choreography. “What’s that?” I wondered. Oh, and all the kids had a stack of papers stapled together. Sometimes Todd would say, “OK, everyone is off script, now.” And then the kids would drop their stack of papers on the floor and out of the way. “Hmmm,” I wondered, what that was about?” Luckily for me, when the kids were finished working, they sat with me and answered my questions.
I made some new friends at the Seattle Public Theater. Sean, Aliza and Makena each helped me to understand choreography. They said it’s planned dancing or movement while you’re acting like a character from a play. That sounds very difficult. But there’s more! Sometimes you even have to sing, too! I don’t know if I would ever be able to do all that at the same time. But these kids are good. They were all following Todd’s choreography instructions.
I also learned what the stack of papers is called. That’s the script and each actor has one. They told me it is the story typed on paper and it tells which character says which words. Sometimes it also tells the characters what they are supposed to do on stage. When Todd tells them, “off script,” that means they can’t look at the words typed on paper! Yikes, that sounds very difficult.
Aliza and Makena let me look at their scripts. Each girl used a different colored highlighter pen to mark the words they had to memorize for the character they were playing.Wow! That’s a lot of words to memorize. They said it takes lots of practice. They read and re-read many times a day, every day. When I read a book, I read it once and then go on to another book. I can’t imagine reading the same story, over, and over, and over, and over again. That’s dedication!
Todd has invited me to visit them again while they rehearse. In a few weeks the kids get to perform the show for their parents. It’s not a real performance for the public to watch because the kids are learning what to do right now. Sometimes I’ll get to visit rehearsals for shows that you can see at The Bathhouse On Green Lake. I’ll let you know which shows those are, too.
So, if acting on stage sounds like something you want to do, then you should ask your parents to visit the website for the Seattle Public Theater and sign you up for the classes. Here’s the link: http://www.seattlepublictheater.org/education-programs.htm.
Be sure to check back next week when I write more about how to audition for a show.
Your Friend,
Sleepy Bear
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