Week 8 – Kids and their Socks

July 25, 2017

I can’t believe I have been with CRT for almost the full summer! And every week I am learning more and more about programs that we have to offer. Of course I went in expecting CRT to be putting up shows and such because it’s a theater but they also have some amazing educational programs. I was able to see one of the three showings of our Kid Show: I, Mac(kers). Based on Macbeth the story follows the main character (pictured below with the stylin shoulder pads) sabotaging his friends through social media for an opportunity to play Macbeth in their school production. This original show by Emily Van Fleet and Nathan Jones was written in a spoken word style and even featured a rap battle. It followed the theme of cyber bullying and even though you can remain anonymous online your words can still matter and they can still hurt. It was much more than I expected from a children’s show and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was a topic these kids really cared about and you could tell even when they lost a shoe or forgot a line they picked it up and just kept going. That is such a valuable skill that they can now apply to real life. I also attended a talk back where the kids spoke about their process and experience and it is an experience they are really going to value whether or not they continue to pursue theater.

The kids didn’t just act they also helped with tech. We had kids help with set construction and design (pictured below) as well as work on the stage management crew. I think this is something that is often lacking in any children’s theater program. They learn to act, sing, and dance but they don’t see the other things that go into a show. CRT is helping to teach another generation of theater artists the full palette of opportunities.

On the topic of forgotten jobs one of the most undervalued jobs (and this is not just because I work there) is front of house. No matter what show it is someone still has to clean the house and sell the tickets. We are the only all female department at CRT and we have been selling hundreds of tickets a day either in person or over the phone. This is the secondary part of my duties only working 2-4 shifts a weeks but they always make me feel like an important part of the crew. And I am so proud to be a part of the Front of House team because we work hard clearing the seats of skittles, programs, and old socks…. we have found more socks than you want to know… and not just cute baby ones.