Once Upon a Time...

From Leslie Arden, composer/playwright of The Princess & the Handmaiden:

It was opening night of LKTYP’s production of The Princess & the Handmaiden, and I was sitting in the audience beside two of the original cast members from…oh my…over twenty-five years ago. It’s been a long journey. I first wrote the musical in 1982, but it was originally a three-hander, with one performer (me) stuck playing the piano most of the time. We toured Ontario schools from January until April for over two decades with my own Children’s Theatre Company, and we survived to tell the tale. Ah, the memories…

I remember one school in which they had to move the piano to the performing area from a classroom far, far away, so, to ease its journey, they greased the wheels. Literally. Throughout the show, every time I depressed the sustain pedal, the piano slipped out from under me and silently rolled away. I constantly had to stop playing and grab it to keep it from rolling across the stage.

In another school they provided an electronic keyboard which boasted a handy transposition button, but every time I played the keyboard louder than mezzo piano the keyboard would launch into a new key. This happened so frequently and so unpredictably throughout the show that eventually we all resorted to simply shouting our lyrics instead of singing, as we never knew when the accompaniment would fly off into unknown territory.

Then there was the school that provided a piano that had a couple of keys that wouldn’t play. No problem, I thought, I can work around those notes. As the show progressed, however, more and more keys disappeared until, by halfway through the show, it sounded like I was playing some sort of percussion instrument, with nothing but wooden clicking and clacking emerging from the piano.

One school provided a tiny, two-octave mini Casio keyboard, upon which they expected me to accompany the show. They couldn’t understand my hesitancy. After all, it came with the added attraction of a pre-programmed rhythm section. Evidently, with just a push of a button, one could effortlessly begin the beguine.

We drove to Ottawa during the infamous ice storm to perform at the Children’s Festival. We had full houses because the theatre was one of the only buildings that still had electricity, and families came to stay warm. I like to think that they also enjoyed the show.

We performed in gyms with no heat, we tap danced on carpets (yes, I’ve been known to tap dance). We were interrupted by school bells, fire drills and p.a. announcements. Kids threw up. They peed themselves, and not necessarily in the humorous scenes. Entire classes arose and left just before the end, so they wouldn’t miss their bus. We drove to venues in snow storms, ice storms and thunderstorms, only to arrive and find no one else there and the show cancelled (yes, it was back in the days before cell phones). And I loved every minute of it.

Today, people ask me why I still choose to work in Children’s Theatre. The answer is simple. It’s the most rewarding work I can do. I cannot count the number of children for whom we were their first theatrical experience. How many behaviorally challenged kids were riveted by our troupe? How many deaf children “heard” our musicals through interpreters signing off to the sides? How many teachers considered our company an inconvenience when we first arrived, and were then utterly charmed and entertained for an hour (after which they would beg us to join them in the teachers’ lounge so they could regale us with stories about their wonderful school and their beloved students)?

I’ve spent twenty-five years entertaining children and young adults with stories set to music. Frankly, it doesn’t get any better than that.

Leslie Arden has written over a dozen musicals, including the critically acclaimed and multi-award winning The House of Martin Guerre and the Chalmers Award winning The Happy Prince. Leslie’s musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, The Boys Are Coming Home, was produced by Chicago’s American Musical Theatre Project in Chicago in August, 2006, and this musical was chosen to be showcased by The National Alliance of Musical Theater in New York City later that same year. Leslie composed the music for Toronto’s Canadian Stage Company’s productions of The Beard of Avon and It’s a Wonderful Life (in which she was also a performer), as well as the Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s 2009 production of Cyrano de Bergerac starring Colm Feore. Leslie’s currently at work on musical adaptations of Moll Flanders and Somewhere in Time.

An Unexpected Experience

From April 25th to April 30th I was in Ankara, Turkey for the 5th annual “Little Ladies, Little Gentlemen International Children’s Theatre Festival.” When I received the notice that the festival was looking to host a Canadian to observe the festival I was so excited. My parents are Turkish and I used to go to Turkey to visit my grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousin but I haven’t been back in almost 10 years. For a while now I have wanted to go back and couldn’t believe that it would be my work as an arts educator that would eventually take me back to Turkey. I spent a few days in Istanbul before the festival with my family and learning more about my grandparents and great grandparents. I was surprised at how emotional this was for me. I felt very much at home.

Leaving for Ankara was a huge shift from that feeling. I was heading to the unknown. I was suddenly very aware that I hadn’t even spoken to members of the festival committee. I had made all of these plans via email and now here I was on a bus on my way to Ankara for the first time and not entirely sure of what I would find there. Of course, upon my arrival I met people from the festival, checked into the hotel etc. and everything was fine.

My role in the festival was to be an observer which meant seeing the shows and participating in all of the festival events. I had also been asked to give a workshop for children ages 9-11. It was an exciting opportunity but I was nervous; my Turkish is pretty rusty and although I had a translator, so much of how a teacher develops a rapport with their students is in the way we communicate with one another. The morning of my workshop I met a woman, Fatma who is a professor at a university in Istanbul. After chatting with her for a while we discovered that the work we do is very similar. She asked if she could attend my workshop. My response was: “of course. But, if you come, you have to participate and play along with the kids.” She said she was relieved because she always prefers to be an active participant rather than just an observer.

The workshop went really well. Even though there was a language barrier, I felt that the kids and I were able to establish a connection. The workshop showed me that kids are kids. The dynamic was the same as any other workshop. I felt right at home as if I were doing a workshop at LKTYP.

The evening after the workshop, Ahmet from the festival committee approached me to let me know that there were some teachers from Van (Kurdish part of Turkey) that wanted to meet and speak with me. They had come to the festival with a group of teenagers and had performed a play. When I met with them, they asked me (through Ahmet who translated): “how do you teach drama”? I wasn’t sure where to begin. We talked some more about their goals for the students and then with trepidation they asked if I would do another workshop for their students. I was happy to do the workshop and realized that this would be a great opportunity to collaborate with Fatma. I agreed to teach the workshop with Fatma and hoped that she would participate! Fatma was really excited about the idea and the next day we planned our workshop.
At 7:30pm we started the workshop in one of the hotel meeting rooms. It was supposed to be an hour and a half long from 7:30- 9:00pm but 9:00pm came and went. We wrapped up the workshop at 11:00pm. I have never seen a group of teenagers so motivated and excited. They wanted to do another workshop the next night and Fatma and I thought, “why not try and offer them a different kind of experience?” We asked the director/choreographer from a Dutch company attending the festival if he would do a movement workshop for the students the next night. He agreed and luckily I was able to attend that workshop as well.

The whole trip was amazing. Reflecting back over the last few weeks I have realized how special the experience was. I should conclude by thanking my colleagues at LKTYP for being so supportive and filling in for me while I was away. A special thank you to Alexandra Parravano our intern from OISE. She stepped into a leadership role and managed some of our educational events that took place while I was away.

Photo of festival program if interested:http://www.devtiyatro.gov.tr/23nisan/program/oyunlar/atolye_tiyatroileegitim.htm

Karen Gilodo - Education Services Coordinator

My name is...

My name is Caitie Drewery and I have a love affair with theatre. I am a recent grad from Dalhousie University’s Theatre Honors program. Having acquired years of new skills and goals I found myself going back to the place where, as a student, I was first inspired to follow my dream. My volunteer experience at LKTYP has been very positive. It has allowed me to get back to my roots, and re-connect with all the reasons I fell in love with theatre in the first place. It has also helped me become immersed with people who are interested in changing children’s lives through theatre, just like me. I have met some fantastic people, who I look forward to seeing every time I come into the office. I have been given the opportunity to see the shows, and then learn about the sheer complexity of putting the piece on the stage. The curtain, so to speak, has been drawn back for me, and I am given a glimpse of all the inner-workings of the productions. As a volunteer, your work is not only appreciated, but has an impact on you as a person. Working as a volunteer for March Break camp, I realized that my campers came to class to everyday to “hang out” with me and my instructor. They got up early in the morning, and instead of watching t.v., or playing video games, they wanted to hang out with me, because I made their day so much fun. My actions as a volunteer resulted in a week long experience that those kids will take with them into adulthood; and really who could ask for more then that? Those experiences have solidified my interest in children’s education, and I will be applying to teacher’s college in 2010. I know the relationships and knowledge I take from these walls will help me achieve my future career goals. This experience is worth every penny I’m not getting paid!

-Caitie

Magic & Excitement

Connecting with others who share the enjoyment of working with children and the love of theatre, led me to volunteer at Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People. As a child, growing up in Toronto, my family had visited the Young People’s Theatre many times and I remember how much I had valued those experiences. Having returned to Toronto after more than 20 years my sister, who has always been involved in theatre, suggested volunteering. Taking a leave from my job as a kindergarten teacher of 18 years in Hamilton, I was keen to keep myself busy with something I enjoyed. Volunteering this year has meant meeting teachers and students during the week for school shows and on weekends meeting families who have come to enjoy the shows. I have had the opportunity to lead some of the Question and Answer sessions. This is a favourite part after the show where children and educators get a chance to ask the actors questions.
In the spring the Open Doors Toronto event helped me learn more about the building and the history of the neighbourhood. During the summer months assisting with the drama school camps whether with the young enthusiastic professional teachers, in the office working with the creative administrators or helping supervise children during lunch was a lot of fun. It has been a privilege to meet all the professionals at the theatre including production crews, actors, directors, musicians, box office managers, and educators, and to work closely with the front of house manager, Margaret. I have met many volunteers, some who are new to Canada, from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, and Germany. The theatre has an active Co-op student program and the students who come here are eager young people who are thinking of future careers in theatre. Volunteering has meant having a chance to watch the performances. Whether in the Main Stage theatre or the Studio theatre the shows have been varied and excellent.Each child and adult who attends comes away with a unique experience. Teachers leaving the current show, The Forbidden Phoenix, have marveled at every aspect of the performance. Children leave wanting to learn more about Chinese history in Canada, Peking opera and martial arts. Everyone who comes to the theatre is looking for the magic and the excitement of live theatre. I know I find something magical and exciting every time I am here.

-Marcia

Good thing I did...

I was a newcomer when I decided to volunteer for Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People. I have never had a theatre background I just thought it would be nice to see a place that I would not normally think twice to enter. Good thing I did because I have learned a lot from the staff at the theatre.Volunteering has assisted in building up my confidence by making me aware that there isn't that big a difference in how everyone does things. I initially thought that maybe people were into witchcraft or something - so it has leveled the plain so to speak. The reason why I choose volunteering was to get some form of work experience in Canada and the theatre was very conveniently located to where I live and where I used to spend most of my free time - that is the library. I found a flyer that was recruiting for volunteers and I thought I should give it a shot since I had some time to free. My goals for volunteering are to gain skills that would be able to secure me a job. The most important aspect I get from volunteering is the sense of doing something. Because I have always been an active person, volunteering just helps me get that feeling of being proactive.

-Ibrahim