Theatre for young actors and audiences

“The Sound of Music” is a popular choice for troupes with lots of talented kids.

“Don’t coddle them,” is the first piece of advice Eau Claire Children’s Theatre Executive Director Wayne Marek offers when asked about directing young actors.

“Treat them like the adult performers,” Marek says. Kids in ECCT shows are expected to know their lines, know their blocking, and be on time to rehearsal just like anyone else.

“I feel like that has led to the young performers being successful.”

Marek has trained many actors of all ages since founding ECCT 26 years ago. He says working with young, inexperienced actors is not much different from working with older actors who are new to community theatre.

“It has more to do with lack of experience versus their age,” Marek says. “An inexperienced adult needs to know the same things that a new young person starting out needs to know. Those are the really basic things like don’t turn your back to the audience when you’re talking, don’t upstage your fellow actors, cheating front when you’re delivering your lines.”

Marek says eight is the recommended minimum age for ECCT performers. Actors have to be able to read their scripts and have the stamina to make it through an hour-and-a-half to two-and-a-half-hour rehearsal.

There are some big, challenging parts written for kids. Many of the titles

“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” based on the 1968 film, is another musical with big and small roles for kids.

staged by ECCT feature young actors in leading roles, with adults in the supporting roles. But the kids have shown they are up to the challenge.

“There are shows that have large expectations of young performers,” Marek says. “But it’s always the young performers who are first off book.”

With over two and a half decades in business, the children’s theatre has built up a core of seasoned actors, some of whom started as kids and are now bringing their own children to shows. The best shows for a company like ECCT (or any community theatre troupe) also include smaller chorus parts for those who are just getting their feet wet.

Some of the great shows for multi-generational casts are familiar community theatre fare. “Annie,” “Oliver,” “Mary Poppins,” and “The Music Man” are all popular choices with both large and small roles for young actors. Marek has also learned that stage adaptations of popular children’s books draw lots of young actors and audience members alike. ECCT’s auditions for an upcoming January production of “Number the Stars” attracted 40 young hopefuls, mostly looking to play one of the three main girls featured in the story. On the audience side, the group had to add performances to meet demand.

“We offered four school matinees for that show and ended up filling seven because they know the book,” Marek says.

Other popular chapter book series offer stage adaptations, such as “Junie B. Jones,” and “The Magic Treehouse.” Even picture books like “Goodnight Moon” have stage versions that draw a lot of interest from kids and their parents who read the books to them.

If you’re looking to put on a show for young actors and audiences, the Plays for Young Audiences catalog and familiar publishing companies like Samuel French and Dramatic Publishing offer many titles aimed at kids.

Marek says the greatest reward for working with young actors is watching them grow – starting out as a ten year old in the chorus, graduating to lead roles, and continuing on through high school, college and beyond. And inspiring that growth begins with treating the youngest member of the cast just like everyone else.

“Treat them like an adult performer and they always rise to that challenge.”

Other thoughts on good shows or approaches for young actors? Share them in the comments below!

Selecting Shows for Community Theatre

CVTG Executive Director Ann Sessions

So what shows should your community theatre troupe put on next year? Is it too soon to do “The Music Man” again? Do you have enough guys to fill out the cast of “Twelve Angry Men?” Will your audience be offended by the adult-themed puppet musical, “Avenue Q?”

How do community theatre groups decide what to present each season? For the answer, I turned to Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild Executive Director Ann Sessions.

The guild puts on a lot of shows – eight this season, plus summer drama camp productions – and strives to present a variety for its audience. Each season is a mix of big and small musicals and plays. Larger shows are staged at Eau Claire Regional Arts Center’s State Theatre (seating up to 1,100). Smaller shows get a two-weekend run at the 140-seat Grand Little Theatre, which is the guild’s home base.

A five-member committee begins reviewing titles a year in advance, looking to construct a cohesive but varied season.

“They look at a balance of plays to musicals,” Sessions says. “They look at a balance of old standards, classics, favorites, to new works and debuts for the region.”

Other considerations include what it will take to actually stage a show. How many cast members are needed? Male actors in particular tend to be in short supply, a recurring theme in community theatre. What kinds of talents and skills will the cast need? You’d better have some tap dancers if you’re going to put on “42^nd Street.” The committee must also consider the kind of set and special effects needed, the size of the orchestra, and of course, the budget. Royalties for musicals hike the cost of production considerably.

The shows in a season should also be set in a variety of time periods.

Audience appeal is certainly important. Recognizable favorites may be an obvious choice (this season is bookended by “Annie Get Your Gun” and “The Music Man”), but that doesn’t mean a whole season has to be a string of Broadway’s greatest hits.

“One of the missions is to sort of challenge audiences,” Sessions says. Season ticket-holders may be drawn to the familiar titles in the lineup, but also find something new and different that they really enjoy.

“It gives somebody a chance to see something that they might not have chosen to see.” Speaking of challenging audiences, the language and content of the shows is something the committee must consider. The guild has presented some edgier shows in recent years, such as “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and “Avenue Q.”

“There’s a lot of discussion that goes into that,” Sessions says. “Sometimes it’s in the context of the story and the character. It’s still something that people can relate to. It isn’t meant to shock.”

Surveys sent out to season ticket-holders and the many directors who work with the guild help identify potential titles.

In its 35-year history, the guild has repeated a number of popular shows. Sessions says it’s usually a good idea to wait at least 10 years between repeats, though some powerhouse shows (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, to name one) bear more frequent staging.

The committee recognizes that some shows will have regional appeal. The Jeff Daniels-penned deer camp comedy, “Escanaba in da Moonlight” sold out most of its run in short order this fall.

A troupe that puts on multiple shows must also pace its production schedule. A string of back-to-back musicals would put a strain on the available talent and tech pool.

And of course the shows must to be available for community theatre production. If a professional touring company is bringing the show to Minneapolis, the rights will likely not be available in the Chippewa Valley.

Looking for ideas? Here’s a list of the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild’s past productions.

More? Okay – try amazon.com’s top 20 best-selling community theatre musicals.

Jaded with familiar titles? You might enjoy onstageblog.com’s list of 10 Musicals that Community Theatres Need to Just Stop Producing. (Don’t take it personally. You’ve probably been in half of these.)

Have a suggestion for a community show? Share it in the comments below!

Bringing Original Works to the Stage – tips and encouragement from the prolific Jerry Way

Composer and playwright Jerry Way has written 10 musicals.

Are you the next William Shakespeare? Tennessee Williams? Rodgers and Hammerstein? They all have something in common. At some point, they had to write their first play and sweat out the reaction from their first audience. Playwright and composer Jerry Way says it can be daunting, but if it’s something you’d like to try, it’s a rewarding experience.

Way taught music for 33 years in west-central Wisconsin and is a longtime performer, songwriter and bandleader. If you grew up in Chippewa Falls, Jerry probably taught you music, directed you in a show, or played at your wedding dance (or some combination of the three). Way added playwright to his credentials a little over 13 years ago and has already written and directed 10 original musicals. Some have dramatized the history of the city of Chippewa Falls, where his shows are a twice-a-year tradition at the Heyde Center for the Arts. Others have been aimed at children and have featured dozens of kids in the cast. His last 5 shows have been musical comedies with inspiration coming from a wide variety of sources.

Way collaborated with others on a couple of shows before he decided to write one himself.

“I started thinking, ‘maybe I could do the whole bit,’” he says.

That first show was “Grandma’s Garden,” inspired by his wife, Carol’s, flower garden and the joy it brought to the couple’s grandchildren. A cast of a few adults and a lot of kids-playing various garden residents such as butterflies, ladybugs, bees, and one wise old Daddy Longlegs (that was me)-brought Jerry’s original story and songs to life for a run of sellout shows in 2002.

Way admits he wasn’t sure the show would be a hit.

“There’s the fear that people won’t get it,” Way says. “They won’t identify. They won’t connect with it. Nobody will laugh at any jokes. The songs… they’ll be bored with it.”

Then there’s the added uncertainty of attracting an audience for a show they have never heard of.

“I give the audience a lot of credit,” Way says. “They take a leap of faith.”

Way based a series of three musicals on the history of Chippewa Falls. “Pioneers at the Falls,” “Progress at the Falls,” and “Pride at the Falls,” featured local actors portraying real people from the city’s founding to the present day. “The Swampers,” the acoustic band put together to bring those original songs to life, still put on a show each year during the city’s “Pure Water Days” celebration.

Way’s musical comedy “The Cave Artist” was inspired by a story about prehistoric cave paintings found in France.

More recent musical comedies have been inspired by a train ride the Ways took while on vacation (“Gold Town Showdown”), an article about prehistoric cave art in France (“The Cave Artist”), and an upcoming show about growing up in the early days of TV (“TV Town”), when televisions were scarce and neighbors would gather to watch shows featuring Ed Sullivan and Milton Berle.

When Way gets an idea for a show, he starts with the script. The dialogue is inspired by real-life, quirky characters he has known over the years. Way says once he starts writing, he hears those characters talking to one another in his head.

“It’s kind of those people speaking to me,” he says. “I know how they would react.”

Instead of seeking professional help for the voices in his head, Way writes down what they say.

When Way thinks a point in the story deserves a little more rumination, he writes a song. Once he has decided what he wants the song to say, he comes up with a chord progression, then starts working out the first verse and the refrain. The words and melody eventually come flowing out.

Way starts working on a script a little less than a year before it’s scheduled to hit the stage. He starts writing the August “Swampers” show in the fall of the previous year. For the musicals produced in March, he starts the previous spring. Next March’s “TV Town” is already written. That allows plenty of time for revising the script, which he won’t print out until a week before the first read-through. He may tweak the show a bit more during rehearsals.

Though the inspirations for Jerry’s shows vary widely, they’re all connected to something he has experienced. This is important, he says, if you’re planning to try playwriting.

“Write what you’ve lived,” Way suggests. “Some connection to something you know about so it rings true. Then go back and rework.”

And above all?

“Go for it. It’s a wonderful, creative experience.”

Check out Jerry Way’s published works.

Have a tip or story about putting on an original show? Share it in the comments!

From Backwoods to Broadway – UWEC Grad Barry Anderson is Living the Dream

Barry Anderson, a 1995 Osseo-Fairchild High School graduate and 2000 UW-Eau Claire graduate, is now a professional actor and songwriter based in New York City.

Broadway! The lights! The glamour! The guy in his underwear playing guitar in Times Square!

I made my first trip to New York City in August and the Broadway experience did not disappoint. On a marathon road trip out to and down the East Coast, my wife and daughter and I set aside one evening to catch our first Broadway show – the Tony-Award-winning “Jersey Boys.”

It was a great choice. The music was exceptional, the performances were outstanding and the staging was impressive.

One of the audience’s favorite supporting characters was flamboyant record producer Bob Crewe. Fumbling through my program in the dark, I was stunned to discover that the actor, Barry Anderson, was not only from my general neck of the woods, he had also graduated from the same college I first attended – the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

There’s about a decade between us and we had never crossed paths (at least knowingly), but he was nonetheless happy to oblige with an interview about his experiences as a professional actor. I caught up with him via email in October when he was in Atlanta with the touring “Jersey Boys” show.

Anderson grew up in rural Osseo, Wisconsin and got his first part in UW-Eau Claire’s summer theatre when he was just 12, playing Nibs, one of the lost boys, in a production of “Peter Pan.”

Anderson enjoyed performing in high school, community theatre, and college musicals, but he did not set out at first to become a professional actor. He started out as a piano major and finished with a degree in Music Education.

“By the time I was ready to graduate and head out, my heart and soul were definitely entrenched in doing theatre,” Anderson says. “So, that’s the first thing I pursued full-time once I left school. “

Anderson spent a couple of years doing touring and regional shows before moving to NYC in 2002. He continued to audition, take classes, and leave New York for out-of-town jobs. Sometimes his piano skills paid the bills. It was 2007 when he got his first part on Broadway, as Aaron Schultz in “Legally Blonde.”

“I was over the moon and excited to finally get to work in the city, especially in a show that had so much fun buzz about it at the time.” Anderson says. He was working a decidedly off-Broadway job when he got the call.

“I got a message from my agent with the news while I was doing a teaching gig, playing show tunes for a ‘mommy-and-me’ class in NYC one day. So, as soon as I had a chance during a break, I phoned my mom.”

Anderson’s TV credits include appearances on “As the World Turns,” and “30 Rock.”

Anderson has kept up his music skills while working in New York. A composer since high school, he now collaborates with Londoner Mark Petty. Anderson and Petty have played several concerts in New York and London, composed music for many projects, and released a songbook a couple of years ago.

Barry has been playing the same character onstage for four years now – more than 1,400 performances as of this month.

Anderson, seated on right, onstage as Bob Crewe in “Jersey Boys”

“That’s a lot of doing the EXACT same thing 8 times a week :),” he admits, but he says the audience has given too much of their time and money for him to let his performance slide.

“The challenge becomes keeping a sense of ‘this is the first time I’m doing this’ for every single show, regardless of how bored or tired or in pain you may be. I try to think of it in terms of giving EVERY audience an Opening Night performance, even if it is a Saturday matinee and you can’t even remember what city you’re in.”

Finally, I asked Barry what he would say to someone who is considering a career as a professional actor.

“I always tell students or anyone who’s considering acting professionally to gain as much experience as is humanly possible for them prior to setting forth in the professional world. Schools and training programs are of course important and helpful. But, I really think we as actors learn the most by DOING. And I’m talking about the craft of acting as well as the business of acting. Do your research. Keep current on trends in the business and the job outlook and the professional actor unions. Know your type. Realize that YOU and what YOU DO are a product, and that it is your job to find out where in the marketplace that product fits. Your work doesn’t end once you get an agent. Be on time, be courteous, BE professional. These things sound obvious, but the business is very small and word travels quickly. Being a great person to work with goes far and will serve you extremely well.”

Follow Barry on Twitter – @4BarryAnderson

Check out his songwriting website – http://andersonandpetty.com/

Sing along to Anderson and Petty’s “Suddenly!”

“I Hope I Get It!” Surviving the Audition

Turek in “The Producers”

Steve Turek’s first audition was a nerve-wracking experience.

“I didn’t know if I’d get laughed out of there or what,” he says. But he survived it.

It’s a good thing, too. In the intervening 40 years (a milestone I helpfully pointed out to him), he has not only gone on to play great roles (Sancho, Edna Turnblad, Oz General Number 3), but he has also nurtured countless young actors as a director for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Summer Theatre, Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild, Eau Claire Children’s Theatre, and the former Fanny Hill Dinner Theatre. His protégés can be found from Barstow to Broadway (Barstow is a street in downtown Eau Claire, in case you didn’t know. Broadway is… well, you know).

For this reason, I asked Steve to weigh in on the topic of surviving your first audition.

Turek did not participate in theatre in high school, but it looked like his sister was having fun doing shows. So, before heading off to college in Eau Claire, he decided to audition for a summer production of “The Wizard of Oz” at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. There was a problem though – his family was going to be out of town when auditions were held.

“I called the director at home,” Steve says. “I was so nervous.” So nervous in fact, that he made the call secretly from his parent’s bedroom and didn’t tell anybody.

The director was happy to arrange a later audition and Turek got a chorus part in the show. (Trivia note – Dorothy was played by Karen Mcdiarmid. If you watched any TV in Wisconsin in the 1980s, you know her as Karen the Shopko lady)

Young aspiring performers who have grown up watching TV talent and reality shows may get the impression that an audition includes a harsh critique before an intimidating panel of judges. Turek says that is not what you should expect at a community theatre audition.

“Everyone there wants you to do your best,” Turek says. “It’s not like ‘Celebrity Apprentice,’ where you’re going to get fired. Everyone is rooting for you.”

If you’re auditioning for a musical, you should be prepared to sing something. But you don’t have to learn a song from the show, or even from a musical.

“We’re happy to hear just a nice version of ‘Jingle Bells,’ or ‘My Country ‘Tis of Thee,’” Turek says. “It’s just to show you can sing on pitch and smile.” And if you blow it, just start again.

Some auditions provide an accompanist and you can bring along sheet music. Turek recommends you take advantage of that. Singing along with a piano will show that you can sing on key. You should be able to find those details in the audition announcement.

Turek says you are usually not expected to prepare a memorized monologue. You’ll probably just read from the script along with some of the other actors. It’s helpful, though, if you have seen the script before you get up on stage. Theatre groups often put copies on reserve at the local public library.

Once you have survived the audition (and you will), you may find yourself on pins and needles, waiting for the cast list to come out. Turek says you shouldn’t get too hung up on getting a starring role.

“My best roles were never leads,” Turek says. “I loved being in the chorus. We would have the fun. You’re bonding with the cast.” Those bonds can last a lifetime.

“With any role, it’s the experience, the friends that you make. Enjoy the moment, no matter what role you get.”

We now pause for a brief public service announcement: Community theatre needs more guys.

Turek as Edna Turnblad in “Hairspray”

“Gentlemen, we need you on stage,” Turek says.

Finally, one of the most important messages Turek wants to get out is that no matter what your age or experience level, when you show up at an audition, people will be happy to see you.

“We want to introduce you to theatre,” Turek says. “Come join us. Be part of the family.”

Have an audition story or tip? Share it in the comments!

Life in the Pits – an Experienced Musical Theatre Drummer Shares Stories & Tips

When putting on any show, you want to win the audience over in the opening minutes – the opening seconds even. When you’re putting on a musical, that job falls to the pit orchestra.

In most productions, the cast doesn’t get to hear the full orchestra (and vice versa) until tech week. It’s a stressful point in the production – nailing down the lighting cues, discovering you don’t have enough time for your costume changes, getting used to one another’s tempos. There’s nothing that cuts through the chaos like hearing a really ace orchestra strike up the overture and thinking, “Oh yeah. This is going to be good!”

I don’t get to see enough theatre. Like a lot of my theatre friends are often telling me, I’m often telling them, “Sorry I didn’t make it to your show. I had rehearsals and work and blah blah blah… .” Fortunately, I did manage to catch the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild’s excellent, “Annie Get Your Gun,” in their final Sunday matinee show. As the overture started, I was struck by three things – 1. Wow, 20 piece orchestra! 2. The orchestra is onstage, I can see them! And 3. They’re superb!

Oh yeah and a fourth thing – “Hey, that’s cousin Kelly on drums!”

Now, of course I knew that my cousin, Kelly Wohlbier, was in the show. And it was fortuitous, as I had planned to interview her at some point for this blog. NOT because she’s my cousin, but because she’s a pro. A real pro. For around 10 years, her main gig was playing in professional pit orchestras in Minneapolis, including a long stint with the fabulous “Lovely Liebowitz Sisters” show.

“I like doing shows,” Kelly told me during tear-down. “There are some musicians who hate it because it’s the same thing over and over and over again, but I really enjoy it.”

The on-stage orchestra setup of CVTG’s “Annie Get Your Gun” is unusual. Much of the time, the orchestra can’t even see the action onstage.

“I’ve played Joseph (and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) three times in three different states and I’ve never seen the show,” Kelly said, but having a good vantage point was essential for this show. She had to provide gunshot sound effects on snare drum. Have you ever seen “Annie Get Your Gun?” There are a lot of gunshots. Even when there was no music to play, she had to be paying attention to the action. The rim shots had to coincide with the actors miming the kickback of their rifles.

“It’s a little nerve-wracking because I’m afraid if I miss it, it will be funny, but it’s not supposed to be funny.”

Often hidden down in an actual orchestra pit, the players are anonymous, but Kelly says that is not always such a bad thing.

“If you don’t play for a long time, you can sit and read a book,” Kelly said. “Now with cell phones, you can actually watch the Packer game during the show.” It’s worth noting that Kelly is a huge Packer fan and this particular Sunday matinee conflicted with a Green Bay/San Francisco game. But alas, directors frown on phone-assisted football-watching when one is actually onstage.

If you’re looking to give playing in a pit orchestra a try, be prepared to learn a lot of music. 20 songs is pretty typical for a show. Then, the performances can be unpredictable.

“Every show is different.” Kelly said. “Know how to read music and be ready to improvise.” For a drummer that can mean helping to steer the orchestra back into sync with an actor who has fallen a little bit off tempo. The whole group also has to use restraint to avoid overpowering the singers.

“You definitely have to be more quiet. As a drummer, it’s not easy.”

So there are clearly challenges, and sometimes you will toil away in relative anonymity, but Kelly says playing for a musical can be a lot of fun.

“It’s one of my favorite things to do and of course the people are always fun. You meet all sorts of interesting people when you’re doing theatre.”

And when they spell her last name right in the program – that’s a bonus.

Got a tip for aspiring pit orchestra musicians? Share it in the comments!

• Dan