Every year, I volunteer to assist elementary school directors with their musicals. Rock Springs Elementary School is a feeder school to my High School and the elementary school I attended.  Hopefully, the majority of the students will be future members of my high school’s theater department.  I worked on all 4 rock springs shows (The Lion King, Mary Poppins, Shrek, and Alice in Wonderland) with casts and crews up to 100 students. 

I have learned from past experiences that when designing shows with younger cast members, less is often best. Flashy lights and fast cues can have the negative consequences of distracting the actors and lead to problems such as forgotten lines or missed cues. The students have been taught to not move in the dark because they are not as familiar with the high school’s space.  I tend to stick to a simple wash with top/back/side colors that enhance the scene. During scene changes, the lights dim to a dark blue or the curtain closes so the actors can enter/exit and scenery can be changed.  

I love working with these children every year as we create the show. Twice a week (when I am not at rehearsal for my own shows), I go to the elementary school after class to work with their tech volunteers on creating the show. Our goal is for the shows to be as much “student run” as possible, even at the elementary level.  You will often times see elementary students painting the sets, organizing the props, and steaming costumes.  The Costume Designer from my high school and I go through the script with the tech students.   We discuss what tech does and assign tasks for each group of students, whether they are moving a door on stage or painting Fiona green.

While helping with these Jr productions, I have learned a lot about working with those who are newer to theater.  I have seen an improvement in my skills by teaching others. It is a great opportunity to give back to my community and inspire kids to be involved in theater and arts so that one day we may see them in future productions at the High School. 

I also spend my summers working on Jr productions with local community theaters, bringing the love of the arts to local children. I love seeing how hard the students work to put on amazing productions, and I love that I am able to be a part of that process!