Drama Camp 2010 in the books

Another summer has come and gone at NCT. Every year we say that the next summer can't possibly be any bigger or better than the past, but it seems that somehow each camp season is the most rockin' we've ever seen!

Here's how summer 2010 broke down for us:
10 weeks
56 shows on NCT's stage
61 different camps
912 campers

In those ten weeks, we saw our share of kings, queens, pirates, animals, mythical creatures, fairies and even a ninja or two. We ventured into fantastical worlds and ancient places. We saw many heroes reign victorious and many villains get their just desserts. We witnessed battles with dramatic deaths, zany circus acts and disco dance parties. We stepped inside some of the greatest stories every told and got to know characters we'd only read about before. And of course we did it all before moms and dads and grandmas and babysitters arrived in the pick-up line at 3:00pm.

We love that so many families grace us with their children every year. We love seeing so many familiar faces arrive each Monday morning, and we love meeting new friends that will be familiar faces next summer. We love the excitement that permeates every square foot of NCT on Friday in anticipation of the shows. And most of all, we love watching your kids grow and become who they're meant to be. We are grateful that you let us be a part of that.

So thank you all for another wonderful summer, thank you for allowing your children to play with us, and thank you for your loyalty to NCT.

And while we say that every summer seems like it can't get bigger and better, we honestly know that there is always more room in the NCT family.

Julee Brooks
NCT Director of Education

New Plays: New Visions/New Voices part 2

Over the three days of the symposium, we saw five staged readings of new American plays, as well as one from South Africa and one from Australia. For me, the following three plays were the highlights:

Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of Philip Pullman’s THE SCARECROW AND HIS SERVANT (commissioned by the Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis) might surprise fans of Pullman’s HIS DARK MATERIALS, because there was nothing dark about this one – in fact, this one was a delightful brew of both high and low comedy in pretty equal measure. I’ve never read this book, so I’m not sure if the rapier wit of the dialogue is more Mr. Hatcher or Mr. Pullman, but – judging from Mr. Hatcher’s hilarious comments in the post-show talkback session, I have a good guess. I’ll find out soon, because I’ve put the book on my summer reading list.

Many of us were looking forward to our first look at the third play of Suzan Zeder’s Ware Cycle, THE EDGE OF PEACE, commissioned by Seattle Children’s Theatre. I directed the first play of that trilogy, MOTHER HICKS, here at NCT in about 1988 or so, and I consider that play to be one of the best American plays of the last quarter of the last century. The second installment was an absorbing prequel entitled THE TASTE OF SUNRISE. This third, and final, piece continues and resolves the stories and characters from the first two plays, connecting them in some surprising and satisfying developments. Girl, the much-loved young protagonist from MOTHER HICKS, makes her entrance in the third play, all grown up – by parachute! The symposium moderator stated after the performance that this one, for many of us, was both a new play and a sort of family reunion, and so it was – and I think, successful on both counts.

The play that really rocked my world – and that I am most eyeing for future production at NCT -- was Y York’s DON’T TELL ME I CAN’T FLY, commissioned by First Stage Milwaukee. This play focuses on a nine-year-old African American girl named Tonia who is struggling to balance the family conflicts presented by her own emerging creativity. The play, inspired by the life and works of multi-media collage artist Della Wells, is warm, humane, deliciously funny and thoroughly life-affirming. It’s just a terrific play, written by a master of the field. After viewing this one, a playwright colleague observed, “Leave it to Y to remind us of how to write a play!” The play will premiere in Milwaukee season-after-next, and I hope to put it on NCT’s stage soon thereafter! The reading was greatly served by Mark Lutwak’s restrained, assured direction, and by a terrific ensemble cast!

Scot Copeland
NCT Producing Director

An Amazing Community

It’s been almost three months since the flood and I found myself needing to drive back through my old neighborhood off Pennington Bend and look at the progress. You see, my family and I had been renting a house near Opryland since we moved from Atlanta in January. We evacuated our house early on May 2nd when the water starting building up in the streets and weren’t able to get back to it for several days. I consider us lucky. We were renting our house so we only lost stuff. Mostly replaceable stuff. So many of our neighbors lost everything they owned in that flood and now, when I drive through, I see the streets dotted with “Pods” of their salvageable belongings as they continue to (hopefully) move forward in the process of rebuilding. As for us, we have moved on to a different rental house with different stuff. We are lucky.

The feeling that still overwhelms me is gratitude. Nashville is an amazing community of people who truly have the volunteer spirit. There was never a time in the whole post-flood process where I felt like we wouldn’t be okay or felt alone. From the families at our kids’ school to the congregations of local churches, we were surrounded by help during the days of clearing out the house and separating our life’s accumulation of stuff into piles of trash and salvage. Once that was complete, we had a temporary place to stay and all the items we absolutely needed to create an atmosphere of normalcy for the kids. Again, this was thanks to the community, specifically the families from school and the staff and board members of NCT.

Since then, I’ve continued to witness and benefit from amazing acts of kindness and generosity. Three months later there is no doubt that this – both Nashville as a whole and Nashville Children’s Theatre – is exactly where I am supposed to be today.

Kathryn Colegrove
NCT Managing Director

Flowers in Kathryn's backyard were buds covered by mud and water during the flood, but bloomed beautifully amidst the recovery a few days after the water receded.

New Plays: New Visions/New Voices

Every two years, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents a play development symposium focused on new plays for young audiences called New Visions/New Voices. It is one of the gatherings I never miss, because I will see new plays in various stages of development that are coming down the pipeline, as well as trade both best practices and war stories with colleagues from around the country. Three of my favorite plays done during my time at NCT were plays I first encountered in development at NV/NV – Laurie Brooks’ SELKIE (NV/NV1995, NCT 1997), Laurie’s groundbreaking play THE WRESTLING SEASON (NV/NV1998, NCT 2000), and Karen Zacarias and Deborah Wicks La Puma’s extraordinary musical, EINSTEIN IS A DUMMY (NV/NV2004, NCT 2006).

The conference is always a great one, thanks to the efforts of its’ organizers, the KenCen’s Kim Peter Kovac and Deirdre Lavrakas, and this year was particularly rich for me. Of course, the opportunity to get together with colleagues is always good, but after the challenges of the last two years, it was marvelous to gain insight and inspiration from wonderful practitioners from around the country.

I actually got there a day early, which allowed me to see the KenCen’s production of KNUFFLE BUNNY before the symposium started. Imaginatively directed by Alliance Theatre’s Rosemary Newcott (one of my favorite directors in the field), with a wonderful cast, I was delighted by the theatricality, the imaginative puppetry, and the far-more-sophisticated use of projections than we are currently able to do at NCT. KNUFFLE BUNNY will tour nationally this season, and if it comes near you, check it out. Besides, on that tour, NCT’s own Tia Shearer (you may recognize her from our productions of BAMBI: A LIFE IN THE WOODS or THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK) will be in the cast – congratulations, Tia! Tia just moved up to the D.C. area, and between the KenCen and IMAGINATION STAGE in Bethesda, has lined up a full season of work.

More to come about New Visions/New voices

Scot Copeland
NCT Producing Director

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