Forty-six children. Challenging.
Three weeks of rehearsals. A rush.
Ninety-three pages of script cut to 60. A writer's nightmare.
Six performances over three days. Priceless.
Last week, Auburn Public Theater hosted six performances of the 70-minute play “A.L.I.C.E. in Wonder City,” a modern-day musical take off on the classic Lewis Carroll novel. What made the effort memorable was that, as this community celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse's predecessor, the Auburn Children's Theatre, one was reminded of the glory days of that effort, especially in the 1960s and 1970s that focused on the creativity of young people.
This is the third year that the APT has hosted its Children's Summer Theater program. As usual, the leaders of the not-for-profit don't want to say no to anyone, and the result is that parents dropped off some 46 young people to be part of the creation of a new play, commissioned by the APT and written by director Mario X. Soto. So like ACT's Susan Riford before them, the APT sees such an exercise as just as important as athletics and scouting when it comes to creating well-rounded children during the summer months.
During those nine three-hour sessions those enrolled in the program auditioned, rehearsed, were fitted with wild costumes and they made sets. Sure it had that Mickey Rooney feel of “Hey kids, let's do a show,” but more than anything, it provided an outlet for creativity. With performances by a modern-day White Rabbit - a DJ rapper (Josh Terry) and a very vibrant and colorful Mad Hatter (Alejandro Circelli) to a terrific Alice (Monica Montgomery) and scene stealing Baby (Victoria Kellog), the APT made the three weeks of work come together.
Were the performances perfection? This columnist will leave that up to the likes of The Citizen's theatre critic, Tom Woods, who has a better ear and eye for such. Yet, what it did was bring together a mix of kids and made a creative outlet, which is more important. By the way, it wasn't only the young people on stage and behind the makeshift set that benefited from performance - 125 young people from Booker T. Washington Community Center and the YMCA saw a performance as guests of the APT that saw almost 700 people watch the shows last week.
The APT staff can be proud of what they did in such a tight timeframe. They can be sure that the late Susan Riford is looking down and thinking the only thing missing was the ACT Wagon - not bad company to be in. What a great legacy.
Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be contacted at cozguytho@aol.com
Ninety-three pages of script cut to 60. A writer's nightmare.
Six performances over three days. Priceless.
Last week, Auburn Public Theater hosted six performances of the 70-minute play “A.L.I.C.E. in Wonder City,” a modern-day musical take off on the classic Lewis Carroll novel. What made the effort memorable was that, as this community celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse's predecessor, the Auburn Children's Theatre, one was reminded of the glory days of that effort, especially in the 1960s and 1970s that focused on the creativity of young people.
This is the third year that the APT has hosted its Children's Summer Theater program. As usual, the leaders of the not-for-profit don't want to say no to anyone, and the result is that parents dropped off some 46 young people to be part of the creation of a new play, commissioned by the APT and written by director Mario X. Soto. So like ACT's Susan Riford before them, the APT sees such an exercise as just as important as athletics and scouting when it comes to creating well-rounded children during the summer months.
During those nine three-hour sessions those enrolled in the program auditioned, rehearsed, were fitted with wild costumes and they made sets. Sure it had that Mickey Rooney feel of “Hey kids, let's do a show,” but more than anything, it provided an outlet for creativity. With performances by a modern-day White Rabbit - a DJ rapper (Josh Terry) and a very vibrant and colorful Mad Hatter (Alejandro Circelli) to a terrific Alice (Monica Montgomery) and scene stealing Baby (Victoria Kellog), the APT made the three weeks of work come together.
Were the performances perfection? This columnist will leave that up to the likes of The Citizen's theatre critic, Tom Woods, who has a better ear and eye for such. Yet, what it did was bring together a mix of kids and made a creative outlet, which is more important. By the way, it wasn't only the young people on stage and behind the makeshift set that benefited from performance - 125 young people from Booker T. Washington Community Center and the YMCA saw a performance as guests of the APT that saw almost 700 people watch the shows last week.
The APT staff can be proud of what they did in such a tight timeframe. They can be sure that the late Susan Riford is looking down and thinking the only thing missing was the ACT Wagon - not bad company to be in. What a great legacy.
Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be contacted at cozguytho@aol.com
