A special thank you to our Youth Outreach volunteers!

I write a lot about our Skinny’s Gallery program, and the wonderful stories and thank you notes that come from non-profits that work with low-income youth who come to our theatre for free.  However, I wanted to take the time to thank some people who help make this program happen.  In the picture above are the Paramount’s Skinny’s Gallery volunteers: Cesca Judge, Deborah Kirk, and Narda Hurt.  These three women volunteer their time and energy to make sure that all children have a chance to experience the wonderful things the Paramount Theatre has to offer.

They not only help me work with over forty non-profits to give away free tickets to our entire season, they also volunteer their time to do much more.  This past year they helped me drive teenagers for my youth theatre tour, assisted with pre-show activities for our shows, helped with the auditions for Literacy to Life, went to festivals to hand out two for one tickets for our family programming, and helped me find new schools to get involved in our programming.

Many children from all over Austin benefit from their support, and we are lucky to have them as part of our team.

If you would like to learn more about how you can volunteer, please click here.

Literacy to Life has begun

I am very excited to begin the second year of my Literacy to Life program.  For this program, I am working with four other teachers in a 4th grade classroom at Galindo Elementary in South Austin.  We will be working with the students for eight weeks using drama as a tool to get them excited about writing.  At the end of the eight weeks we are going to take their stories and hire 15 professional actors to perform their stories for their whole school.  The program is based on a Chicago program called Barrel of Monkeys that has been teaching creative writing in underserved Chicago schools for the past 11 years.  There was a great article written about them in last week’s Chicago tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-1014-weird-grandmaoct14,0,1639844.story

I really love this program because it honors the creativity and ideas of young people.  They also walk away from the program with a more positive view of themselves as a writer.  We teach them to work together and repeat the mantra, “Every idea is a good idea.”  Each semester, we will offer this program for free to a Title I school (where half or more of the student population is below the poverty line).

The Wolf has left the building!

This weekend the Paramount Theatre presented Peter and the Wolf, the first show of our Playtime Series.

I thought it was a great show.  The set was beautiful, the actors were great, and the songs were fantastic.  I saw three year old children who didn’t squirm the whole show.  Some told me it was one of the best kid shows we’ve had at the Paramount.

Over the course of three days we had over 3,000 children at our theatre.  During one school show, a six year old child walked into the theater and said, “This is the fanciest theatre I have ever been to!”

Below are pictures from the day of the public show and some pictures from our pre-show workshops.

Before the show Theatre Action Project, a non-profit that uses theatre as a tool to address social issues such as bullying, ran a craft activity with kids before the show.  The kids got to make bird, wolf, cat, or duck puppets.  They did a great job and the puppets looked great!

For the pre-show workshop, I began by reading the story of Peter and the Wolf.  This is a pictures at Barnes and Noble where I was actually in a forest.  Very appropriate.

Next I play the music on a CD and the kids got up and acted out the characters.  Here I am playing a cardboard replication of a french horn.  The little girl in this picture was so inspired that she stayed on-stage with me the whole time.  I almost tripped on her five times.  What are you going to do?

Finally, I went into role as the wolf and was very upset that everyone thought I was scary and mean.

The kids then came up one by one to say things to make me feel better.  One kid said, “It looks like you are having a bad day.  I know how you feel.”

Goodbye Wolf.  I know that eating birds and ducks are out of your control, but thank you for letting us tell a great story about you that entertained thousands.

Does anybody know the story of Peter and the Wolf?

This past week I and some other teaching artists began pre-show workshops for our production of Peter and the Wolf .  The  first thing we do in the workshop is share the story of Peter and the Wolf.  So far I have asked the students if any of them know the story.  In every classroom I visited, none the students knew the story, nor did any of the teachers in the classroom.  “I know there is a boy and wolf,” one student shouted.  Yes…and…that’s about all we could remember.

We all know the music and the story has been in our life in some way or another.  The story is actually a very simple Russian folk tale.  What is so exciting about the production we are going to do on Sunday October 11 is that the playwright, Allison Gregory, made an hour long musical out a very simple and short story.  It is also really exciting how the Emmy award winning composer, Hummie Mann, combined the original music of Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev with the contemporary songs he wrote.

So what is the story of Peter and the Wolf?  Hopefully we will see you at the theatre and you will find out.

What Makes the Paramount Special?

After working at the Paramount for over a year, I have come to learn it really is a special place.  Yes, there is the history, the stories, and wonderful programming we offer.  However, when we bring in a group of kids to see a play who are coming to the theatre for the first time…something magical happens.

To know what I am talking about, you would have to come visit the theatre during one of our school shows, and listen to the children as they enter.  You will hear the collective “Ooohs,” and “Ahhhs,” as they walk in.  One teacher wrote about this experience: “It is so important for my students to experience life outside of poverty.  Having my students come to your beautiful theatre for free helps provide those experiences.  It helps expand their world.  Thank you for providing this for them.”

Through our Education and Outreach programs, we aren’t only able to give away free tickets to bring children to our theatre, but we are also able to make the children feel like they are a part of this historic building.  This includes giving students the chance to perform on our stage.  This past summer, twenty low income high school students were able to perform a play they had written for family and friends at the Paramount Theatre.  Right before the performance, one of the teenagers said, “I simply can’t believe I am about to perform on this stage.  I can’t believe it.  This is the coolest thing I have ever done.” 

The children who come to our theatre are our future audience, and exposing them to the arts can leave a lasting impression that will make them lifetime theatre goers and arts appreciators.  The 94 year old Paramount theatre is an important part of the fabric of the Austin community, and making this a place where children feel welcome and can create and appreciate art is an investment in Austin’s artistic future. 

School show are sold out!

The school year has begun and we have very exciting shows for schools and families.  All of our school performances are sold out, we even added a performance for two of our shows.  Our school audience has grown from 6,000 students attending our theatre to 14,000 students attending our theatre.  70 percent of those students will be from Title I schools, where half or more of the student population are at or below the poverty line.   I hope we will see you at theatre!

The Paramount Youth Theatre Company Performs on the Historic Paramount Stage

The Paramount Youth Theatre ended on a high note when the teenagers performed at the Paramount for almost 200 people!  For many of them, it was their first time acting, and I can’t think of a better place to learn about performing than on the Paramount stage.  The show was well received by the audience; it was funny, moving, and smart.  One of my favorite comments was, “You all give us hope about your generation and the future.” 

It was an excellent summer.  I really enjoyed getting to know these youth.  The growth I saw in just two months was remarkable.  It was also great that we were able to pay the youth to be a part of this program and help them learn that working in the arts is labor that should be recognized.  Most of these teens won’t go on to be actors for a career, but it was clear that they will use the skill they learned in this program to be leaders in their community.  I can’t wait for next summer.

Here is Adam, our student lighting designer, working with the Paramount’s lighting board.  A special thank you to the Paramount technical staff for mentoring the teenagers and giving them the opportunity to work in a professional theatre.

Many artists would love to perform on this stage.  What a great opportunity for these teens!

During the talkback, the youth in the company were able to clearly articulate what the show meant to them and how they devised it.

The Paramount Youth Theatre Has Finished Its Tour!

Wow!  What an exciting, challenging, and rewarding week.  I, along with four parents, drove the teens in my youth theatre to seven different locations where we performed our show for audiences ranging from ages 5 to 95.  There are so many pictures and stories from the week that one blog won’t be able to capture the experience.  The pictures below will give you some idea of what the week was like.  What you won’t experience is the excitment from the teenagers, the heat and exhaustion from traveling and performing the show all over Austin, and the feedback from the audience where it was clear that all the kids who saw the teenagers perform wanted to be just like them. 

Our first performance was at Southwest Keys, where they house a Boys and Girls Club.

Our second location was a youth day facility that works with at-risk teenagers. 

After each performance we had a talk-back.  During our talk-back, a lot of the teens were interested not only in the themes of the show, but also in how they could get involved next year.  It was really encouraging to see that our performance had a positive effect that was powerful enough that they wanted to be a part of it.

After that performance we went to the River City Youth Foundation, a camp on the east side of Austin.  In this picture Jeremy is talking with a child before the show and trying to get him to rap with him.  While the child was entertained, he unfortunately was too shy to show us his skills.

Our next performance was at the Heart House,a non-profit that works with youth in low-income housing complexes.  For many years they have been bringing their children to our theatre, but today we got the bring the theatre to them.  In this picture they are watching one of the performers be a very awkward teenager, and they are loving it.

Here we are warming up before the show.

During the talk-back, the children shared their favorite moments in the show.

After the show, it was clear that the kids from Hearthouse saw the teens as role models.

On Thursday we performed at the Dell Children’s Hospital.  While we had a small audience, it was a very rewarding experience.  As the child life specialist at the hospital told us, “It was great to have you all here.  The time that you all spend with these children is time they aren’t thinking about being sick.”  The children in the audience seemed to have smiles on their faces the whole time!

Our next performance spot was the East-Side Boys and Girls Club.  It was very hot in this gym, but the audience was really responsive.

Again, many of the teenage students in the audience were very curious about how they could get involved in the program next year.

Yes, it was this hot.

Our final performance was at the Gaines Ranch Elderly Home.  As you can see, this was quite a different audience.  It was a great experience to be able to perform for such a wide variety of audiences.

James Lee, the Director of Lifestyles at the retirement community, said this about the show: “I was really impressed by the Paramount Youth Theatre’s performance.  Their commentary on society was not only humorous but also witty and poignant.  I’m confident that many of our residents appreciated this deeper level of social commentary rather than simply view it as ‘kids putting on a show’.”

This experience was definitely much more than kids putting on a show.  More reflection to come…

The Paramount Youth Company has begun!

The summer I had the chance to work with 20 teenagers whose paid summer job will be to write, produce, and tour a production.  It has been a wonderful and challenging experience, which I hope to capture in these next few blogs.

The performance will be a mixture of theatre, hip hop, poetry, dance, and music.  The five week program ends with the participants touring their production around the City of Austin, including: Dell Children’s Hospital, a youth correctional facility, an elderly care facility, Heart House (a non-profit that works with youth in low income housing complexes,) Helping Hand Home (a non-profit that works with youth who are in foster care,) and the Boys and Girls Club in east Austin. 

The students’ final performance will be on the historic 94 year-old Paramount stage in downtown Austin, Sunday August 2 at 4 p.m.

We have gotten off to a great start with a really diverse group of students who come from high schools in Austin and Del Valle.  Below are pictures of the first two weeks, which will give you an idea of the process so far.  I think it is going to be a great show that will be entertaining, enlightening, and represent Austin youth in a positive light.

 

The students spent a lot of time writing in their journals to generate material.  Here are some selected pieces from a few of the students called “The Truth About Me”:

Rebecca:

“The truth about me is that I never got locked up, and I’ve never been in a gang.  I am going to graduate high school, go  to college, get my degree, and find a nice job that pays a lot of money.  The truth about me is that my dad left my mom when she was still pregnant with me.  My dad got locked up. I haven’t seen him for 15 years. My mom tells me that he is not part of my life. School is very important to my future.  I wanna help poor people and I want to help kids in positive ways.”

Jherrod:

“The truth about me is that I come from two people I call mom and dad.  Well I don’t call my dad ‘Dad.’  He’s my step-dad and I call him Anthony.  When I was in my mom’s belly, I felt someone kicking me.  I was like ‘Who’s doing that?’  The truth about me is that I am a twin…we are two minutes apart.  I used to live in an apartment with six kids, my mom, and Anthony.  My life was crazy.  The truth about me is that people will look at me and think like, ‘He sells crack,’ or ‘He is going to start something like a fight with someone else.’  But the truth about me is that I’m not bad.  I don’t talk back to anybody.  I am a wise smart man.  One day I am going to have a child of my own.  He is going to call me dad.”

Maria:

“The truth about me is that I am not always as happy as I seem, but I am not afraid to admit that.  The truth is that I rely too much on the words of musicians and songwriters to make myself feel like I am not alone.  The truth about me is that I’m a worry-wart.  Sometimes, I feel trapped in the life I’ve begun to create.  But other times, my pride and happiness engulf me in the most furious of flames, erupting like no other.  And all I want to do is spread this joy to others, like a wild fire.  The truth about me is that I still sleep with my stuffed blue bunny at night.  The truth about me, is that sometimes I can’t tell the difference between my memories and dreams.”

 

We also spend a lot of time using improvisation as a tool to devise material.

The students worked with hip-hop dance artists to generate material for the show.

The teens in the group also are writing original songs for the show.