This
has been another busy week at The Music Box!!!
9 days ago, I had the incredible privilege
of working backstage during our performance of Legally Blonde Jr. To be truthful, my main duty was puppy sitting
“Bruiser” (Thank you for letting us borrow him, Madison Chacko). I had an excellent time talking to these
young actors, and they all had a level of professionalism that exceeded more
than a few adult companies that I’ve worked with over the years. Believe me when I tell you that the future of
community theatre in our area is bright!!
That night we had a technical malfunction where the music stopped
playing for a few moments and the kids handled it beautifully. I was greatly impressed with their ability to
take adversity in stride. Their “show
must go on” attitude was exceedingly impressive. Huge thanks and kudos for their adult mentors
Jimmy Williams, Karl Kleist, and Ben Steltz, as well as all of the “stage moms
and dads” who helped out backstage during the run. Thank you as well to all of the front of
house staff that came and provided the professional atmosphere for our kids, we
could not have done it without all of your your support. Most importantly, thank you, Dana, for organizing this wonderful workshop, and directing
this wonderful show!!
Speaking of kids, there were a lot
of them at The Music Box this past week as we were holding auditions for our
Christmas musical, A Christmas Story. There was a plethora of talent at all three
auditions, but we will still be holding additional auditions this coming
Saturday (11/1) at noon. All roles are
still open, for children and adults, so we hope to see you there.
As long as we're on the subject of A Christmas Story, there was an interesting story on the auditions by
Mary Therese Biebel in The Times
Leader. Unfortunately, I find it very disheartening
to have read some of the comments that followed, a few of which, I understand, were so derogatory,
that they were ultimately removed. Now,
please let me state for the record, that I personally do not support any level of
censorship. I believe that every opinion
should be heard and discussed, no matter how ignorant or misguided the individual
expressing them might be. However, it
seems to me that the people expressing these opinions did not even read the
article. They jumped to conclusions and
ran with assumptions based on its title.
They all center on gun control and the personal views of our kids around
that issue. They accuse us of censoring
that BB gun from the show, and even question how we did Les Mis and Annie Get
Your Gun (which was not even our show) without guns. I know the people who visit our website and
read this blog are among the most enlightened, and I also know that those people
that commented unfavorably toward theatre in general, our kids, their reputations
and their heart, and did not take the time to read a short article in the
newspaper, will also probably not take the time to read this blog. However, I would say to them, “Come and see
our shows, witness our kids on stage, and THEN question their confidence and resolve. Perhaps you might increase your own literacy
in the process.”
You can view the article as well as
the accompanying comments here…
If you want more evidence of how wonderful our kids are, look
no further than this coming Friday where several members of The Music Box
Players, adults and kids, will be performing for The Milestones Academy, a
school for autistic children. This is
our second visit to Milestones, and we could not be happier to further strengthen
our partnership with them throughout the coming season.
I want
to take this time to thank all of the parents out there who keep their children
in the Arts. I have said it on numerous
previous occasions, but children who participate in the performing arts do
better in math and science, they are better readers and writers, they perform better
on standardized exams, they have a built in social group, and overall, they are more
sympathetic to the human condition. I
know that scheduling is difficult. I
know that the late rehearsals are inconvenient.
I know that keeping track of where your kids need to be after school or
in the evening is beyond problematic, particularly if you have two or three (or
more!). They may not show their full appreciation
right now, but I promise it will come soon as they grow older. The dedication and resolve of theatre PARENTS is much appreciated.
Thank you, Mom, for keeping me involved in
the arts when I was a child. It created
a lifelong passion for the arts, and love of the personal pursuit of
knowledge.
Be
well, and save me a seat at the theatre.
Scott Colin
Woolnough
President of
The Music Box Board of Directors
