As a sneak peek, we’re lucky enough to find out about some of the cast and characters from the actors themselves!

Brooks "Dasher"

Brooks is playing Dasher in the play.  Dasher is a hip, boom boxing reindeer. Brooks is 10 years old and this is his 4th year working with Reba. He enjoys learning all aspects of the theatre from Reba and especially loves all the voice exercises they do as a group.  On the way to rehearsal Brooks likes to sing to get himself into character and really enjoys when he gets to charge at Donner on stage.

Andrew "Donner"

Donner is played by Andrew who describes his character as the oldest and strongest reindeer.  Andrew says it’s fun to play Donner as an ancient and grumpy old man and he gets into character during warm-ups by thinking about what it would feel like to be that old.  Andrew is 14 and this is his second mainstage show at the Children’s Theatre.  He has also appeared in Kids on the Block and Custard the Dragon at the Children’s Theatre.

Sophie "Jane"

10-year-old Sophie plays the part of Jane – the living “Reindeer Encyclopedia” who loves reindeer and knows all there is to know about them.  Sophie was also a part of the Beauty and the Beast production and the thing she likes best about acting is being on stage in front of a crowd!

Bianca "Becca"

Bianca plays the role of Becca, a human who is terrified by Santa’s reindeer when they first appear. Bianca’s character is the director of the play within the play of Santa’s Reindeer Revue and for inspiration she’s observed Reba’s actions as a director.  Bianca is 16 and has been involved with the Children’s Theatre since 2006 when she was in Madeline at the Theatre’s old home on Marginal Way.

The trees may be hanging on to the last of their fall leaves but over at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine, Santa’s reindeer are gearing up for the holidays.. the holiday production of Santa’s Reindeer Revue, that is!

I sat in on a rehearsal for the production last week and was greeted by an exuberant group of reindeer-in-training.  Before rehearsal officially began there was loads of energy bouncing around the stage and I knew immediately that I was in for a treat!

The afternoon started off with a circle of yoga stretches followed by vocal exercises.  When everyone seemed thoroughly warmed-up, actors took their places on stage to act out a scene in which Santa’s reindeer are showing off their various talents.  As I watched, I knew right away that the reindeer in the show weren’t the only talented ones – these actors knew their stuff!

Many of the actors in Santa’s Reindeer Revue have been in previous productions put on by the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine and their experience – and passion for theatre – blew me away!  I can’t wait to see what else they have in store.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be dropping by rehearsals, chatting with cast members, and snapping some behind the scenes photos so be sure to stay tuned for more sneak peaks of Santa’s Reindeer Revue!

Here’s what the girls had to say:
1.  Why do you do theatre at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine?
BIANCA: Because of all the nice people, and the fun shows that we put on.
ERICA: Ever since I saw my sister in shows I thought it would be really fun, and it is!
ALYSHA: I do theatre at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine, because I have friends who do it with me, it’s pretty close to my house, and it’s just a BIG BUCKET OF FUN! Haha!

Bianca Brown is 16 years old. Bianca is playing Mrs. Skunk. This is Bianca’s fifth show with us; she’s also a puppeteer for our Kids on the Block puppet show.

2.  Who in the cast do you admire, why?

BIANCA: Caroline (Duck #2), because I have noticed that she has made the most progress throughout the rehearsal process, and she is really nice to everyone.
ERICA: I personally admire Michela (Little Rabbit) because she is a really great actor and makes everything fun. Also she seems like she is always living life to its fullest.
ALYSHA: I’d have to say I admire Bianca the most, because she always comes to rehearsal happy, even if she is sick with a sore throat (like she was this week). Also because when we’re backstage and some people are talking she’s not afraid to go up to them and tell them to stop.

3.  What makes The Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings special?

BIANCA: The story, it has a good message for kids.
ERICA: I think The Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings is a good way to tell people to love themselves.
ALYSHA: I think what makes The Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings a special play is how we all work together. Also how we complement each other while acting, like how me and Michaela (Little Rabbit) make each other’s scenes better with our animal actions/moves.

Erica Glidden is 9 years old. Erica is playing Duck #3. This is Erica’s first show with us.

4.  What was your favorite moment in the rehearsal process?

BIANCA: Being told to talk in a southern accent.
ERICA: I liked all the games like gesture circle and freeze.
ALYSHA: This is a tough one… I guess my favorite moment in the rehearsal process was watching all of our characters develop.

5.  What’s your favorite moment in the play?

BIANCA: Sheena’s song. It’s so cute.
ERICA: My favorite part is when Mama Rabbit doesn’t know who Little Rabbit is because it is a really big part in the story.
ALYSHA: My favorite moment in the play is when me and Bianca have our first scene together and we act like spies! It’s REALLY fun!

Alysha Alling is 12 years old. Alysha is playing Mr. Squirrel. This is Alysha’s seventh show with us.

6.  What do you want the audience to leave the theatre thinking about / take away with them?

BIANCA: That they should be who they are, not any one else. Also, that skunks are nice animals, and don’t always spray people.
ERICA: That you should just be yourself.
ALYSHA: I want the audience to leave thinking… “That was a great play!” or “What a good life lesson for my kids!” Or just thinking they wanna come for the next play.

Come see Bianca, Erica, Alysha, and the rest of the cast perform in the final weekend of The Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings! Click here to buy tickets!

Auditions for our next play, Pinocchio, are on June 5 from 10am-12pm. If you want to have fun, make new friends and learn a lot about theatre, visit our website for more information on how to prepare for the audition!

Michela is always in character!

After stage managing The Emperor’s New Clothes this past winter, I was really excited to sit in on Tuesday’s rehearsal of The Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings. It was a chance to see some of the actors I knew and meet some new faces! When I came in, Michela and Sheena (who played Empress Sophie and Theodore in The Emperor’s New Clothes, respectively) were in the middle of a scene. I sat down and watched them in action. It was amazing to see them play characters that are so different from the ones they played in The Emperor’s New Clothes. Michela was hopping around the stage playing Little Rabbit and Sheena was quite a sassy and funny Real Girl (and she has such a beautiful singing voice!)

"You can see the food. You can taste it!"

As the rehearsal went on, I saw the actors transform into a forest of animals. Everyone had their own way of becoming their character that I knew right away what animal they were portraying. But I know from experience that it’s always tricky staying in character, especially when you have so many things to think about. Every moment you’re onstage you have to think: if I were a duck, what would I be doing right now? But that’s where Reba comes in! She let the actors explore their characters, but if they get stuck she always is there is give them guidance, suggestions or real-world examples of how a character might react to something. Little Rabbit’s new red wings were related to a changed hairdo, eyebrow waxing and a squid backpack—all examples given by other cast members!

Reba asked the cast members to act like scared squirrels. Pretty convincing!

I’ve been doing theatre since I was 10 years old, so I know how exciting the rehearsal process can be. This is the time for actors to make bold choices, become friends with their fellow cast members and learn news things about themselves and their character. The cast of The Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings has a few weeks of rehearsal left and from what I saw they are doing a fantastic job. I can’t wait to see the final product!

Tickets are on sale now! To buy tickets visit our website, call 828-1234 x231 or stop by the front desk!  The play runs Thursday-Sunday from April 22 – May 2. Thursday and Friday performances are at 4pm and Saturday and Sunday performances are at 1pm & 4pm.

Begin with your favorite book.  Read it out loud a few times over the period of a week to get a feel for the story.  Younger children will learn key dialogue moments just from repetition.  Older kids might enjoy the task of adapting the story, and writing out the dialogue.  Ask the question, how can we act this out?  Brainstorm ideas together.

The next step is to act it out.  Pick characters.  Parents should definitely play roles too. If there are too many characters, have each actor play multiple roles.  If there aren’t enough characters in the story for your family, add some more.  Theatre teaches us to be team players and problem solvers.  How can everyone take part in the story?  Make sure to listen to your child’s ideas, and try them out.  You may have a budding director on your hands. Rehearse your story a few times.  Like anything else, the sillier you are by changing your voice, exaggerating your movements, the freer and exaggerated your child will be.  Theatre can teach us communication skills.  Ask questions like, “How can you use your voice to tell the audience about your character?” “How can we use your body to tell the audience what happened next?”

Now for the flourishes; dig though your closet to find something that signifies the character.  You don’t need to go overboard, use common items you can find around the house!  Set the stage.  How can you transform your living room rug into a duck pond?  You could even invite your friends and extended family to come watch the play in your living room!  Make posters and tickets!  Imagine how confident your child would be after putting on their own show for family, friends or neighbors.  After bowing to that applause they’re sure to be a few inches taller!

Cast members of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” participate in a peer critique, while "Cinderella" musician Jeffrey Sheerer looks on.

When these two shows were selected many months ago, we thought of so many ways all kinds of artists in our community could make valuable contributions. Having professional musicians, costume designers and playwrights contribute their expertise would not only yield great shows on our stage, but would provide our young actors with a unique opportunity to explore their talents under the mentorship of working artists. We developed a proposal for the New Clothes Collaboration: pairing young actors with guest artists from Portland’s thriving theatre community to design, direct, score, rehearse and perform Cinderella and The Emperor’s New Clothes.

The "Cinderella" royals. Sebastian Grimm as Andre, Gabe Walker as Prince Louis and Elias Grimm as the King.

Thanks to the support of the Margaret E. Burnham Charitable Trust, the Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust and the Simmons Foundation, we were able to make this dream a reality! Our casts (all under fifteen years old!) have worked closely with director Claire Guyer, choreographer Gretchen Berg, costume designer Christina Klein, lighting designer Nicole Sirois and musicians Jeffrey Sheerer, Gregory Reed and Shawn Cole to bring scripts by Michele Livermore Wigton to life on our stage.

We’re so grateful for the generosity of the Burnham, Morton-Kelly and Simmons foundations for making this project possible. We’d also like to tip our hats to our show sponsors: the Neudek family (Debby, Tom and Alexandra); Andrucki & Mitchell Family Law of Lewiston; and Sudzie Autowash of Scarborough.

As anyone who has caught the shows can tell you, the New Clothes Collaboration yielded magical results!

Be sure to catch both shows, playing alternating weekends through March 21^st. Shows are selling out, so click here to get your tickets in advance!

Cinderella (Christian Rowe), Stepmother Calvina (Alexandra Neudek) and Stepsisters Clio & Claudette (Julia Swett & Lilly Walker)

I think there might be some confusion about our Cinderella and The Emperor’s New Clothes show dates! Sunday was not the final performance of Cinderella, there is still a chance to catch it again March 11-14. The Emperor’s New Clothes opens this week and again March 18-21. Below are all the performance dates:

The Emperor’s New Clothes

• Thursday, March 4 at 4pm
• Friday, March 5 at 4pm
• Saturday, March 6 at 1pm & 4pm
• Sunday, March 7 at 1pm & 4pm
• Thursday, March 18 at 4pm
• Friday, March 19 at 4pm
• Saturday, March 20 at 1pm & 4pm
• Sunday, March 21 at 1pm & 4pm

Cinderella

• Thursday, March 11 at 4pm
• Friday, March 12 at 4pm
• Saturday, March 13 at 1pm & 4pm
• Sunday, March 14 at 1pm & 4pm

Click here to buy tickets  to both shows!

IN THE NEWS

Cinderella and The Emperor’s New Clothes are featured in:

• Maine Sunday Telegram, February 21
• Mane Sunday Telegram, February 28
• “Perspectives” with Sandra Harris on 94.9 WHOM, 102.9 WBLM, Q97.9 and 94.3 WCYY, February 28
• The Portland Phoenix, March 3

In addition to working on Exhibits and Operations at the Museum & Theatre, Chris Fitze has done behind-the-scenes work for local theatres. He’s been involved in the design, construction or installation of the sets for every onsite production since the Children’s Theatre merged with the Children’s Museum. I asked him a few questions about how these versatile sets are created, and he gave me some very enlightening answers!

Who comes up with the idea for the set?  Is it the playwright?  The director?  The people who build it?

Friday, 2/5: Chris and Reba (Theatre Artistic Director) try out the turntable that supports the rotating throne.

It’s a little of all three. Every playwright that writes a play has a setting in mind. Even if it’s a general as “the woods” or “in a house,” the playwright needs to know where the characters are, so she can know how they will interact in with their environment. Some playwrights will be very specific and even include a detailed drawing of the set!

The director, having read the play, will also come up with ideas for the set. Some directors may want to pick a different era that the play takes place in. Or they may want to use a particular style. At the Children’s Museum & Theatre, we meet early on with the director (usually before the play is even cast!) to talk about set design.

The people who build the set here at the Children’s Museum & Theatre have much more say in the overall design than at other theaters. Partly because the set needs to be built in such a way that it will hold up to the rigors of day-to-day activity at the Museum & Theatre, and partly because the people building the set probably helped to design it!

Tuesday, 2/9: The turntable is now at the top of a four-tiered stage; Chris makes sure it’s sturdy! (The stripes on the wall are left over from Raggedy Ann and Andy!)

When you are starting a new show, do you create the whole set from new parts?

Sometimes. For Emperor’s New Clothes and Cinderella, we are creating several new pieces. But usually we recycle as often as we can. We hope to be able to save some of the new pieces we are building for future productions. For this set we are using wall coverings that were saved from last year’s production of The Sun Shines On: Raggedy Ann and Andy.

Monday, 2/22: The throne and wall coverings are freshly painted in bright new colors, and the stage floor is carpeted. The pieces are sturdy and safe enough for visitors to play on during the day, and actors to perform on when it’s showtime!

What was the hardest part of this set to complete?

This set is based around triangles, and trying to get some of the angles to fit just right was a challenge. We also tend to get bogged down when it comes to painting. This set requires a lot of fun design, but that always takes a long time to paint.

What’s your favorite part of this set – what makes it especially cool?

There is a spinning wall that’s really cool. We haven’t ever used a real turntable before, so I think this will be a fun surprise for our audience. I also really like the throne, because I designed and built it in a day, and I’m hoping it’s a piece we can keep and use over and over again!

Claire, an actor in our Theatre productions

“Joining back in autumn of 2008, I acted in Raggedy Anne and Andy and Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine’s summer show, Tomato Plant Girl. Raggedy Anne and Andy was my first real theatre experience. I was, of course, very nervous when I went in to my audition. I was soothed by Reba’s calming manner and my audition began immediately. My mother met us after, and, my nerves returning, Reba led me upstairs. She saw my mom and broke into a jabber about scheduling, rehearsals, and show times. My mom looked at me. “Does this mean she’s in?” Beaming at me, Reba stated, “She’s in like Flynn.” I broke into a wide grin.

Being in the show, I learned the ropes of Children’s Theatre. I have since then traveled the fun, amusing, challenging yet unforgettable road of these shows. I have met new people, formed new and long-lasting friendships, and really discovered what I love to do. There are a lot of challenges in theatre, but even more rewards and triumphs to match. At the Children’s Theatre, we do a lot of focus on finding our character, discovering how we fit into our character, and how our character relates to us. For the first few weeks of rehearsal, before we really familiarize ourselves with our role, Reba, our director, encourages us to try new things on the stage. To play with our characters, and to always trust your scene partners. You’re in it together. It’s an exciting and challenging prospect to discover and play around with the different aspects of your character: excited, glum, pensive, it could go any way.

A picture I took of Andrew, Michela and Sheena during Emperor's New Clothes rehearsal!

One of the very best triumphs of all your hard work and effort of a production is opening night. To know that this is your first ever show of this production, to know that so much time and effort has greatly paid off, is a really special feeling. It is an extremely exciting night, probably one of the most important nights in the play. We do a lot focus and vocal exercises preceding the show. We take a lot of time to get fully and in depth into our character.

A second most rewarding moment is bows. The opening night jitters have been completely bowled over by joy, pride, delight, satisfaction, gratification, and relief! You did it! One of the best triumphs is witnessing all the satisfied and delighted audience members, especially the young kids, who come in with such high hopes and expectations. A great sense of accomplishment and feeling of pride enters you and takes over your jitters as the audience applauds.”

See Claire play a tricky swindler in our winter production of The Emperor’s New Clothes running March 4-7 & 18-21. Buy tickets online, call 207-828-1234 x231 or visit our front desk!

The cast was bursting with energy, and I caught a couple of very funny scenes featuring the sneaky tricksters, the Emperor, the Empress and their court.

They were trying out their costumes for the first time, so I got a hint of what the production will be like, but the real magic will happen when lighting, sets, music, and audience are all in place. I’m looking forward to March 4^th!

The Emperor and Empress address their court

The tricksters, Anna and Karl, come up with a plan to swindle their way into some money

Emperor Frederik and Empress Sophie

Stefan, the Imperial Chief of Staff, and Hans, the Imperial Speechwriter

Tickets for this show and Cinderella are on sale now! Call the front desk at 828-1234 x231 or click here to get your seats!