The Little Apple

One great aspect of children’s theatre is its built in audience. No matter what production, you’re always going to get parents and grandparents and a smattering of siblings, aunts, and uncles. For the most part, families always prove to be devoted, sometimes to a fault, and always applaud the loudest when the last line is spoken. That is, if they’re able to get tickets.

The Manhattan Arts Center brought MCT into Manhattan, Kansas for the first time last year. About 60 kids auditioned and from all accounts the week was a rousing success. It quickly became apparent to us that last year was hit when we arrived for auditions Monday afternoon. In the Arts Center theatre, a modest sized black box, 130 or so kids crammed in to give acting a whirl. We gathered all the kids on the stage for our introduction, sat them down, and the floor disappeared. We stood them up for the audition and asked them to form one large circle. Not gonna happen. We made an outer ring and and inner ring essentially forming a race track walled with kids for J.D. and I to circle, not an easy layout for auditions. And as if 130 kids arranged oddly in a cramped space wasn’t enough, almost every kid had a great audition. We probably could have had two good casts that week, but of course, about 70 kids went home without a part.

Rehearsals during the week went quickly and smoothly. Talented kids, responsive, and all around easy to work with. Learning the basics was a snap for many of the kids and by the end of the week we had already added all of our usual extras and that still wasn’t enough. We were scraping the bottom of the barrel looking for something more to give the cast. By Thursday we had a great looking show with one day of rehearsal still remaining.

The show was in great condition and come Saturday it promised to wow the audiences. Unfortunately, by Wednesday the shows were sold out and many parents didn’t have tickets. Not a good situation. We avoided much of the wrath thanks to the wonderful staff and volunteers of the Arts Center, but heard the fearful tale “When Good Parents Go Bad” secondhand. Apparently, hell hath no fury like a parent scorned. I understand that parents would get bent out of shape if they couldn’t see their kid as a seahorse, but they should still act civil. When parents need to be told to use their inside voices (or the adult version thereof) something is not right.

The Arts Center theatre seats about 160. I asked if there was a problem like this the previous year and everyone said it was a non-issue. Even though the audition brought in twice as many this year, the number in the cast didn’t change, so why did the demand for tickets? Whatever the reason, J.D. and I decided with the show in such good shape, we could add a performance and move the dress rehearsal to Friday. We decided this Thursday night. So we scrambled to make it work and what started out as a smooth week suddenly became stressful. There were just a lot of little things that kept guzzling up my patience an ounce at a time. Last minute costume mending, a cramped backstage, chatty teenage girls, and a devilish group of seahorses that required my constant attention. By the end of the third performance on Saturday, I turned to J.D. backstage and confessed: “I hate kids.”

We’re now in Colorado Springs enjoying the view of Pike’s Peak and the many hills and nearby mountains. Hopefully by the end of this week, a week that finds both of us fighting colds, something better will come out of my mouth backstage.