Young thespians and their families gathered at Riverside Children’s Theatre’s Open House Saturday; some to audition for a role in an upcoming production, and others to get a feel for all the organization has to offer.
The day began with auditions for parts in the new Storybook Adventures: Halloween in Wonderland, based on the classic, Alice in Wonderland. Roughly 40 children sat quietly and politely waiting their turn as show director, Kevin Quillinan, put them through their paces in a process lasting a couple of hours. One by one, children faced the panel and enthusiastically presented their choice of memorized monologues. They would also read from a script, and later let off a little nervous energy en masse demonstrating a variety of emotions called out by Quillinan.
Linda Downey, Riverside Children’s Theatre executive director, said the production would be incorporated in the annual Haunted House, noting that the creepy characters in fairy tales and children’s books are perfect for Halloween.
“They’ll watch the show and afterward will go on a little journey through a maze as if they are going with Alice on her journey,” says Downey. The same characters in the show, such as the Red Queen, Mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat, will also be encountered later.
While auditions are open to everyone, students enrolled in RCT classes have an edge.
“You don’t have to be in a class to be in a show, but the rehearsals take the form of a class,” said Downey. This year the theater is charging a participation fee to be in a production. “There’s a lot of educational value to our rehearsal process. There is a lot that is imparted to the kids, so we feel that it has that value.”
Longtime board member Nancy Ross became involved even before her daughter did. “I just thought it was a great place. I stayed because she’s involved, and it’s still a great place.”
Daughter Mackenzie, 15, has acted and worked backstage in various productions over the years, and as a summer camp counselor. “She’s here 24/7 and loves it,” said Ross.
Board member Don Wixon considers RCT an important cultural institution, adding, “I don’t believe Indian River County residents realize what a gem they have in Riverside Children’s Theatre.”
His son Peter, 11, went on to represent Indian River County in the Tropicana Speech Contest and Wixon credits RCT for building his self-confidence. “The theater has brought Peter so far along, from a little boy who was shy and in the corner, to a little boy who is not afraid to go on stage and get the job done.”
“So many parents have said the same thing,” agreed Ross.
“I honestly and from my heart believe that we have the best instructors, and that these instructors bring out not only the ability but the capability of the children,” added Wixon. “Our instructors are beyond reproach.”
Many of the instructors also hold full-time teaching jobs, including Mary Beth Albert, whose affiliation with RCT began as a student in 2005. A middle school and high school teacher in Fort Pierce today, she teaches ballet, jazz and creative drama at RCT to 3-to 5-year olds.
“I love it. We just have the best students at Riverside,” said Albert. “Being able to work with kids who have such passion is a great experience.”
Theatre mothers and fathers also bond, waiting patiently for their prodigy during auditions and rehearsals.
“We’re veterans; our children have all been in plays,” said Kim Beckett, whose daughter Kristi, 13, even acquired Equity credit after landing a role as the young Cosette in the Riverside Theatre production of Les Misérables.
“It’s a true audition process,” Beckett added. “They run it just like a professional theater. We’re so lucky that we have it in this town. It’s the same as what they do in New York and we have it right here.”
Later in the day, RCT On the Go actors, three recent college graduates with acting and teaching experience, offered a preview of the shows they will begin performing at area schools on Sept. 8.
RCT On the Go is directed by Jeff Horger and funded by a grant from Quail Valley Charities. The actors take their four shows on the road, visiting classrooms at the request of individual teachers.
“We’ve scheduled 50 so far between September and mid-May,” said Downey. “It’s really catching on with the teachers. They will do a performance at a school and then a teacher can call and schedule workshops. We do a lot with storytelling; working with the kids to tell a story. It’s directly related to the language arts curriculum.”
Riverside Children’s Theater is a beehive of activity all year long, with four student productions during the school year and two in the summer. It offers a wide variety of classes in dance, voice and theatre, broken into appropriate age groupings, and in some cases concluding with Second Stage Shows. And a Saturday morning Side by Side Creative Drama series introduces young children and their parents to theatre and music.
Vero Beach kicks off the holiday season each year with Riverside Children’s Theatre’s biggest fundraiser – the Festival of Trees, held the weekend before Thanksgiving. Money raised at the Festival helps provide funding for RCT’s many worthwhile programs.