By Laurie O’Brien
A theater might not seem like an obvious proving ground for leaders, but for those who have a passion for the stage, there are opportunities galore. One of the goals of Olympia’s Creative Theatre Experience (CTE) is to develop leaders from within. Bree Yancy, CTE’s Musical Director and Arts Festival Director, is a prime example of someone who rose through the ranks, honing her craft, then taking it to the next level.
Yancey started out in CTE in 1989 as a fresh faced nine year old. “It was back when the program was housed at Lakes Elementary School and there were only about 50-70 kids,” she recalls. Her first show that summer was “A Disney Spectacular” and in it, she had her first solo: “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” from “Mary Poppins.”
Every summer for over 20 years she has returned to CTE. During elementary and middle school she took on increasingly larger roles. In high school and college she participated as an intern. After graduating from Pacific Lutheran University with a music education degree, Yancy took over as the program’s Music Director. During the school year, she is the choral director at Tumwater High School.
Paul Purvine tells a similar story. “I started in 1997. I had just started my freshman year at River Ridge, which coincidentally was where CTE took place. My first show was an adaptation of ‘Lord of the Flies’.” Purvine’s first year as an intern was 1999, after he had finished his junior year of high school. Now an actor and bartender in New York during the school year, Purvine returns to his roots every summer and is the director of the Spotlight Workshop, CTE’s non-musical production.
Each summer, high school and college aged students who have participated in CTE as students vie for positions in the internship program. Only a select few are chosen. The interns provide leadership and serve as mentors to younger students. They write and direct plays, teach classes and are actively involved in the daily operation of the program.
After spending four summers on the CTE stage, Sigal Kadden became an intern in 2009. “This is the first year of my internship where I’ve felt 100% confident of my abilities to plan – do lesson plans, teach music and choreography, put on a show, manage 40 kids because sometimes it’s just you and 40 kids – and I know now that I can do that.” A 2009 graduate of Capital High School, Kadden will be a sophomore at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts this fall. She is studying education, photography, and theater.
Although students can apply for an internship after completing the eighth grade, there are still plenty of opportunities for those who would rather spend time on the stage.
Chase Jackson chose the acting route this summer to get more stage time. During the school year he was involved more on the technical end of things, working behind the scenes during three productions at Olympia High School. “I like being on stage more, but I get paid to tech,” he says with a grin. Because of the skills he learned during school productions he has been given the opportunity to work the technical side when outside groups rent Olympia High School’s Performing Arts Center. It’s great work for a high school student, and he’s got three more years to pick up additional paychecks.
Linnea Alexander is already contemplating her options for 2013. She’s been involved in CTE for 5 summers, and thinks she’s ready to move into a leadership role. “I definitely want to be an intern maybe next year or the year after. It seems like a really good experience. I’ve done the Tyros Program which is training for being an intern.”
Giving up time on the stage is a drawback, but Alexander has started exploring other options for that. “I’ve thought about doing more general auditions for Harlequin, I’ve done a few for them and some other theaters in Olympia because there are a lot of good opportunities.” This year she landed a part in an Olympia Family Theater production, and she’s hoping to stay involved both there and on the stage at Olympia High School where she’ll be a freshman this fall.
“This program is really great because it focuses on building a team,” says Alexander. “We get a lot of good acting techniques and skills, but in the process we also work a lot on teamwork and playing off of other people’s roles so that’s a really great thing.”
Jackson Jones, a sophomore at Capital High School, knows that his path will always be on the stage. “I thought about doing an internship but I just really like acting and being on stage,” he says. This summer he has a lead role in the Showcase Workshop musical production of “Honk!” Jones has aspirations of being a professional actor and has put the stage training he’s received at CTE over the past few summers to good use in a number of community productions. He’s had featured roles at Harlequin, Capital Playhouse and the Olympia Family Theater.
“I think that CTE mostly teaches people not to be afraid, to do your very best and to really go out there and kind of get crazy sometimes. It teaches great acting skills along with life lessons,” says Jones.
Mari Jones is another CTE performer who is in the decision making process about becoming an intern. “I’ve gained a lot of experience being here,” she says. “I’ve learned a lot about how acting is actually RE-acting and how you have to react to people when you’re acting on stage, and just knowing what your character wants to do in the story.” Jones will be a sophomore at Tumwater High School this fall and knows that there is a good musical theater program at her school. Yancy, after all is the musical director there, too. “I get to be involved in that, so I think being an intern is something I want to do.”
According to those who are entrenched in the program, being an intern isn’t always all fun and games. It’s a real job with real responsibilities. “I’ve learned patience,” says Ania Kamkar who is in her second summer as an intern, “Patience not only with kids but with adults, because you also deal with their parents. I’ve learned a lot about management, not only with kids but with time because it is a very big time commitment.” Those skills will be applicable to whatever career path the Oly junior decides upon. So too will the life lessons she’s learned in her day to day interactions with young children. “I’ve learned that you can’t judge a kid just as ‘a kid.’ They come from so many different households. You have to take every kid as a single person, and you can’t assume, because they each deal with different things at home like we do.”
Sigal agrees. “I’ve learned a lot about myself. It’s so hard to put into words what this program has given me. It’s so special.”
This summer, over 225 students grades 1-12 are participating in CTE programs. This weekend the Spotlight Workshop will present “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon.” Performances are Thursday July 26th at 7pm, Friday July 27th at 7pm, Saturday July 28th at 7pm.
The Showcase Workshop production of “Honk! The Musical” will take place on Thursday August 2nd at 7pm, Friday August 3rd at 7pm, Saturday August 4th at 1pm and 7pm.
For more information about CTE or to purchase tickets:
http://www.ctekids.org/home/shows
