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June 23, 2005
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June 23, 2005 |
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YSKP musical gets kids to think
A YS Kids Playhouse production gets kids acting. It gets kids singing and dancing. And especially this year, it gets kids thinking. This summers’s original musical, Paradise Paradox, a “jazzy musical” by Louise Smith with music by Tucki Bailey, will take place this weekend and next in the Antioch Amphitheater. The musical will be performed Thursday–Sunday, June 23–26, and Friday–Sunday, July 1–3. All performances start at 7:30 p.m. A live band will perform with Bailey, who is visiting from California. The production is directed by John Fleming, who also wrote the lyrics. Choreography is by Jill Becker and Victoria Walters, and costumes are by Lisa Hunt. The stage managers are Niquelle Orr and Maddy Welsh, and Andrew Keahey and Mark Seimer create video effects. About 40 local and area young people will take part in the musical. An adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Paradise Paradox explores issues of the growing importance of technology in young people’s lives, the societal pressure of brand identification and the pressure to grow up cool. It mixes original music, instant messaging and video effects as it follows a group of teens immersed in a video game that suddenly comes to life, delivering a group of pirates to a suburban landscape. In search of paradise, the pirates believe they have hit the jackpot when they are introduced to the mall. The teenagers deal with questions of authenticity, brand identification and desire as they confront voracious twin versions of themselves. Fleming said he wanted the musical to reflect the challenges youth face today. “I wanted them to look at the world they’re in through the prism of art,” he said. “They’re really smart. We’re not telling them what to think, we’re just putting it out there.” Several of the young people involved in the musical said they are contemplating the issues raised by Paradise Paradox. “It’s targeted to young people, how we dress and try to fit into the mold the media creates,” said Niquelle Orr, a Yellow Springs High School junior. “It makes me think about it.” YSHS sophomore Meg Hild, who is in her ninth YSKP production, said, “This play is important for youth who are into fashion and being cool. It shows that the need to have more leads to self-destruction. It’s a warning for a lot of people that they shouldn’t need too much.” Katy Austria, a sixth-grader from Xenia, said, “The message of the play is, ‘be yourself’.” While Paradise Paradox raises complex issues, it is also entertainment, and a recent rehearsal showed that the performers were, above all, having fun. Even though the sun shone brightly outside the Antioch Theater, where they rehearsed, several young people said they come back to YSKP summer after summer for the joy of singing and dancing and hanging out with their friends. “I can’t see a summer without YSKP,” said Elaine McKinley of Xenia, who is in her sixth production. Young people involved in the arts reap many benefits, said Fleming, who is the artistic director of the Kids Playhouse. “It’s getting deep and developing an aesthetic,” Fleming said. “It’s a creative approach to looking at how you live.” While other organizations may offer young people an opportunity to perform, YSKP is unique in that it presents original plays and music. It’s important, Fleming said, for young people to know that the people who write plays and music are people much like themselves, people they can meet and perhaps be inspired by to do the same. The emphasis on presenting original material may be why YSKP has received endowments for the past two years from the National Endowment for the Arts, one of 40 organizations chosen out of 460 applicants. Kids Playhouse was also recently recognized by the Ohio Arts Council when it placed third statewide in arts innovation, Fleming said. Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for senior citizens and students. Reservations may be made by calling 769-1030.
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