Theatre is a collaborative, playful space. We make each other better when we are free to play, experiment and explore. When we feel safe to take creative risks, and challenge ourselves and our art, we find new meaning in the material and breathe new life into the shows we know and love. I value this approach because it brings out the best in everyone, and helps us understand ourselves and our work on a deeper level. Isn’t that what art is all about?
For me, what makes this work so soul satisfying is when my students come to the table with creative suggestions, my team works diligently to bring ideas to life, and all of the parents and volunteers collaborate to make us all sparkle and shine. As a director, I feel that my greatest duty is to create a space that supports creativity and collaboration. This show, as with all others, is only as good as the team surrounding it, and it is my goal to bring out the best in the entire team. I am so grateful for every person who has shared any bit of themselves for this show. To the entire Descendants Family, thank you isn’t enough. We are truly better together.
Theatre magic happens where people can feel free to tell stories, to act outside of themselves, to expand their knowledge of what it means to be them. There are a multitude of people, places, feelings, and ideas within us, and there is something special about inhabiting somebody or something other than ourselves. I believe in the spirit of play because it frees us to be better than we ever thought possible. That’s what we do at Young Actors’ Theatre - inspire our students to be more than they ever imagined. Playfully telling a story together and exploring parts of ourselves that are unknown create life-changing moments for all involved. The story of Descendants is about exactly that - exploring parts of ourselves that are unknown, creating kindness where there was once animosity, actively practicing empathy, and asking important questions about ourselves and those around us.
In Theatre, it is the process that matters, not the end result. The show will be amazing, but it’s everything we do before the curtain rises that means so much to all of us. Theatre is about trying new things on stage that make us all laugh, it’s about pushing through a challenging choreography rehearsal and feeling the rush of accomplishment, and it’s about the joy of watching those around you working as one toward a common goal. When we finally put all of these individual pieces together in front of an audience, we are forever changed…and it all started with just being given the freedom to play.
With Love,
Katie Wallace
