I settled into the seventh row, orchestra center, in the empty theater. Empty, that is, except for the twenty-three elementary and high school students in Le Petit’s Young Conservatory; A.J. Allegra, the artistic director of Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre; and the four other adults leading this young troupe towards the culmination of their efforts—three performances of SlowPoke! The True Story of a Tortoise and Hare. This original musical by New Orleans native, Ethan Andersen, will have its regional premiere on the Le Petit stage July 18-20. Backpacks, reusable water bottles, and snack bags occupied some of the seats around me. As a relatively new board member and a very new chair of Le Petit Theatre’s education committee, I felt that it was important to attend some of the rehearsals to familiarize myself with the program.
Although I have always enjoyed live theater, I have never wanted to be on the stage. Way back in the day, in the 1950s to be exact, my parents, season ticket holders at Le Petit, enrolled me in the summer program. I remember the first day was about improv. We were told to imagine we were home alone, and someone had broken into the house. Act out what we would do. I spent the rest of that session hiding behind a large chair on the set.
I was too young then to realize that even for those of us who don’t aspire to a career in acting, there is a good deal to learn by being a member of a company of actors. As I watched the students rehearse, I realized that being part of a cast in a play provides similar life lessons to playing a team sport.
These are a few of the benefits that being in a theater production shares with playing on a sports team:
- Learning to follow directions Every scene in a play is composed of many moving parts. The the young actors learn to focus as A.J. directs them as to where to move, how to move, or not to move at all.
- Developing attention span and concentration Actors need to listen for cues to know when to enter from the wings, when to say their lines, and when and where to move on the stage.
- Developing teamwork skills Learning to be part of a team is an important life lesson. A.J. emphasizes the concept of “ensemble” with the students and how the only way to succeed is with every individual working together in joint pursuit of the common goal—a successful performance that they all can feel proud of.
- Learning self-discipline Even if you want to giggle or make a silly face or talk out-of-turn, you learn that you can’t. On stage, you are not you, but another character. You need to stay in character.
- Accepting honest criticism After the cast had worked on one scene several times, A.J. said,”That was 40%.” There was a good bit of moaning from the young actors. “Do you want me to lie?” he asked. They learn that accepting constructive criticism is necessary to improve their performance.
I’m returning to Le Petit this week to visit the Workforce Development group. This team of eleven high school students are learning skills from industry professionals in areas of scenic design, painting, costuming, prop making, lighting, and sound to design, construct, and run the SlowPoke! production. I’ll also visit a rehearsal to see how the play is progressing. I think they will be at 85% now. When I attend the closing matinee of SlowPoke! The True Story of a Tortoise and Hare on July 20, I’m expecting 100% from this ensemble!
SlowPoke! runs from July 18-20, and is a cool, fun way for your family to spend an hour and fifteen minutes. Tickets are $15 and are available online at www.lepetittheatre.com, where you can also learn more about Le Petit’s commitment to the education of the students of New Orleans.
Kathleen Schrenk 