JOHN SPARKS
Nationally-renown musical theatre producer & instructor of writing workshops
“Today's world is vastly different from the world of Oklahoma, Carousel, West Side Story and all the classic musicals. Children are living in a different world and this show gives them an opportunity to express their world on their own terms.”
The following are excerpts from filmed responses to Curtain Call's first public performances staged in Rogers City, Michigan
JOHN SPARKS (cont.)
Founder and Director of New Musicals Inc., Los Angeles (formerly the Academy for New Musical Theatre) and Board Member, Murphy Musicals Development, London
“Very often in theatre for younger audiences, the [performance] roles — even though they’re young people — are played by older and even adult actors. But here is a piece that is written for young actors to play themselves, and although they take on the persona of the characters they’re playing, the characters they play are involved with the same kinds of issues in life that the actors themselves experience. So these child actors have a real connection to the piece — one that becomes very clear in their performance, and you're able to understand why they are so invested in what they're doing: it matters to them.
“It's not just being on stage or even being in the limelight. Everybody likes those opportunities. But Curtain Call is different because the kids get a chance to tell the world what they think of things. And that's really this show's strength.”
CATHY – Rogers City teacher, grades 7 – 9
“This play did a great job of highlighting how kids really do think and feel. 'What if I don’t get the part?' 'What if I don’t make the team?' It was that kind of performance. And it was nice to see the character development where they all overcame their insecurities and were lifted up by the experience to gain a type of self-confidence by the end of the play because they had a successful performance. Isn’t that really what life is all about? It’s making it through our struggles and coming out in the end knowing that if we hang in there, and practice hard enough, and do what we’re supposed to do, we can come out on top. That’s really the magic. Not only are we entertaining an audience, but everyone involved is growing along the way and that’s what I just love about this show.”
DENNY – audience member
“I went to the show two days in a row and you wonder why? Well, I took my wife, Sharon, on Saturday night. We really enjoyed it. And then my granddaughter heard about it from her friends and said she wanted to go. So I took her Sunday afternoon. We both enjoyed it very much. We loved the music. We loved the dancing and it was refreshing — just wonderful. We all just really enjoyed it."
CAROL - mother of cast member KRISTEN
"I think the thing the kids got the most out of was working together — having each other's backs and sticking up for each other. Plus, they got to know how to depend on somebody else. Like the play says, 'You can't do it alone' — you've got to have somebody to help you with life. And for my daughter, she got out of her shell. She was shy — she doesn't hardly know anybody here so only coming during summers to visit — and now she's made some real friends.'"
TOM — father of cast member TRENTON
"Out of the four shows the kids put on, I went to all four! Never thought I would but I did. Their opening night was probably the best after seeing their practices and bits and pieces here and there, and then seeing it all come together when the curtain opened — it was just magical. Seeing my boy come to life and perform his line and sing the song and do things he's never done before was great. I'm very proud."
CURTIS — father of two cast members
"My girls were liking it more compared to Little Mermaid. Even though the Little Mermaid is still a very good program to do. I liked the Curtain Call better because it played more of a real-life story."
CHERYL – owner of a popular local restaurant
“After going to the play on Thursday night, I wish I could’ve gone the next couple of nights, too. Living out East years ago, and having seen Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music at Radio City Music Hall, this show would definitely fit up on that stage — hands down. I’d be great to watch it there.”
ASHLEY – cast member
“I'm 14 and I've been in seven plays including Curtain Call. This one has definitely been my favorite. I've just loved playing 'Mrs. Collins' because I liked being kind of bossy and being in charge was definitely a lot of fun and the casting was awesome. The different roles in the show — the personalities that were portrayed — were really cool too."
JOANN — mother of two cast members
"I appreciate this play in particular because unlike a lot of the others that are, you know, more fantasy or silliness, this one taught a lot of values for the boys and got them to look a little deeper at what's actually going on in their lives right now — things they're experiencing in everyday life. So it wasn't just to have fun — even though the play itself was very fun and there were lots of jokes and silliness in it that the kids could relate to — but at the same time they were able to learn important things from it."
ANDREW— cast member & son of JOANN
"Well it was good. I liked my character. I loved my lines. The song I like the best is [reciting its lyrics] 'Why Is It called a Play? I'm a nervous wreck today. What if I don't get the part Don't want to break mom's heart. What if I get the lead and can't do what they need?' I really miss it and I hope there's a 'Curtain Call Two.'"
CINDY and PAUL — local audience members
PAUL; "Well I think the humor was appropriate for all ages — I can't imagine anybody being offended by anything in that play."
CINDY: "Yeah, the humor was great — people laughed a lot and the lines are funny throughout the play. But the way the kids portray things too — their body language adds so much. You could see how these kids were really into the part they were playing, and a lot of times the audience was laughing just because they saw this kid really living his part."
CHLOE – cast member
“I loved it. It was so fun playing the role of ‘Margie.’ She’s the over-the-top drama queen who basically knows all the dirt about everybody—the gossip girl thing. So it was really fun to play her. She's my favorite of the total five roles I’ve had, including the ‘Wicked Witch of the West’ in The Wizard of Oz, ‘Sea Monster’ in Peggy the Pint Sized Pirate, ‘Sebastian’ in The Little Mermaid and I was a speaking ‘Clara’ in The Nutcracker. But out of all those, my favorite would definitely be ‘Margie,’ here, because she’s just so fun to play because of her personality and basically the things she says.”
RICHARD – audience member & grandfather of CHLOE
“I agree with my granddaughter. Chloe says, ‘If you can do it in Rogers City, you can do it anywhere—even on Broadway or in Los Angeles.’"
ANGELEE – cast member
“The story was like real life—before a musical even starts and getting ready to put on the show. It was my first time in a play and all the dances we had to practice and then the last song is the real thing in the play—awesome.”
PAUL – audience member - local cafe & art gallery owner
“First and foremost, the play taught the values of working together and at the same time learning to be an individual, which is a hard thing to teach. But it did bring them together — they worked as a team, yet each child had to strive on their own."
KATIE – mother of cast member Izabelle
“My daughter, Sofia is 4 years old and I took her to go see her sister in Curtain Call, the Musical. Sofia sat through the whole show perfectly and was singing and dancing in the aisle during the songs — I think it’s great for even her age to go see.”
LILLIAN – grandmother of cast member PEGGY
“That was one of the first musicals I’ve ever been to and the music just was amazing, awesome. I sat there and cried through some of them songs. It was just so much talent and especially the writing. Peggy loved being in it very much, and I was moved to tears by that too.”
A.J. – audience member & retired filmmaker
“Interesting that the kids didn’t need someone off-stage to throw them a ‘lifeline’ — help them with dialogue they’d forgotten. You could pretty much tell when they had a little trouble. Everything would pause for a moment, but then it seemed like they’d just make something up on the spot! You could tell by the unwarranted giggles of the others in the cast, and it occurred to me that the kids could do this because the show takes place in the here and now, not in some ‘Never-never Land’ where they’re all trying to imitate what they’d seen in a movie and its characters. Instead of imitating, the kids were able to improvise — think and create on their own. Great to see this — they were never ‘lost.’”
THERESA GIBSON – career guidance counselor & Curtain Call's assistant director & stage manager
“Growing up in Detroit, I was in all the grade-school and high-school plays, and then worked as an actress in the Detroit area until I started having kids. After filling my mother role, I went back to school, got a master’s degree in social work, and started working with children both in the schools and in a clinical setting as a childrens’ play therapist.
“Part of being a parent is having to show up to support your kids in all their endeavors — whether it be theatre, sports, whatever. As a parent myself, I remember my son’s band concerts and somebody would always ask me afterward, ‘How was it?’ And I’d say, ‘The BEST ever!’ But they weren’t — they were horrible to sit through!
“But in the case of Curtain Call, no parent that I'm aware of left thinking, ‘Oh, that was horrible to sit through.’ As a matter of fact, we had parents who came back after their one-time obligatory attendance. One father was so impressed that he came back for the next two performances, and then ditched work early the next day to come to the fourth and final one! People in town who’d seen the show were going home and telling their families and friends, ‘You've got to go see this…it’s awesome! It's not like the previous shows — you can hear them! You can understand them! You know what the kids are talking about, and they’re having so much fun!’ It is so much fun to watch your children have fun.”