Theater hopes award will help with funding
By CHRISTINA YOON Special to the Daily Press
PICO BLVD Every once in a while, a book is so vivid and captivating that it seems as though the characters walk right off of the page and come to life. The Youth Education/Entertainment Series (Y.E.S.) theater company at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre quite literally replicates this feeling.
For the past three seasons, Y.E.S. has produced dramatic adaptations of children’s books that are assigned to students in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Y.E.S. recently received the award for 2008 Outstanding New Children’s Theatre Company by the American Alliance for Theatre and Education.
“This is theater by kids specifically for kids targeted toward literacy,” said Anne Gesling, co-founder and one of the committee members of Y.E.S., as well as a sometime director, costume director and producer. “We’re saying to them, you see the theater, that’s great. Now go read the book.”
Most recently, Y.E.S. performed a production of “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” and will soon begin preparation for the production of “If You Give a Moose a Muffin,” which will be presented in October. During the week, Y.E.S. performs for classes on field trips, and on the weekend the shows are open to the public. The company puts on five plays a year.
Y.E.S. was created as an extension of the annual youth musical held at the Morgan- Wixson Theatre. The program is different from many other children’s theater companies in that its productions almost exclusively feature youth actors.
For 18-year-old Jessica Breslow, Y.E.S. provided the foundation to pursue a career in theater. She has worked with Y.E.S. since its inception in 2005 and has performed in Morgan-Wixson musicals since she was five years old. She graduated Crossroads School this year and is headed to New York University in September, where she will study theater. Although she performed in middle school and high school plays, she credits Y.E.S. with giving her the confidence and experience to pursue a career in the performing arts.
“We’re treated like adults,” she said. “The directors assume we can do what adults can do and as a result we are so much better …. I feel like I have a leg up on others who have just done high school shows.”
Breslow said that although rehearsal and performance schedules could be demanding, the staff is always aware of the unique schedules of the student actors.
“We have plenty of time to do homework before rehearsal,” she said. “They tell us we need to keep our grades up, and that they have no problem pulling us if our parents call and complain that our grades our suffering.”
There are specific challenges when it comes to working with a child cast and audience. For one, many of the younger actors haven’t perfected the art of reading a script yet. Then there’s the issue of getting elementary school classes to sit still throughout a production that runs over an hour. Y.E.S. circumvents these obstacles creatively, making sure to schedule intermissions and “stretch breaks” when needed.
“For ‘Mr. Popper’s Penguins’ we had a stretch break where we taught the kids to walk like penguins,” Gesling said.
The marriage of art and education is a theme that runs throughout Y.E.S., and one of the aspects of the program that caught the attention of local educators. Tom Whaley, the Visual and Performing Arts coordinator for the school district, heard of the program early on and became an instant fan when he saw a production of “The Hundred Dresses.”
“I was blown away,” he said. “I just loved the energy and the attention to detail. And they do it all on a shoestring budget.”
When Whaley heard of the annual award given by the American Alliance for Theatre and Education for a new theater company that serves young audiences, he jumped on the chance to recommend Y.E.S.
“It’s rare that you see such a seamless blending of professionals coming in, elementary kids coming in and teachers being exposed,” he said. “The kids understand it because they feel it.”
The cooperation between Y.E.S. and the schools stood out in the minds of the selection committee members of the alliance.
“We were impressed with the willingness of the theater to listen and respond to needs of the school system,” said Rachel Briley, a member of the awards committee. “There’s a constant debate in our field of art versus education, with people afraid that if you start pandering to the educational side of things, the art will suffer. But this company has both, and that’s a tough road to hoe.”
Gesling accepted the award at the alliance’s national conference in Atlanta, and Y.E.S. announced the award to the public in a surprise ceremony after a performance of “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” last month.
“Everyone was so proud,” said Breslow, who attended the ceremony. “Everyone’s put so much into Y.E.S. and we’ve seen it blossom into more than we’ve expected.”
Both Gesling and Whaley expressed hope that the recognition Y.E.S. received will encourage more funding for the small company. Y.E.S. currently receives some funding from the Santa Monica Arts Council, and is researching and applying for other grants.
All of the Y.E.S. staff, cast and crew work on a voluntary basis. The plays’ directors receive a small stipend which Gesling describes as “barely gas money in this day in age.”
“This is truly a labor of love,” she said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 9, 2008. Read the original PDF.