Teen Life is a Cabaret
Published on July 23rd, 2003
STONEHAM, MA - The members of the newly formed Stoneham Theatre Resident Youth Ensemble, as part of the program, are being challenged early and often to achieve a high level of artistic achievement, and the three-night run of the cabaret show "American Spirit" last week provided a shining highlight of their skill.
The 28 teenage performers in the ensemble, from towns ranging from Stoneham to Swampscott, were expecting to perform a cabaret show before an intimate crowd of 40-50 people at Stoneham Theatre.
The Theatre plans to keep a permanent youth ensemble group for seasonal shows to "build future audiences and performers in the theatre and performing arts", according to Stoneham Theatre spokesperson Jeremy Allen Thompson.
In keeping with the theme of cabaret, seats and tables were going to be placed on stage in a club style format. One pleasant problem kept this idea from crystallizing into reality, however.
"We had way too many people buy tickets in the last few weeks, and we had to reconfigure the seating and some of the blocking for the show just days prior to opening night," said Christopher Chew, Director of Education at Stoneham Theatre. "We ended up creating sort of a broken circle of seats on stage with aisles in between, and we also sat audience members in the first few rows of the balcony."
The stage seating was important to recreate the cozy, intimate feel of a cabaret-type environment.
Chew and the ensemble even altered the ending of the show, so that the performers "sneak" up and sing right behind the second-floor balcony patrons during the show's denouement.
"I think it kind of surprised people a bit, and it really gave us a challenge when things were changed days before the show went on," said Stoneham resident and ensemble performer Andrew Barbato. "None of us had really done cabaret before, so all of it was pretty exciting and new."
Retaining the intimate feel of a cabaret show was one of several important factors for Chew, as was putting the onus of the show on the talented shoulders of the 13-17 year-old ensemble members.
"Most of the shows that have featured our summer workshop performers in the past (Willy Wonka, Honk, and this summer, Oliver!) have been geared toward instruction for our youngest performers," said Chew. "The ensemble is meant to feature some of the older and more seasoned performers, and to present them with some different challenges."
Stoneham resident and ensemble performer Amanda Buckley put it in a far more succinct way.
"We love the oompa loompas...the oompa loompas were great, but we were ready to get past the oompa loompas," said the bubbly Buckley. "It was time to graduate to something else."
Most of the ensemble members can still perform in the seasonal workshop shows, and are certainly a presence in the mentoring of their younger, oompa-loompa-ish thespian counterparts, however.
Included in Chew's thrown theatrical gauntlet was a request that each performer choose their song from the modern era of American theatre, and then be able to defend the reasons behind their melodic choice.
"They were given a lot of individual responsibility in this show, but I thought it was important for them to have ownership of the project," said Chew. "Some worked harder than others, and some kids got bigger roles than others. That's just the way it works."
Stoneham resident and accomplished piano player Mark Kross helped with the music, and found time to bond with daughter Joelle Kross, another member of the ensemble, and the rest of her performing cohorts.
"Mr. Kross is one of the funniest and greatest guys," said Ensemble member Emily DiPietro. "He would always have us do these crazy exercises to warm up our voices. He would always do something different to keep us on our toes."
According to the kids, they would always sing a silly little ditty called "Ube Latte De" before breaking into the songs from shows ranging from "Annie Get Your Gun" to "Thoroughly Modern Millie."
"I was actually really kind of shy before I joined he ensemble, but being around such a great group of people made me open up a little," said Alison Russell, who was the voted by her cast mates as the "sweetest."
Each member of the local cast, which also includes Bryan Miner of Stoneham, agreed that the ensemble was a special group.
"We each had to audition and then be selected, so you know that everyone would be into the show," said Barbato. "That's what makes it more exciting for us."
According to Chew, the actual show idea germinated from a concept he threw out to the kids. Chew asked each of them to talk about what the "American Spirit" was, and to find a song that embodied that spirit. The results were surprisingly diverse and thought-provoking.
"We got everything from the apple pie and Stars N' Stripes kind of thing to ideas about capitalism and the war in Iraq," said Chew. "The kids really dug deep, and the work reflects it."
The three evening run of the show ended up as a rousing success last week with over 100 people attending each performance, and the discerning Chew happy with the group's performance.
"I'm a perfectionist and a professional actor and director, so I can sometimes hold a higher standard than that of a learning exercise," said Chew of maintaining an intensity during the rehearsal period. "But I'm able to gain a little perspective when the shows actually go on. I know the kids are trying to have fun as well."
Buckley may have said it best.
"These are 28 of the most talented kids you are going to meet, and we're all like the best of friends now," said Buckley, voted "most friendly". "I love these guys."
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