Saturday, 6/21, is the opening day for Idaho Repertory Theatre's youth season of plays. I can't wait to watch the audiences watch the shows. I know that's an odd statement, but for me, that's the best part.

I have to admit it, when IRT producer David Lee-Painter first mentioned the concept of IRT-Y to me, I thought he'd ask me to direct Tommy the Tooth or some other play with actors packed into foam costumes of furry four-fingered characters. I just had no concept of theatre for youth aside from that sort of material. I vividly remember sitting on the cafeteria floor at my elementary school feeling rather patronized by the six-foot incisor dancing in front of me, singing about oral hygiene. Whether it was a dancing tooth or the latest “After School Special,” I think everyone knows that feeling. Kids need something with substance.

So, when David mentioned devising an original piece, I jumped all over it. Alicia Bickley and I began the devising process this past February with the intent of creating something that would speak with our audience as opposed to at our audience and with characters that they could really relate to. In Sydney, loosely based on an idea somewhat inspired by Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha, audiences will go on a fast paced journey of hilarious self-discovery.

Pain*t, by Kolby Wood, is a fresh look at the topic of prejudice. It's set in a world where everything is blue. The people there think there are no other colors. All goes well until, a green girl appears in town, but unlike other shows, this show refuses to step over into cliché. It's a magical show for ages 5-9 that frankly discusses intolerance, but unlike a lot of shows of its kind, it does not venture into blatant didactic rhetoric. Really, audiences of all ages should be able to relate to and enjoy Pain*t.

Saturdays June 21, 28, July 5, 12, 19, 26

Shoup Hall
6th and Rayburn on UI campus.
Tickets $3 Limited seating

Pain*t 10:00am
Wolf Child 12:00pm
Sydney 2:00pm