Web Editor: Gerri Sayler

Becky Larson at Macdonald Elementary School 

Theatre for Youth acting troupe staging plays for school outreach

Theatre for youth.  Theatre for social change.  Interactive theatre. All of the above describe a new “branch” of the department’s production tree, dubbed IRT-Y.

This new acting troupe got its start during the 2003 Idaho Repertory Theatre season. 

No — actually the seeds of IRT-Y were planted last spring when students in Intermediate Directing were asked to devise original plays for K-12 audiences as a class project.

And we’re not talking foo-foo, bubble gum entertainment.

“I have to admit it, when David Lee-Painter first mentioned the concept, I thought he may ask me to direct Tommy the Tooth or some other play with actors packed into foam costumes of furry four-fingered characters,” says Charlie Pepiton, IRT Education Director.

“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 TV after school special.”

Pepiton believes the kids need and deserve something with more substance.  He worked with playwright Alicia Bickley to write Sydney, an imaginative coming-of-age story about a 15-year-old girl.   The two struggled with how to authenticate the experience of a young woman making choices, despite interference from well-intentioned adults.

“We knew we had a piece of theatre that could entertain and educate young audiences because it was both absurd and realistic.  It did not preach or talk down to its audience, and it did not provide easy answers.  But the play's ending, we knew, was crucial, for it would likely be the focal point of in-class discussions and writing assignments.”

One of Pepiton’s classmates, undergraduate Kolby Wood, wrote Pain*t for children ages 5-10 to explore healthy attitudes of tolerance and compassion for people who are different from "everybody else."

“We believe this play can provide helpful insight about prejudice in our lives:  classism, racism, sexism, homophobia and other forms of bigotry have tormented us all,” says Wood. “If this play helps prevent one child from being subjected to any one of these "isms", it has been successful.”

As it turns out, both works were extraordinary, and ready for the stage.

Lee-Painter, who has long wanted to deepen the department’s commitment to youth, decided to premiere the work as new programming for youth on Saturday mornings during the IRT season. 

The IRT-Y troupe of undergraduate and graduate students is currently touring Pain*t to area schools.  Its topic of cultural diversity couldn’t more timely or compelling.  At a recent production staged at McDonald Elementary School, one of the teachers, Deborah Bell, had this to say:

The actors were very expressive to captivate the attention of the audience. The message was riveting. I enjoyed how the children reacted to helping solve the story's problem.”

“Our intent with Pain*t is to create a dynamic artistic experience for young children that also promotes ethical and social development,” says Pepiton, who directs the play. “We also want to provide teachers with inspiration and practical help to enliven teaching about a serious topic.”

“Cultural diversity is a heavy topic, one with which the most sophisticated adults continue to struggle,” says Pepiton.  “Pain*t dives right into the issue in a way that is both hilariously enjoyable and meaningful. It's not subtle. It is essentially a fairy tale, and like most great fairy tales, it is an allegory.”

Bell, like other teachers and principals, are eager for IRT-Y to help fill a void left by recent cutbacks in resources arts education, especially in rural school districts.  Beyond the socially-compelling message, teachers also value the Pain*t for how it teaches children about color, painting, art and theatre.”

A huge advantage of IRT-Y is how it offers theatre students new production opportunities, providing hands-on experience with writing, directing, acting, designing and crew plays.

“Students crave extra production venues in which to practice the art of theatre,” he says.  “But it’s more than what’s in it for them.  There is also a genuine interest and growing awareness in reaching the next generation of theatre audiences.”