January-February 2010 Selected Content

"You're getting better. March, waltz, move together. Hold on to what you have learned and keep your chins up." Sandy Fairhurst, the director of Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, speaks words of encouragement to her cast. "Yes, Queen Fairhurst," the cast chimes back in unison. It is apparent that to this cast of 3rd to 12th graders--"The play is the thing." Shakespeare's words written for Hamlet more than 400 years ago still conjure the magic of makebelieve.

It is early April and Stagelight Productions, a component of Spectrum Christian Homeschool Community in Howard County, Maryland, is a week away from opening night. Tension is building in everyone, from the director and choreographer to the set designers, seamstresses and chorus members.

"You put in so much work and you worry--will it turn into a fulfilling experience for everyone?" said Laurie Rasmussen, a founding member of Stagelight Productions. "Even though we're amateurs, we aim to get the best out of everyone. Mediocrity doesn't feel good to even the littlest kids."

Stagelight's mission is to provide opportunities for homeschooled pre-teens and teens to express themselves artistically through participation in annual theatrical productions.

"By third grade, students are mature enough to handle acting. We see their stage presence grow by leaps and bounds. We look for family-friendly productions with as many leads as possible. Cinderella has eight leads. And we double that because we have a younger lead cast and an older lead cast," Rasmussen went on to say. Third to seventh grade students star in the younger version during the matinee performances, and eighth to twelfth graders take the lead in the evening performances. All grade levels participate in each performance. Running the play with double leads is definitely more work, but it allows for flexibility if one actor is absent, and it spreads out the experience.

"It's a whole lot of work, but it's a whole bunch of fun," said Laura Harrison, an eighth grader who plays the fairy godmother.

"The students get a sense of perseverance and accomplishment from their involvement in the play," said Rasmussen. "Intergenerational bonding and friendship take place and the rewards make the hard work worthwhile." Twenty six students participated in this season's production of Cinderella. Set design and construction were handled by the homeschool families, making it a multi-family endeavor.

"It's more intense than team sports," emphasized Rasmussen. "Our children become so close, working toward the common goal of putting on a production."

"You need five or six committed families to get off the ground and then you need at least ten months to pull it off. But, oh, it is worth it," said another founding parent, Anne Dransfield. "The cast gels, the kids of all ages care for each other, and they feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment by the time they take their curtain calls."

How They Did It

Classes at Spectrum Christian Homeschool Community include history, English, Latin, Spanish, math, geometry and algebra for third through twelfth graders two days a week. In the fall semester Spectrum offers an additional class--drama. One day a week, two classes are held, one for third to sixth graders and one for seventh through twelfth. The curriculum includes characterization, motivation, improvisation, audition techniques and monologues.

Stagelight is lucky in the directorial area. Laurie Rasmussen's mom is Sandy Fairhurst, a veteran of the local stage. She is the drama teacher at Spectrum and the director of their annual productions. Family aside, Rasmussen says her mom fills the two criteria necessary in a director. She has experience and she loves working with children.

"My intention is to give them confidence, to challenge them. We do a lot of improvisation in the class so they can gain stage presence," said Fairhurst. "I say, 'Pretend we are being held hostage. There are people outside who can save us. Give me voice.' They start out in the class as quiet little mice. By the end they are giving back to me."

Fairhurst emphasizes that the drama production is also a class. "I want the whole ensemble to learn what I'm teaching the leads. This takes longer, but everyone sees the whole process. They all learn how to get a laugh, how to play to the audience."

Fairhurst recruited an old friend, Ray Hatch, as choreographer. Hatch is also a veteran of the stage, and it is apparent in his interaction with the cast that he delights in teaching children. "Don't dance so far off the stage you need to take a bus back," he jokes. His witticism is not lost on the kids.

In the spring, instead of drama class, Stagelight holds rehearsals for the play. Spectrum students who take the drama class are not required to participate in the spring play. Auditions are open to any local homeschooled child including those who have not taken the drama class.

If a student chooses to audition and gets a part in the play, parents must be aware that it is a serious twelve-week family commitment. "We try to be sensitive to family needs and not scare them off, but we do need people to take the play seriously," said Rasmussen. In January, rehearsals are held two or three times a week. As it gets closer to opening night, the cast rehearses four or five times a week.

For Rasmussen and the others on the production team, the budget is of prime importance. "You must line up a group of volunteers and use their strengths." Production team member, Colleen Campbell, is an example of a volunteer with extraordinary strengths. Campbell, the grandmother of several cast members, was the volunteer set designer and construction manager. Fairhurst calls her the "real fairy godmother" for the beautiful sets she produced. "We could never have afforded to pay someone for that," added Rasmussen.

Fundraising is necessary to pay for the rent on the venue, the sets, the costumes, the scripts, the program, etc. Raiding homes and thrift shops for props and costumes becomes second nature. Stagelight held a sing-a-thon in December to raise cash for Cinderella. The budget for the annual production runs between eight and ten thousand dollars.

"You have to start early looking for a venue for the production. They are expensive and hard to find," said Dransfield. Stagelight locks in the location ten months in advance with a contract and deposit. They make sure their rehearsal dates are spelled out and they can bring in the sets in advance. "Everything must be in writing," she added.

When Rasmussen and Dransfield discussed the highlights of the Cinderella production, one student came to mind. He enrolled in Spectrum mid-year. "You mean, you're going to dance?" he asked the other boys. Then he decided he wanted to be in the play. He got into trouble and had to be disciplined. "What was touching to me was here was a boy who made fun of dancing in the beginning and he couldn't bear to lose his part. 'You're not going to kick me out of the play, are you?' was his first response to getting in trouble. Needless to say, he was not a discipline problem thereafter. Seeing his enthusiasm after he'd experienced the genuine fun of the play was a real highlight for me," said Rasmussen.

According to Rasmussen, homeschooled children don't construct boundaries to keep out those not in their age group or gender. They don't worry about being "un-cool" when they befriend someone younger. The production gives them camaraderie with kids from other age groups and an opportunity to show a different side of themselves, to challenge themselves and to share their talents.

"What works for us are big chorus shows where everyone gets a chance to participate. Shows like Annie, Bye, Bye Birdie, The Music Man, Godspell or You're a Good Man,Charlie Brown," said Rasmussen. "We Google the plays we're interested in to find out who owns the rights. We try to narrow it down to three plays. We order perusal copies and meet to make the final decision. We submit an application and get the rights if the show is not playing nearby during our requested dates. Then we pay a fee to rent the scripts."

One Parent's Experience

"It was a huge commitment," said Lisa Hamby, who drove 45 minutes each way so her daughter and son, Rebecca, thirteen, and Silas, nine, could be in Cinderella. "I would positively do it again. I have a different daughter because of her experience." (Rebecca was cast as the younger Cinderella, much to her mother's surprise.) "She came out of her shell and now carries herself with confidence." Silas played a footman. "Sandy gave him what he could handle. Her encouragement made him blossom."

Hamby added that Sandy Fairhurst brought the best out of her children. "She grew them. The play seemed secondary. My children wanted to rise to her expectations."

Stagelight's Goal

As the actors rehearsed over three months, they breathed more and more life into the Cinderella characters. They did what generations of actors have done, professional and amateur alike -- they made magic. "I tell the kids to dream and dream big," said Fairhurst. "I dream to have one of my students on Broadway. Then I think, why just one?"

"The theatre won't be the life work of most of our students, but most will have to stand in front of an audience at some time in their working life," said Rasmussen. The goal of Stagelight is to help the kids carry their success into other areas of their lives, to help them become comfortable in their own skin. When that goal is reached, the play is most certainly the thing.

© 2010, Sandra S. Gaffigan