We worked out a visit date that fell during It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. That day, Tech Director Shane and I greeted the kids and gave them an all-access tour of AHT. We went backstage, we let them in the costume shop, they saw Shane's office and the Green Room... even the "Vodka Spray" area, which they found fascinating... until we explained that vodka is a pretty amazing smell-remover, so some nights when costumes that are a little stinky, they will get a quick spray-down with Vodka to keep them fresh until laundry day.
We answered many questions from 6 to 12-year-olds that were clever and thought-provoking, then we let everyone come up on the stage and see what it looks and feels like to be an actor under the hot stage lights. Shane and I were both amazed at how bright the group was, and how observant (i.e. the vodka spray area) they were.
Fast forward to this morning, when I unlocked the door to the offices and proceeded through my morning routine. Sign in... grab the items in my mailbox... turn on the lights in my office... turn on my computer... sit down and sift through my mail. Today there was a big white envelope from the CS #1 kids, and I tore into it. It was stuffed full with a beautiful chain of hand-written thank you notes cut and pasted into heart shapes! Each kid had written about what they liked best about the tour, and thanked us for taking the time to show them the theatre. How sweet!
I promptly hung the chain in our hallway so everyone can look at it. Every once in a while when you work in the arts, something like this happens that reminds you why you toil away creating something for people that is so fleeting. This was one of those moments for me.
Hopefully we created some theatre-lovers solely through the simplicity of showing them "how the magic happens".
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