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Edgar Caraballo and Melissa Amlaguer in
The Steadfast Tin Soldier. Photo by Deborah Gray |
It may be Art Basel weekend in Miami
Beach, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing for the kids.
A bit
north of the frenetic, aesthetic chaos of Art Basel lies
something just as sophisticated, albeit a bit less mature, in
the PlayGround Theatre’s presentation of Hans Christian
Andersen’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier at the Byron Carlyle
Theater.
The
show, similar in content to Toy Story, follows a tin
soldier and toy ballerina that come to life and fall in love in
a playroom after the children go to sleep. When a black troll
tries to tear them apart, the tin soldier goes to unbelievable
lengths to make sure love never dies.
If you
didn’t know that South Florida has a reputable company dedicated
to children’s theater, you should. The PlayGround Theatre has
grown artistically, financially and in popularity since it
opened with Pluft, the Little Ghost in April 2004,
something Artistic Director Stephanie Ansin never imagined when
she created the company while in graduate school.
“We went
through all the progressions of starting a company that
presented world premiere adaptations of children’s literature,”
Ansin said of the project, which she completed in 1998. “At the
end of the presentation, we were told we should do the company.”
It took
five years and a variety of circumstances for Ansin to return to
the idea, but when she finally realized her vision in November
2003, she received a lot of help from key figures in the Miami
arts community. Chief among her supporters was Toby Lerner Ansin,
her mother and the co-founder with Edward Villella of the Miami
City Ballet.
“When I
founded the ballet, I didn’t know what I was doing — I was doing
it all instinctually,” Lerner Ansin said. “When it came time to
help Stephanie, I had years of experience, so I knew a lot of
people who could help her, and many of those people were already
familiar with her work and eager to jump on board.”
And so
with the likes of Rhoda Levitt, Robin Reiter and press agent
Charlie Cinnamon supporting her vision, the then-called
PlayGround Theatre for Young Audiences was born.
From the
start, it was something different. Not only did it focus
exclusively on children’s theater, it also employed actors
year-round to work on shows in repertory, a rarity in South
Florida.
“I think
having actors under contract is a good thing,” Ansin said. “Some
actors get nervous with the idea because they’re worried they’ll
miss an opportunity elsewhere, but others embrace the solidarity
of the employment.”
“It’s a
decision you make early on when you commit for a year,” actress
Melissa Almaguer said of the restrictions that come with being
tied to one theater. “I don’t even think about the possibilities
elsewhere unless I know it fits into my PlayGround schedule,
which is pretty intense as it is.”
“I’ve
been with the company from the beginning, and because I’m on
staff full-time I’m developing a lot of other skills at the same
time as acting,” said Jesus Quintero, who also coordinates the
theater’s summer camp.
As a
true leader should, Ansin not only has her cast and crew excited
about their current project, The Steadfast Tin Soldier,
she also has everyone eagerly anticipating her interpretation of
Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, which she’s adapting
for a March 2008 opening.
“It’s
going to be a very different take on
Alice,
and kids will see that we didn’t look at it like a Disney story
at all,” Ansin said. “It’ll teach kids to see things their own
way and not necessarily through the eyes of someone else.”
Appropriately, teaching kids about the vast possibilities of
live theater is the most gratifying aspect of Ansin’s job. The
PlayGround’s Behind the Curtain workshops involve kids in
the production process by, for example, showing them how to work
the lights on a set, and then puts the responsibility on the
kids to rehearse and act out scenes from the show. And thanks to
donors, grants and other sources of funding, more than 170
school and community groups have participated in the PlayGround
Theatre's Education and Community Outreach Program. This season
alone, 18,050 tickets were donated to underserved audiences.
“The
most rewarding thing for me, and this has happened a few times
now, is when a child will come to a show with their school, and
then return with their parents. That’s when I know the show is a
success.”
Given
the positive critical reaction and word of mouth, it’s safe to
say the PlayGround Theatre has been a success too.
Hans
Christian Andersen’s
The Steadfast Tin Soldier
is playing Dec. 6-23 at the Byron Carlyle Theater,
500 71st St., Miami Beach.
Tickets are $15. For more information call
305-751-9550
x223, e-mail
info@theplaygroundtheatre.com or visit
theplaygroundtheatre.com. |
