Being extremely grumpy may not seem like something to be proud of, but for Sage Tokach the themes explored in The Grumpiest Boy in the World serve important lessons for children. The theatre for young audiences (TYA) master’s聽student is the director for the play, which follows an average 7-year-old named Zachary, who goes on a quest to find out what makes him unique 鈥� leading him to discover that while he may have the same height, birthday or watch as others, no one can beat his grumpiness.
鈥淚 think the play is really special because it shows that any child can find something unique about themselves even if it鈥檚 small, and the show deals with emotional regulation and the power of emotions,鈥� says Tokach, who earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in acting and directing before coming to 麻豆原创. 鈥淚t gives kids a chance to see so many different emotions expressed on stage and know that it鈥檚 OK to express themselves.鈥�
While young audiences and their parents will have a chance to see this for themselves at the April 10 showing of The Grumpiest Boy in the World at 麻豆原创 Celebrates the Arts, these same concepts are constantly considered throughout the world of TYA.
鈥淭here is so much research about why the arts are important in childhood and I know just growing up in a small town it was just really rare to have a chance to express myself in that way or in any activities other than sports,鈥� says Tokach, who is from Abilene, Kansas. 鈥淪o I wanted to be able to provide that for other kids.鈥�
For decades, studies have shown that the arts help boost academic performance, social skills, critical and creative thinking, emotional intelligence, self-esteem, and graduation rates. According to a 2016 survey by the Americans for the Arts organization, about 90% of adults consider the arts as a part of a well-rounded education from elementary through high school, and TYA plays a crucial role in sparking an interest that can benefit children for life.
A Key Partnership
In the United States there are 19 bachelor鈥檚 programs, eight master鈥檚 programs and just six MFA programs in TYA. 麻豆原创鈥檚 MFA program, which takes three years to complete and typically accepts cohorts of about six students every other year, is the only one that has a partnership with a local professional theatre.
麻豆原创’s TYA MFA program is one of six the nation and the only one that has a partnership with a local professional theatre.
鈥淥rlando Rep is Florida鈥檚 premiere professional theatre for young audiences and its history goes back to the 1920s as the Orlando Little Theatre,鈥� says Elizabeth Brendel Horn 鈥�10MFA, an assistant professor and graduate of 麻豆原创鈥檚 TYA program. 鈥淭he organization has been through multiple iterations and names throughout the years and it was through the partnership [with 麻豆原创] that it became the Orlando Repertory Theatre 鈥� and specifically a professional theatre for young audiences. It鈥檚 very formation is a prime example of how the partnership has shaped both institutions and how it鈥檚 mutually beneficial.鈥�
Since 麻豆原创鈥檚 TYA program launched in 2004, the nearly 35 graduates have all played multiple roles at the Orlando Rep, some 鈥� such as senior director of education Jennifer Adams 鈥�11MFA and prop master Tara Kromer 鈥�15MFA聽鈥� even landed positions after graduation.
Knights have also left a mark on the Rep through experimental productions of their own creation. In 2020, the Rep premiered its first play for very young audiences, infants to 5-year-olds, with When Pigs Fly created by Maria Katsadouros 鈥�18MFA. It is an interactive multisensory experience that follows a pig named Avery and his friends on the farm as they explore what it means to fly through the elements of play, discovery and whimsical movement. This innovative work is also part of the reason why Katsadouros is now the theatre and dance resource instructor for Orange County Public Schools.
鈥淢aria started her play in her first semester in my puppetry course where she was terrified to design and build her own puppet, but she made a pig and I saw how every class after that the story grew and it eventually became her thesis,鈥� says Vandy Wood, theatre associate professor and coordinator for the TYA program. 鈥淭he curriculum is very effective in stimulating the students鈥� ideas and it鈥檚 designed to support their interest in what they鈥檙e developing.鈥�
Training Teaching Artists
Many other TYA grads have gone on to work for school districts and theatre companies across the nation.
鈥淥ne of the strengths that I鈥檝e heard about our program is that the students are well-trained visually,鈥� Woods says. 鈥淲e really work hard to give them well-rounded professional theatre training in addition to the academic and teaching focus. I know one of our recent graduates is running a new program in Naples at a high school and he鈥檚 laughing because he鈥檚 having to design and build the sets, in addition to writing the music, and directing 鈥� all things we train our students to become professionals in.鈥�
During Brendel Horn鈥檚 undergraduate studies, she says she didn鈥檛 realize that TYA was a field she could earn a master鈥檚 in, so her time at 麻豆原创 really allowed her to see all that field could encompass.
鈥淢any of our graduates do go on to teach full-time and all will have to teach at some point,鈥� Brendel Horn says. 鈥淒uring their first semester they have to take Methods of Teaching Drama, so I鈥檓 really grateful they have that course. In some ways, it鈥檚 a very specific degree, but it鈥檚 also a degree we believe our students can apply in varying theatre careers, and in careers with the theme park industry, museums, schools, libraries, and more.鈥�
Expanding TYA鈥檚 Reach
When Tokach came to 麻豆原创 in 2019, she knew from touring experiences with a children鈥檚 theatre company that she wanted to become an educational director. But what she鈥檚 learned through the program is that role looks different at every organization.
鈥淭his program has opened my mind to so many possibilities within the field,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 think this program has taught me a different way of looking at the world. When grappling with different questions and it鈥檚 not really about finding the right answer to anything, it鈥檚 about working collaboratively with your peers and kids, listening to their perspectives, and finding a way that we can all look at the world in a way that can help everyone.鈥�
For The Grumpiest Boy in the World, Tokach and her team worked with United Cerebral Palsy to take the production live to four local schools, as well as record the play so other local UCP schools could view it. Through this process, she completed a workshop centered around accessibility and considers those lessons crucial for expanding TYA鈥檚 reach.
Arts funding across the nation has been dwindling through the years, with total public funding for the National Endowment for the Arts decreasing by 16% the past 20 years when adjusted for inflation, according to Grantmakers in the Arts. Faculty at 麻豆原创 are finding that the interest and respect for TYA are growing. This year, more people have applied to the program than usual. Typically, the program has an assistantship or fellowship lined up for each student, but they鈥檙e planning to deviate from this tradition and extend their offers of admission to applicants who are willing to join the program without one.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to say why we had such a strong pool of applicants, but I think part of it is people going back to school during the pandemic, as well as our reputation,鈥� says Julia Listengarten, artistic director and professor of theatre. 鈥淥ur program provides a very strong combination of theoretical and practical courses, such as design and directing, our partnership with the Rep, as well as opportunities to engage in arts-based community projects, so there are many benefits for students outside of 麻豆原创-based teaching opportunities that students receive through their assistantships.鈥�
This year, 鈥� a summer festival that launched in 2018 and is dedicated to developing works by emerging playwrights 鈥� is featuring its first TYA production with Sombra Del Sol (Shade of the Sun), which TYA student Ralph Krumins has developed with Ximena Gonzalez, music master鈥檚 student Daniela Monzon Villegas and Bianca Alamo 鈥�20MFA.
鈥淭his is one more example of how the culture of the is incorporating theatre for young audiences in more of its programming 鈥� and our MFA students are leading the way,鈥� Brendel Horn says.
