Westlock-area kids and teens took to the stage in back-to-back performances of Aladdin at the CATS theatre Sept. 24.
Part of the Kids In Theatre Cultural Arts Theatre Series (KITCATS), 60 young actors from Kindergarten to Grade 12 spent all last week, Sept. 19-24, preparing a stage performance of the classic story Aladdin, complete with lights, music and costume.
Grade 10 student Aden Dupuis landed the star role of Aladdin, practicing throughout the week on a tough daily rehearsal schedule from 4-8 p.m. to prepare for the big night.
Despite the commitment, Dupuis said the role was still a challenge to prepare for and taught him about the commitment it takes to be in a musical.
“It’s challenging because of the amount of time we have to actually put together the whole thing,” Dupuis said.
Grade 7 student Naomi Edwards landed the role of Princess Dory (aka Jasmine) and said that it was fun to work with younger actors.
KITCATS takes young kids and older teen actors to fill the variety of roles it takes to put on the hour-and-a-half performance.
Between helping younger actors find their way around stage, Edwards had to learn 51 lines for the performance along with song and dance numbers.
“It’s really fun and cute watching [the kids] try to learn their lines. It’s challenging memorizing all of your own lines,” Edwards said.
Missoula Children’s Theatre tour director Hannah Kellar said one of the best parts of producing a show like KITCATS helps kids young and old work together.
“Backstage, they’re showing them where to go and what to do and when to be loud,” Kellar said.
The younger children usually have an easier time memorizing their parts than even adult theatre performers, she added.
“Their brains are like sponges since they’re so little. They can retain so much information. If we were teaching a bunch of 25-year-olds, I don’t think they would do as well,” Kellar said.
Over the week, another challenge for the students was being able to get into character.
Grade 10 student Reece Leslie, who played the sultan, said it was challenging learning to play an old man, but the role ultimately gave him a chance to hone his theatrical skills.
“Learning the lines at the beginning was really hard. I mostly have just been practicing with all of the people,” Leslie said.
“It’s fun because I get to be her father,” he laughed, pointing at Edwards. “I get to be nice and proper.”
Getting into character was a little more sinister for Grade 10 student Michael Ashton, who played the grand vizier, the musical’s villain.
“It’s fun being the villain. At the farm, we do a lot of yelling at the animals, so I get to scream at people. Method acting really helps,” Ashton said.
Ashton added that the musical parts of the performance were especially challenging and really helped him to improve as an actor.
“If you’re not used to singing, it’s going to catch you off guard. Once you’re into musicals, you have to sing and do the choreography. If you don’t know dancing, you’re in for it,” Ashton said.
Adding to the difficulty is the long performance day, said tour director Benjamin Yates.
Though kids make enthusiastic actors, a full week of rehearsals and back-to-back performances on Saturday means keeping consistent energy.
“It’s a long day, especially with a show like Aladdin. With the special effects, the shadow lights, you have to pay attention to detail and the kids are very good at that,” Yates said.
Once it’s all over, it can be hard to leave the stage, but Yates said each young actor walks away from the show with a new theatre experience and a week of fun memories.
“I call it the Saturday-night blues. You get close with these kids and they get comfortable, so you’re able to create such a nice piece,” Yates said.
“Each week we create the same show, but it’s unique to the week. It can be hard after all of that hard work to move on.”
