Play in a Day hits Kroc today
<p>Jeff Rocco takes notes as he listens to kids sing "My Favorite Things" from the motion picture, "The Sound of Music," as they audition for parts in the 2015 Christian Youth Theater A Play in a Day event on Tuesday at the Salvation Army Kroc Center in Coeur d'Alene. Attendees of the Play in a Day audition rehearse and perform a play in roughly 24 hours.</p>
<p>Annette Nolting teaches kids a dance to be performed as they audition for parts in the 2015 Christian Youth Theater A Play in a Day on Tuesday at the Salvation Army Kroc Center. At 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, attendees of A Play in a Day will be performing the play they auditioned for and rehearsed in roughly 24 hours, at the Salvation Army Kroc Center. Tickets are $12 at the door.</p>
Groups of youngsters danced and sang Tuesday afternoon at the Kroc Center in Coeur d’Alene as they auditioned for roles in a play to be performed tonight.
Curtains rise at 7:30 for the seventh annual "Play in a Day," organized by the Christian Youth Theater of North Idaho and Chill Bucket Productions.
Bliss Lanier, executive director of CYT, said the 118 young actors and actresses, ranging in age from 10-18, received their scripts Tuesday after auditioning and casting. Since the play is to take place 24 hours after casting is complete, the performers were required to look over their scripts at home and return to the theater at 7 a.m. today to begin rehearsing. They will learn songs and dances throughout the day, have pizza at 6, and perform at 7:30. The "crew," a group of 22 teens, stayed until midnight Tuesday working on the set and pulling costumes.
While it is a long day for the kids, 18-year-old Bridgett Ball, who has been in the play every year since its start and is now one of the choreographers, said it is a lot of fun and neat to see it all come together in only a day.
"It's a lot of work, but the kids do a fantastic job, and it's a good learning experience to stay focused," Ball said. "The singing, dancing, acting is always really fun and it's pretty easy too — you can't mess it up."
Lanier said many of the kids over the years have thanked CYT for the opportunity to participate in Play in a Day, and some kids have even gone on to study theater.
"As a children's theater organization, we know that theater is wonderful for children," Lanier said. "But kids who don't get that experience of live theater don't really know it, so we're glad we can give them that experience."
This is the first Play in a Day for 10-year-old Madison Cummings, who said she wasn't nervous at auditions because they were to perform in a group. She was there with 9-year-old Mykenzie Cummings and 12-year-old Jaelyn Young, who had never done this event either, but Madison and Jaelyn had performed in plays like "A Christmas Carol."
"Just the experience itself is really fun," Jaelyn said.
Jeff Rocco is the former artistic director for CYT. He now lives in New York, but comes back each year to direct Play in a Day. He said the play has gotten better as it has evolved over the years. He said the first year they used a newer show that some kids had never seen before, making it difficult for them to memorize the songs. Now they use more well-known songs so the youngsters won't have as much to learn in one day. This year he said some of the performances will be from "Beauty and the Beast" and "Shrek."
Rocco said he likes coming back for Play in a Day to see all the returning faces of kids he had gotten to know over the years.
"Seeing everyone and getting to work with them and helping build that sense of theater community, that's why I come back," Rocco said. "You don't find communities like this in New York."
Information about the event is available online at www.chillbucketproductions.com. Tickets are $12 at the door of the theater, located in the Salvation Army Kroc Center.