Alphabet Theatre

Stepping Out of the Boat... I was sitting in church this morning after a difficult night of wrestling with my thoughts. In those quiet moments of silent confession, examining my sins and seeking that peace that passes understanding, it struck me: I believe I am being called to continue growing alphabet theatre - but all of the doubts - all of the moments when I want to give up - those are moments when I'm trying to take control because I lack trust. Trust in God to give me strength, trust in God to provide for all that needs to happen, and trust in myself. How easy it is to step out of the boat - how hard it is to believe that you won't drown. In one of the scenes in Cotton Patch Gospel, we see Jesus walking across the lake to his friends who are out in the boat. He makes it look easy. He cheerfully invites Rock to join him out on the water. Pressured/encouraged by his friends, Rock climbs out of the boat and begins to walk on water. Yet as he stands there, he loses his tru

Opening Night! We've been here before...yet every show is new, and every opening night is an exhilarating cacophony of heady excitement and nerve rattling fears.  This is my 39th opening night as a director (between the St. Mary's Jr. High Productions and Mayfield Youth theatre and MYT Alumni productions).  You would think that by now I'd be taking it all in stride - just another opening night - nope.  I've come to realize that each new production is like adding a new child to the family.  No two are alike, they each have their own wants, needs, and desires, and they each make me burst with love and gratitude.  In that way, I guess that all opening nights ARE alike... I can't wait for the world to see how this group has come together, formed a team, a unit, as one.  It's like a piece of the kingdom here on earth.  Hope you'll come be part of the magic for one of these shows.  Thanks in advance! 2 Timothy 1:7! Jill

  Well it's that time of the year again. Auditions are just a day or two away; panic has begun to settle in. Well maybe not so much as panic, maybe more like self doubt.    What if I screw up and say or do something embarrassing? What if they don't like me? What if they make fun of me? What if they don't take me seriously or they laugh when they are not supposed to? What if it all goes wrong? What if no one shows up?   Wait - what if no one shows up? That's a new one. What if no one shows up; that doesn't sound like the typical fear of an actor. It sounds more like a director. But directors are not supposed to be scared at auditions. Directors are always prepared, they have nothing to fear. No anxiety for them . Well let me explain...    We have two hours to convince you that we are cool enough, nice enough, caring enough and professional enough that you will give us hours of your precious time.    We have two hours to coll

Second Act: A division or unit in a play following the first act.  In dramatic works there can be as little as one or over 5. However, in life there is a different meaning linked to this combination of words: according to yourdictionary.com - Noun. (plural second acts) Something a person devotes their life to later in life, after retiring or quitting their original occupation. A long time friend and fantastic musician/composer has just released her second collection of songs entitled Second Act (Lisa Craze - look her up on itunes).  Lisa recently turned her life upside down to become a performing composer.  This was a really scary thing to do - sell her house, change careers, reinvent herself - or rather, free herself and live her dream.  To take chances and embrace her passion.  I have a great deal of respect and awe of what she has accomplished in her second act. Starting on a second act can be scary and chaotic and unnerving and full of twists and turns.  You may find out thin

Alphabet Theatre Mission and Philosophy Mission Alphabet Theatre builds loving relationships and engages diverse groups of youth in strengthening their sense of identity, passion, and purpose, individually and in community, through transformational theatre arts experiences. Philosophy At Alphabet Theatre we believe in the healing, transformative power of the theatrical arts. The personal and communal growth possible when participating in an acting, singing, dancing ensemble is most fully realized with both skilled leadership and loving collaboration. Values Love Love is the key to building personal and professional relationships in which mutuality, trust, authenticity, forgiveness, compassion, understanding, growth, and gratitude inspire and motivate committed investment; Inclusion Fostering an open and affirming environment; maintaining affordability; acknowledging disabilities and special needs; honoring differences in race, culture, economic background, ethnic

This morning as I was praying for a safe journey to one of my favorite places (Stratford, Ontario and the Shakespeare Festival Theatre), a recent memory popped into my head.   One of our casual supporters had recently said to us “the best thing you do is organize those trips to Stratford, Ontario to show the kids REAL theatre.”   At the time, I smiled and nodded and thanked him for his kind words, while silently shaking my head and thinking – oh well, he just doesn’t   ’get it’.    This morning, I wondered how many other people just don’t   ‘get it’ – why we feel driven to continue growing Alphabet Theatre.   You see, the AT mission isn’t really to put on a good show (though we DO and you should come and see a performance .   Organizing the Stratford trip is a bonus – an extra pleasure to share with people who mean the world to us.   So, in case you’re wondering what we really DO,   here’s a little list (bonus points to those of you who just started to hum the list song from t

“We gotta get organized We gotta get smart We gotta get our act together Before we start” “Off of the drawing board On to the street Out of the menu stage And into the meat” Harry Chapin wrote those lyrics in 1982. The “sing” to me. It is time for us to get organized or perhaps reorganized and get this theatre company back on its feet and out in the community. It’s been a long summer of wishing and thinking and planning and starting and stopping and starting again and trying to get organized and… Okay you get it. Summers over (almost) and it’s time to either get organized and do a show or cancel and twiddle our thumbs some more. It has become quite apparent that our hearts won't let us miss a show, no matter what our brains may try to tell us. To be honest our brains never had a chance. So we are getting organized and out on the street. We have picked a show (announced in another post very soon), found rehearsal space and we are confident that we will have performa

Alphabet Theatre – is a new start for an old troupe. After 11 seasons and 28 productions, the founders of Mayfield Youth Theatre have decided to move from Mayfield Methodist Church in Chesterland to a new home. Well sort of. As of this date, we are still looking for most things a theatre troupe needs. We need things like rehearsal space, performance space and as with all small (and large) theatre companies – more funding.  What makes us different from other youth theatres?  Unlike other area youth theatres, Alphabet Theatre does not charge participation fees and also has a no cut policy so we find parts for everyone. Yes, everyone.  Able bodied or Differently Abled.  With Jill's background in education and Social and Emotional Learning, we have a good base to serve ALL youth.  Churched or unchurched - you don't have to believe in God, go to church, or any other house of worship:  Here's what we believe.  Everyone is a Child of God and a Person of Worth.  We are cal

I've heard there is a bit of confusion as to what and why Alphabet Theatre. So let me explain a bit more. MYT was founded after Jill and Bob produced Godspell and they were sitting at the cast party and the kids all asked what's next? AT was founded after it became untenable to continue to have Mayfield Church host a youth theatre.  We love these kids and feel horrible that we may miss part of a season while looking for a new home. So what's different? Nothing.  We are the same people running the same program. We have the same moral philosophy as we always have. Kids are kids no matter what they are or where they come from. So why alphabet and why the extra comments in support of the LGBT community? Because they need it. We are not turning AT into a LGBT only theatre. There are lots of letters in the alphabet...ADD, ADHD, BDD, DD, OCD, LD... We want to let All God's Children to know that letters don't define us - in fact they all work together to make us gre

Well it's the end of May, time for an update. We are still working on incorporation and the 501c. Progress is slow but "inch by inch" we are getting there.  The exciting news is we have an option for theatre space for spring 2017! We are still looking for rehearsal space and Fall performance space. It will come. I'm looking for storage places as well so if you have ideas let us know. So much to get done. Lots of stress so pray for us. We are planning on planning a get together in the mid June time frame so watch this space and check your emails regularly.  If you know of anyone who would be interested in following our progress, send them a link and invite them to subscribe to this page!