Theatre is a wonderful way for individuals to come together, collaborate creatively, and build strong teamwork skills while bringing stories to life, but not all roles in a theatre are on stage! From sets to costumes, it takes a lot of people working together to create a world for the actors to tell their stories. In our Young Actor’s production of Toy Camp (A Musical. Book, music, and lyrics by Paul Collette and Gary Fritzen), some of our Clay County youth helped in ways behind the stage.
Under the set direction of Shaun Short, our set crew Crickett Dodd, Aiden Wisely, Aniyah Bell, and Sasha Revelez-Arevalo, as well as some of our young actors, worked on creating the set for the toys to perform on. Many have had experience working on the sets of the high school productions, and appreciate having more opportunities throughout the year at The Community Theatre of Clay County.
Aniyah enjoys the craft-making and problem-solving aspects of creating a set. “It can help you look at things in life differently and makes you figure things out in a weird way,” she explained. Using the supplies on hand in the theatre has her asking “What could this be” and making some interesting things work.
Crickett likes the experience the theatre gives. Skills such as building walls, using power tools, and the opportunity to become a jack of all trades. Aiden agreed with the others explaining that being on stage causes anxitey, but building a set feels more like hanging out with friends.
This is a process that Shaun is proud of, saying, “It gives kids a chance to be part of something.”
If you would like to purchase tickets to see the set, and the show, they are availble at https://ctcc.ludus.com/index.php
