Laughter and Love: Parents and Kids Rehearse for a Festive Holiday Musical!
It’s A Family Affair: Parents and Kids Shine in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical!
By Liv Wilson
In our newsletter a few weeks ago, we brought intergenerational stories of parents and kids working together in collaboration on The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical, which will open on December 13th at the Libby S. Gottwald Playhouse at Dominion Energy Center. This week, we bring you a behind the scenes look at the artistic team leading this holiday production.
Director Taylor Bernard is a theatre educator at Thomas Dale High School, an instructor at the Specialty Center for the Arts, and parent of Avery, who is a part of the Rudolph cast for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Taylor loves helping students find their superpowers and share them through collaboration and performance. She especially appreciates having the opportunity to share her passion and career with my own kids.
During The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Taylor has seen how dedicated, resilient, and committed Avery is, spending time rehearsing each night and always willing to help others. Of course, directing her kids comes with its own challenges, especially when it comes to casting and giving constructive criticism, but Taylor says, “the time [spent] together doing what we love and watching them grow is priceless!”
Avery began her acting journey as Baby Simba in Disney's The Lion King JR. as an 8-month-old and has continued to participate in shows every year since. As a part of the Rudolph cast, Avery has enjoyed working with her mother, noting that she feels more comfortable trying out new things because her mother is there with her. Avery loves pretending to be a character onstage, particularly enjoying the comedy of this musical, and has taught her little sister all the words to “Die Harod Die,” which she calls “Die Harold.”
Avery is so grateful for the friends she’s made through this process already. Her mother agrees, “Theatre builds community and connection in such profound ways and I am loving this process in particular because we have folks from various generations coming together to tell this sweet story about the importance of love, joy, and acceptance.”
Avery also mentions wanting to audition for this show because she wanted the chance to work with professional actors. Intergenerational productions such as The Best Christmas Pageant Ever allow students to learn from professionals, offering them the opportunity to grow in profound ways by observing the pros in action. Avery shares, “I’ve learned how much you have to think to be creative when I watch my mom coming up with the blocking.” Mixing young actors who are new to the stage with seasoned professionals fosters an environment of growth and family fun!
Taylor and Avery’s story highlights the value of building community through theatre and the importance of diverse opportunities for young actors to learn the ropes from more experienced performers– sometimes from their own folks!
Courtesy Photos
Another mother-daughter team involved are the Connollys. Kaitlyn and Pam have been working together in the theatre world since Kaitlyn was in elementary school. Pam became involved when Kaitlyn expressed interest in theatre camps and wanted to see how she could help. As an artist, Pam fit right in helping with props design (and teaching the art portion of the Disney's Winnie the Pooh KIDS camp at Cadence). Pam eventually became the art lead herself. Now that Kaitlyn is an adult, they have worked together as colleagues on various projects. Kaitlyn loves watching her mother in her element, bringing a show to life with innovative props and Pam appreciates the opportunity to work alongside her daughter creatively, sharing a passion for creative arts.
Kaitlyn hadn’t done many shows post-COVID and missed being a part of theatrical production. She auditioned for Grace, the frazzled mom in charge of leading the pageant, a character completely different from herself. Kaitlyn loves how theatre can be an escape and has already found this experience to be incredibly fulfilling. Pam is delighted to see Kaitlyn perform as Grace. Pam is serving as Props Manager for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, thinking outside the box to gather and build props, including a snowman currently in the works!
The intergenerational cast and creatives for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever have cultivated a beautiful community of artists through this production, learning from each other and strengthening family bonds through the arts. Cadence is proud to foster a collaborative community and offer a diversity of experiences for young actors and adults alike.
We hope you will join us for festive family fun at The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical running from December 13th to 22nd at the Libby S. Gottwald Playhouse at Dominion Energy Center. Tickets are on sale now! Join us for a special Santa event after the matinee on the 21st as well!
