I went into theatre to be a part of a family.  Not the kind of family with the “tantruming toddler  at the dinner table”, but a group of like minded theatre folks who get together to play and tell all sorts of magical stories.

I don’t join for the limelight and I certainly don’t take accolades about being ‘the best ever’ very well.  So what is theatre all about?  It’s about being part of a family.  As a vagabond theatre artist one spends a lot of time on the road away from loved ones.  The thing that kept me going for so long was the fact that with every new show a new family came that I could get to know and play with for four or so months and then part ways.

The true nature of theatre is FAMILY (that gets to be a huge extended one when you have done a few shows). There is a piece of theatre happening right  in the Comox Valley this Summer that is very close to my heart.

I played the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz in Chemainus when my first boy Sam was in Nicole’s (my wife) tummy and it was the most magical Summer I can remember.  The show has so much heart and joy and is filled with all sorts of wonderful messages about hope and following your dreams through anything.  That gives the production a huge leg up just to start!

Then I realised that the very special Rainbow Youth Theatre is putting on the same show right in town at the end of July.

What makes this theatre company shine?  Their fantastic mandate is of total inclusion.  All children are welcome to audition for their shows and virtually anyone that is interested will be given a role of some sort.  Children with disabilities are included in their mandate as little folks with special abilities have taken part in shows in almost every season.

Along with the Wizard of Oz, Rainbow Youth Theatre is producing Disney’s Aladdin Jr. as well as running a theatre camp to educate the kids about some of the cool stuff that we do on stage.

That’s a lot of entertainment and most parents would see dollar signs first thing.

So I asked the Rainbow’s Julie Kochanuk and her response was, “A $35 Rainbow membership per family is required to audition and $10 per week in production fees per child will be collected when the child is chosen for a production.  I’m sure you can do the math here but for my family, with my two kids, this means they will do a 12 day 9-3pm theatre camp, then two weeks of shows at the Sid for $110 in fees. Often these fees have been waived for low income families, in order that they may participate.  No child is denied the opportunity to express themselves and learn through the medium of theatre.”

This sounds VERY cool from a parent’s perspective!

Rainbow Youth Theatre has something for everyone. The productions this year include a variety of ages: Wizard of Oz with kids 5-19, Aladdin Jr with kids 5-12 and Dracula Spectacula in the fall with kids 12 and up.  They try to provide diverse experiences that allow any child to do their creative ‘thang’ in a safe and level-appropriate setting.

Different shows targeting different ages and experiences let any kid who wants to try a comprehensive, non threatening theatre experience.  Doug Barr talked to me about this saying,” It allows us to have shows that have younger kids cutting their teeth before moving to more challenging roles both on and off stage. RYT is an always changing organisation as youth move through before reaching 19. Many of whom want to come back as adults and are involved in other roles such as directing or producing”.

The really cool thing about this particular season is that they have more experienced youth mentoring the younger kids.  So your kindergartner (yes your kids need to have completed at least a year of kindergarten) may get the chance to work with someone like Kathryn Sieber who has evolved from being a little kid to a budding theatre artist who has taken on the role of vocal director in the Wizard of Oz.

I am a little partial to Kathryn because she has a tremendous amount of integrity and works very hard. So it is neat to see her start sharing her skills with the younger generation.  Another person who has come up through the RYT ranks is Millie Miller. She has taken on the role of theatre camp director teaching kids theatre production: theatre sports, elocution, prop creation and care, set design and creation, theatre makeup and hair techniques.

The Comox Valley is about community and Rainbow Youth Theatre provides an opportunity for like minded people to come together to create great theatre.

I have personally worked with RYT as choreographer and can’t say enough great stuff.  Brian Kruse of Light Fantastic fame (this guy has SO much energy and has my complete respect for all he does for theatre in the Valley) is directing Wizard of Oz, Kymme Patrick (who creates truly original and wonderful work) of Theatreworks directs Aladdin Jr., and Vivien Douglas of ‘just about everything theatre’ directs Dracula in the fall.

So if you are hankering to watch (or participate in!) some fun family theatre this summer you are in luck! Wizard of Oz, directed and choreographed by Brian Kruse (with a cast of 70!!!) runs at the Sid Williams Theatre from July 23-August 1, Aladdin Jr. Runs August 20-22 at Mark Isfeld Theatre and Dracula Spectacula runs October 15-24 at the Sid Williams Theatre under the direction of Vivien Douglas.