ActorQuest - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Bway 16

In November, Kristin Huffman made her Broadway debut as Sarah (flute, piccolo and sax) in John Doyle's production of Company.  The actress continues her collection of stories about a 15-year career that has led her to the door of the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.

This week you get a "Twofer." The first story is Part 1 and since I thought you would want to know the conclusion, I have also included Part 2!

And if you want to have a hugely fun time on a Monday night come to my cabaret out at ARS NOVA in NYC, May 7th at 8pm!  Smarttix.com under my name, Kristin Huffman.   Only 15 bucks and you get to participate AND see a lot of my "Company" castmates in their natural habitat, and on stage with me! 
 
KIDDING AROUND
 
I really thought I would hate it. Because I need the money, I agreed to teach a group voice class to children ages 6-11 years old at a Performing Arts Center.  Seven little kids in one big room with me as their voice teacher.  Just sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn't it?  Damn those kids. It's become the highlight of my week.
 
Alexis, 11 years old, Olivia, 10, Amanda, Brenna and Ellory - all 8 years old.  Emily, 6 years old, and Josh, 7 and a quarter years old.  NOT 7, or 7 and a half...7 and a quarter.  Josh is also a big question-asker, a boy who definitely likes girls and even flirts with the teacher and an extremely energetic and funny-as-hell kid.
 
We have had a total of three class sessions, all one hour long, in which I taught them to breathe correctly by lying on the floor. They learned to sing in their head voices, by doing the 'siren'. They sang in a round with Row Row Row your Boat, and learned to repeat rhythms back in their hands, feet, fingers, tongues and anything else they could think of. I also occasionally had them take laps around the room as their energy actually EXCEEDS my own.
 
Last Thursday night, Josh asked a total of 15 questions.  One was just a statement. "I have a wiggly tooth". But most of them were questions about life. On his 16th arm raising I asked, "Josh, is this about music?," and he smiled that sly smile of his, looked up at me behind long lashes and put his hand slowly down. When he gets to be a teenager the girls better watch out. 
 
THIS week I had the students take their shoes off as the floor was getting scratched from the many laps I made them run.  I need to remember  to tell the parents that there will be no candy eating BEFORE class next week. Josh informed me that his socks "bothered" him.  I said, "Do they call you names?"  My jokes fall flat in this class.  Then Amanda decided to explain to me WHY Josh's socks "bothered" him and that it was always best to wear your socks inside out.  You learn something new every day.
 
Maybe that is just the custom in Columbia, where Amanda and her parents are from.  She told me this as we were singing "It's a Small World" and naming our favorite parts of this ride at Disneyland.  Some children said they liked this or that part and Amanda said, "Well, I would have to say that 'Columbia' is my favorite part of that ride".  I don't even know if there IS a Columbian part of that ride...but I went with it.
 
Olivia and Emily are sisters and if you didn't know this by looking at them, you could tell it by the extremely quiet voices they each sing in.  I can hardly hear little Emily at all EXCEPT when she decides to scream at her sister. Then we all hear her just fine. Brenna is very bright and has her act together. Always perfectly coifed and in matching attire.  Ellory is small but mighty and really sings right out. I think she may have a photographic memory as she quotes things from her school books all the time.  Just random trivia. But it all seems very accurate to me. Alexis' mother was worried after the first class that she was the 'oldest' at 11 years old.  She didn't look like she was enjoying herself much either.  So I made her my 'assistant' and now she gets to hand out things and take attendance. She also gets to help Emily read her music and helps to keep Amanda's shoulders down when she breathes incorrectly.  Alexis smiles more now.
 
So that's the highlight of my week. Next week is the last class when we have our little "recital" at the end for the parents to see what they have all learned. Before any of you start telling me I am good with kids and need to think about that further....I will just say, my limit is an hour long class.
 
At an hour and five minutes my head does start to explode.
 
THE RECITAL

I was sure that there would be absences.  It was supposed to snow like mad last night and I thought for sure I would have about two kids of the seven for our final "recital" for the parents. Boy, did I underestimate the will of a parent desperate to see their child excel.  All seven of my 6-11 year olds were present for our final class last night.  All present and in rare form.  

Amanda, whom I called Jessica all night for some reason, was in Columbian Red.  She pointed out that everyone had white socks on.  What is it with this kid and socks?  Brenna was in pink coordinates.  The sisters, Emily and Olivia, had on matching blue outfits.  Alexis wore her usual "I am too old for this class" sweats.  Ellory was dressed in flowers.  Literally, flowers on every part of her outfit, ears, and hair.  And Josh.  Josh was wearing a white buttondown shirt that hung to his knees and khaki pants that were rolled up at the bottom.  He said his mother made him wear them.  I guess she was hoping for a taller child. 

So after we had all compared socks, we rehearsed what we were going to show the parents at the end of our class.  The "recital" would consist of demonstrations of breathing, singing, moving and correctly answered questions regarding music.  Josh had the first question of course: "Do I have to wear this?." I told him unless he wanted to present his solo naked than YES he did have to wear that. Amanda, determined it seemed to outdo Josh in the question-asking category tonight, raised her hand every ten seconds after that to ask a question about EVERY SINGLE THING I WAS CURRENTLY EXPLAINING. Finally I just started ignoring her and her socks.   As I lined them up for our first "name game" presentation I told them that while they were announcing their names, like the Von Trapp children, I might add...just a nod to my former "Maria" days...they were not to wiggle or scratch or jump around.  After five minutes of rehearsing this segment, Josh raised his hand to ask me if he could scratch now. 

We finally got all settled and ready for the parents...and GRANDPARENTS...and this energetic, bouncy crowd of kids turned into....mice.  Quiet, shy, tiny little mice.   They all backed up against the piano and pretended that they had not only five minutes earlier been spinning around the room with their arms outstretched pretending to be airplanes. This was not a planned activity, by the way. Even Josh, who still had remnants of dinner on his face despite the bouncing session he had at the top of class, was unusually still. This creeped me out a tad.  But I started the "program" anyway. I asked the kids to lay on the floor and demonstrate breathing.  They all did it without squirming around like worms on the floor.  Scary.  I had them demonstrate the "siren" to show their headvoices.  They all did it without chattering afterward.  Frightening.

We did Row Row Row Your Boat and everyone came in on time and ended correctly.  Repeated rhythms without anyone turning in circles, raising their hands to make erroneous comments, or squealing.  Help! Where are the fun-loving kids I had worked with all month???? Finally, the big moment. We performed our song "It's a Small World," complete with little solos.  Everyone did very well, even Emily in her quiet voice. At the end, the parents applauded wildly and what do you know....out came my favorite kids!  They jumped and screamed and bowed excessively and twirled and hooted...just like they always did. Ah, life and APPLAUSE on the wicked stage. It gets them every time.