One, two, three, four.

Get my shoes then out the door.

Five I'm alive, six, seven, eight feelin' great.

Nine, gonna shine, life is good I'm doing fine.

Ten, Gonna do it right then do it again.

Yeah yeah.

I look up to the sky with all the beautiful color but, there's more than just for me so gonna share it with another.

I got to show, to give, let out, I want to sing and shout.

Take a look and see A beautiful morning that turns into beautiful evening.

And together make a beautiful life.

And if you want see, then come along with me.

That's right.

Welcome to Experience Michiana.

We're so glad you're joining us this week.

We have some great opportunities for you to get involved in your community.

One of the things that's happening and bringing to our community is the Isaiah 117 House.

This is a wonderful organization that is helping children who are greatly in need.

You want to hear all the details about that and how you can get involved.

We also had a back over to Footloose that's right up here with our friends at the Phoenix Performing Arts.

They did their junior performance last week, but their main stage production is happening this week.

You don't want to miss out on that one.

And also happening this week.

Well, right where I'm at.

We're over at Elkhart Civic Theatre in the Bristol Opera House, and it is time for Pippin.

A little unique version.

We'll have you those details right now.

Back on the stage, we are over at the Bristol Opera House and I'm so excited to be here with you guys.

We're putting on a fantabulous musical this time.

It's a big musical.

Yeah, and Pippin is really a classic.

It's kind of become a classic, right?

I mean, like, it's it's still has a little bit of a modern feel to it.

It's from Stephen Schwartz who wrote Wicked is like his first.

Yeah, it's his first big Broadway show, I think was right after Godspell.

Okay.

And so, yeah, this is his first big Broadway show.

I love it.

Okay.

So when as a show going to be happening.

So the show's happening this weekend.

It's Friday, Saturday, and then next weekend, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, which is a matinee.

Okay, Kylie, this is not your first time here on the stage, does it?

Okay.

What other shows have you done here?

I was in Sweeney Todd.

I played Vince's.

Love it.

Yeah.

Oh, I recognize, yes.

And then previous, I did end of the woods.

And then when I was really little, I did Music Man here.

Love that.

Okay, so this is your first time doing Pippin?

Yes.

And what's your role?

My role is leading player.

Leading player?

This very fancy.

Very specific.

The leading player is really, one of all the players.

So everybody in that it's really an ensemble show.

Everyone that everyone is, it's a troupe of actors and everyone's coming together to tell the story.

And the leading player is just that, the person in charge.

I love it.

I love it.

So far, I haven't actually ever seen Pippin.

I know some of the music and we can talk about the music too, but for anybody else who's like me and hasn't seen it yet, they're coming this weekend.

But tell us the synopsis of the story.

Like what can we expect from it?

So if you've never seen Pippin, this is a great intro.

Look at me like that.

If you have seen Pippin, this is a totally different Pippin than you've ever seen before.

So we've set it in the 70s.

It is set in the Holy Roman Empire.

It tells the story of the son of Charlemagne, and his search for his purpose in the world.

And he is kind of guided by this troupe of players led by Kylie, who kind of he learns about war and pleasure and, what else I think I think, like the heart of Pippin is the sort of struggle that every person and, you know, particularly like young people have in their lives, where you have dreams and you have hopes and you've aspirations, and sometimes those don't materialize.

And sometimes when they do, they're not what you thought they would be.

And so this sort of question of can you find the extraordinary in the ordinary?

I love that.

How do you relate that back to your own personal life?

Like how did those experiences, oh my goodness, write a book that you and so that you can portray them.

I mean, you know, I think everybody goes through, you know, thinking that you're, you know, going to do something big with your life.

And then, you know, life is really made up of ordinary moments.

And you have to sort of romanticize your own life and the moments that you're having.

Yeah.

Because we're all like, I don't remember.

I mean, I think every single one of my kids when they were 16 was like, I'm going to be a millionaire by 21.

Yeah, those are big, big names.

And that translates to the audience, right?

How do you how do you draw them in with that information?

Well, I think what's Pippin is really fun for me because as the leading player, I get to break the fourth wall a lot.

So I get to talk.

I get to talk to the audience a lot.

Okay.

I mean, yeah, I mean, so we kind of, as you can see, we've got all these kind of seating areas around here.

So for this production of Pippin, the entire cast stays on stage the whole time.

Really?

Nobody leaves the stage, and they are.

We've got hidden water.

We've got like, we've we've got little things hidden all over so that if people need to take a drink or something, they can.

Is that typical for the storyline or something that you guys are doing uniquely?

It's I don't know that it hasn't been done before, but it's not typical.

I wouldn't say the last, production on Broadway in 2013 was a circus inspired.

So it was a very big and very produced.

And so what we're doing is kind of focusing on the storytelling aspect of a troupe of players sitting around in a circle, and when it's your turn to get up and tell the story, you just step into the story and step into your role.

Cool.

And you guys have dramatically changed the set here.

I mean, I walked in and I was like, this is something.

Something is different here.

I can see it.

You've got four more feet at the front of the stage.

That's so, we kind of wanted to bring it down towards the audience and make them feel like, as the players are a part of the story, that the audience is also a part of the story and that we're all in this room together, experiencing the story and going on this journey.

I love it so people can see the show this weekend.

How do they get their tickets?

For sure!

Get your tickets at Elkhart Civic theater.org/pippin.

Or you can call the box office at (574) 848-4116.

And the content for this, this is not a G-rated production.

Right?

Okay.

Honestly, I think it's a in a lot of ways, we've we've taken some things and played up the 70s aspect.

Yeah.

We've got some trippy, aspects to it.

But I think it is a little bit tamer than some productions of Pippin.

Yeah.

We suggest things more than show them.

But I would definitely say it's PG 13.

Okay, good to know.

So maybe not.

You don't bring your family to this one, but not the little ones.

Like if you're like, oh, I love wicked, I'll bring my little kids.

It's not it's not bad.

It's not wicked.

It's better than wicked.

I love it, I love it.

We're doing right here.

Tell me more.

You guys have just released all of your season coming up.

Yeah.

So, like, this is the start of your new season.

Pippin to start off our new season.

So we're kicking off with Pippin.

And this season the kind of focus is on storytelling, art, artists, creation.

So Pippin I was like, oh, this is a perfect show to kick this season off.

We're going to do You Can't Take It With You, which is classic comedy about, you know, an eccentric family in New York.

Followed by Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along.

Okay.

Which just ran on Broadway two seasons ago.

Story of some composers, a friendship.

How friendships change, evolve, and fall apart over time.

It's told backwards.

Really great show.

Then we've got what's after that?

We've got, Stephen, William Shakespeare's a midsummer Night's Dream.

We're doing Shakespeare for the very first time here at Elko Civic.

Yeah.

What made that change or what made that decision?

We've always wanted to do a Shakespeare show, and it just it was the right season to do it.

And then we're going to do, a show called, Moriarty, which is, Sherlock Holmes, but it's told with five actors playing a number of roles, and it's very theatrical, very creative, closing things out with The Sound of Music.

Oh, okay.

Come on, come on.

I don't know if you know this, but when I competed in America's Junior Miss, I did like a song.

And I did it from The Sound of Music.

But I made it a comedy.

Sing it again.

My favorite thing, I love it, I love it.

So the great season.

So many reasons for you guys to come on out and support the theater and the arts.

So thank you guys for being here today.

Thanks for having us.

Well, one of the favorite things that we like to do here on Experience Michiana is find out about organizations and people who are giving back to the community and kind of filling a need.

And we're going to find out about an organization that's doing that, not just here in our local area soon, but also throughout the country.

And it's an organization called the Isaiah 117 House, and it was founded in order to help kids in need.

And joining us today is Ronda Paulson, who is the founder of the Isaiah 117 House, as well as Becky Burt and Shayne Cripe, who are a local advocates for the Elkhart County community.

Ronda, let's start with what is the 117 house?

What does it do for a community that has one?

Well good morning.

Thanks for having us.

Isaiah 117 House exists for a child who's being removed from their home, due to no circumstances of their own.

The state is having to come in and remove them from their parents.

And on that day, we exist for them to have a home to come to, to get everything that they need, a bath, a meal, new possessions, they often interstates custody with nothing, possibly a black trash bag.

They're hungry, they're tired.

We want them to have a soft place to land.

We have learned that removal day is one of the most traumatic days they will ever walk.

And so Isaiah 117 house exists to reduce trauma for that child on that very traumatic day.

Now, it was a really touching story for me to hear how you guys, your family, came up with this idea and saw this need personal.

And so can you share with us a little bit about the background of how this all got started?

Yeah.

I tell people all the time that Isaiah 117 House came out of lived experience.

My husband and I knew nothing about foster care, but we felt the Lord leading us to be foster parents.

And once you find yourself in this world, you learn a lot of things that you didn't know when you were outside this world and when I was outside of this world, when I thought about a child being removed, I thought they immediately went to this perfect placement and everything was great.

And yay, they were safe.

And once you're inside the world, you realize that there's a gap.

And that child is being removed.

Yes, from an unsafe environment, but that is their home.

That is their mama.

That is that's all they know.

And they are moved from that, that place of origin, that place that they love to state office.

And they sit in that state office for hours and possibly days, confused, alone, scared.

And I was sitting in a state conference room when I first learned about this.

I learned that a little girl had spent the night there the night before, and it truly broke my heart to imagine a six year old little girl so confused, probably feeling some guilt and shame.

And she'd done nothing wrong.

And then once we accepted our first placement, which was a little boy named Isaiah, he came to us in a borrowed outfit with the roach infested diaper bag.

And that's when I learned that children all across this country enter foster care with one shoe, a diaper, only the clothes on their back.

And once again, they've done nothing wrong.

And then as we walked out those two years with Isaiah, almost three years with Isaiah, just watching the system, seeing how hard caseworkers are working, seeing how hard foster parents are trying, seeing children just waiting in offices.

I just felt like there had to be a better way and more importantly, I felt like God throwing me, nudging me, forcing me toward a better way.

Because I do believe that God wanted more for his children.

You're so right in the fact that it's such a traumatic experience, right?

They're taking out of a bad situation, and it doesn't become less stressful at that time.

Right?

The the uncertainty that goes along with it and giving them a place that has support and comfort and their needs met, right away, might help with that stress a little bit.

So we really appreciate what you're doing.

So how does that spread beyond just the house that you started the you know, how how has this become a thing that other communities can say, yes, we have that need to how do we start?

Yeah, I tell people all the time, I thought there was going to be one house.

I'm coming to.

You live from Tennessee.

I thought it was going to be one house in little northeast Tennessee, but I think there's two reasons that we've grown so quickly.

Number one, God is big.

But number two, the need is huge and the need is everywhere.

And so once we had this home to reduce trauma for children and lighten the load for caseworkers and make that, yes, easier for foster parents.

And it worked.

Other people started reaching out and saying we have that same need.

And so this model that we have as a 117 house, it's actually quite easy to replicate and it's super effective.

And so that's what we've seen is that people come to us and say we have the same need in our community, and we go and we help them replicate that in their community.

And we've done that now 58 times in 13 states.

We have 31 open homes.

The rest are either in construction or possibly getting ready to kick off a new expansion like Elkhart, Indiana.

Because the need is huge and the need is everywhere, and our children deserve better.

Now here locally.

I had a chance to find out about you guys because, Becky and I met at a and another event for, Bashor children's home, and she shared with me, and I think, like her, we both hope that there's really not a need for that in our community because we're not involved in it and we don't see it.

So, Becky, tell me about what led, to seeing the need for, an Isaiah 117 house here in the Elkhart County area?

Well, Kelsy, I wish that I could say we don't need a house in our community, but that's just not the case.

Elkhart County statistics for just May of this year show 353 children with DCFs cases, and sadly, that number has sharply increased from 111.

Just three and a half years ago, in February of 22, of the open cases that we have right now, 228 of our children are living with foster families or relatives or a few in a residential facility, most of them with foster families.

And so that's why our team is working to bring Isaiah 117 House to Elkhart County, because our kids, our caseworkers and our, placement families, they need the support that this house can provide and it actually, Ronda's story is what drew me into this, just connecting with that.

And it made me really search my own heart and say, where do I need to be serving?

And right now that's bringing this house to Elkhart County.

Now, unfortunately, we have a limited amount of time, so we can't get into all the details of the house.

But that's exactly why you guys are having an event.

And, Shayne, can we talk about this kickoff event that's going to be happening so people can come get more information about what it is, about how they can support it.

And, so tell us, when is the event, what is the event going to be like and how can people be involved.

Thank you.

Yes.

So our event is August 3rd Sunday afternoon, 3:00.

It's a one hour event so you can go to the lake, come home and come back to our meeting, go back to the lake, whatever you'd like to do there.

But 3:00 and, Ronda will be there as our main speaker.

Becky and I will be sharing a bit, and we have another speaker coming in.

It's it's something to just celebrate the we're kicking off the expansion of for Elkhart County.

We're we're, just celebrating that fact.

And so we hope you all can come, 3:00 if you have any questions on it, you can email us.

Elkhart I N @ Isaiah 117 house.com.

And that would get us the email for it also we're on social media Facebook Instagram.

Isaiah 117 house Elkhart County.

And we have the invitation on there, the invite on all that's on there.

And we have ways to sign up for newsletters at some point too.

So if you'd want to head to our social media, that'd be a great place to go.

Also, thank you, and I'm glad you guys are doing this.

It given the community opportunity to be a part of it.

Ronda, one last thing.

I want you to talk to us about how, feeling led to answer a call.

Right.

Yeah.

That is one of the greatest lessons I've learned through this.

I think that's one of God's favorite prayers is when his people just say, God, I want you to use me.

And I can't explain why the God of the universe invites us into his work as flawed and imperfect as we are.

But he does, and he doesn't need us to be equipped.

He doesn't need us to have it all figured out.

He just wants us to be willing, and he wants us to go out into a world that is in desperate need of his love, and to love on others in his name, in whatever form that takes, whether that's helping with foster children or many other ways.

He is calling his people to get outside of the walls of the church and love on people in his name.

And so I just pray that all of us start every morning by asking God, how can I love on others in your name?

Today?

Oh very good.

Well, thank you all very much for answering that call, for being willing to step out of your comfort zone and to help a community that is really in need.

And we really appreciate it.

Again, that event is coming up on August 3rd at 3 p.m. at the Elcona Country Club.

If you want more information, we'll have all of the links on our website or you might found it, find it down below if you're seeing this on our Facebook page.

But, ladies, thank you so much for your time today and best of luck as you continue forward helping our communities.

Thank you so much.

I love being up here with you, Ashlea And we are getting ready to footloose.

Footloose?

How do I do that?

I have no idea.

I got this one, but Kevin Bacon is like.

Yes, yes.

Okay.

Footloose is coming.

We're so excited for this.

You guys recently had your Footloose junior production.

Harper.

You were a part of that one, right?

Yeah.

Awesome.

And, mom Ali, you are also going to be in the show this week.

Yes I am.

Is this your first time on stage?

Not my first, but with Phoenix.

Yes.

And it's been probably about 20 years since I have done anything.

I feel like elementary school right now.

I did all over again.

Oh, and do you like doing musicals?

Yeah, it's been a blast.

It's been bringing me so much joy this summer.

That's awesome.

No.

Okay.

Footloose originally came out, what, 1984?

Something like that.

Perfect date.

Yes.

Yes.

Nice.

It's been a while since that.

A couple of years.

He's done a remake of it, too.

You know how you think it got from the the movie fanatic into a on stage production?

I honestly think they did such a great job of capturing the nostalgia and the heart of what people grew up loving about Footloose, the movie.

But then one of the things that I love, I don't know that every movie too musical adaptation does that, but I feel like Footloose does that, evolved it and adapted it so well to keep the heart of it, but expand so all the music you know and love from, you know, Kevin Bacon's time?

Yeah, it's there.

But then they added extra songs which are they don't feel like they don't fit.

You know, sometimes it feels like, oh this was added.

It doesn't feel that way.

It's it flows seamlessly and it's it's just beautiful I love that.

Okay.

Now this production that you guys have coming up, how many people do you have in the cast for this one.

So we have just about 60.

So between the youth last weekend and now we had about 120.

We'll have about 120 people on the stage.

I mean, what does it like to be a part of a cast like this?

Oh my gosh, it's so much fun.

There's such a huge age range of everybody here and so much talent on the stage, and people who have been in multiple shows and people who are doing their first show for the first time.

And so it's you feel like you belong no matter, like, you know, you're around people with a lot of talent and you just feel like you, you fit in no matter where you are in your life.

Do you feel the same way, too?

Harper?

Did you make some new friends while you were part of the cast?

Yeah, yeah, I bet you did.

I think that's one of the cool things about it.

Right?

I just made a new friend here yesterday.

Just yesterday.

Just love that.

New friendships are blossoming all around us, I love that.

How long is the rehearsal schedule for you guys here at Phoenix?

So we actually lucked out with our summer schedule because things kind of kind of open up in those two months.

So this one was about 8 to 9 weeks ago.

Take depending, you know, in the school year sometimes they run around 6 to 7.

So we all feel like we got a lot of extra time together in Beaumont.

So yeah, it was we started it at the end of May and then we'll finish out at the end of July.

Okay.

So for those people who don't know what Footloose is about, well, what's the synopsis?

Go to the YouTubes.

Yeah.

All right.

So let me see if I can do it fast.

Forwarded version.

So it's about, a student named Ren and his mother are moving here from Chicago.

So, you know, like, a lot of city urban life, and they find themselves with family in Beaumont, which the best way to describe that is just, you know, town, small town, Midwestern.

Yeah.

It's nothing to do with everything closes at five, and he finds himself in a town that has, put a law against dancing and music.

And he's a big dancer.

He loves, you know, that kind of expression.

And so he finds himself, throughout the process of figuring out why that is.

And then in turn, he kind of shares some stuff with the town, and they kind of find themselves and have a resurface or a resurgence, some policies and some heart, I love that.

So there's obviously, like a lot of dancing.

Oh, from start to finish and of all ages, which I love.

Okay.

So okay, Ali had to tell me about that.

Like, what's it been like to be dancing?

You probably are like, are you a singer dancer in the shower?

But like, now you're up on the stage hundred percent and then I cannot say no, I actually I am in dance, towards the end, in the finale and it takes my breath away as I work.

And also total at the end there, huffing and puffing.

I can't imagine to be like one of the, you know, people who are dancing and singing the entire time, and they are working really hard from start to finish.

Yeah, your show and you're singing and dancing at the same time too.

Oh yeah.

You have for sure.

Is that what you did to.

Oh yeah.

Yeah.

You did.

You love it.

You did.

Okay, okay.

I just love that she's a lot less shy on stages, aren't you?

Right.

It's so fun for me.

Actually, this is a perfect example.

I.

One of the things I love about the kids on stage is to see how maybe reserved they are.

Or shy just in regular conversation, but you would have no idea.

When this one gets up on stage and the lights turn on.

It's a totally different person, and I just love that they have that avenue and that form of expression.

Yeah, just feel free to be themselves and to to shine as brightly as they can.

Absolutely love that.

Harper.

What is it like when you're on the stage?

Like, what do you what do you feel when you're on the stage happy?

You feel happy I love that.

Anything else.

No, no I just Happy honestly.

That's all you need.

Now we have to talk about the set because I mean everything that you guys do at Phoenix is just always phenomenal.

And looking at this I know a lot went into this.

Tell me about it.

Yeah I mean I he's staring back here.

He won't talk about it because I can't talk about someone being shy.

But our technical and artistic director Zac, I get to share a home with him.

My husband, he is the vision behind everything, and I'm just always.

I mean, you think Footloose has been done so many times, you're like, okay, it's just cookie cutter.

It's what Footloose But he just.

He always expands.

I don't know how his brain works, but I'm thankful I told you.

I'm thankful it does, because there just be chairs out here.

If it were me.

Exactly.

It's not my talent or my skill set at all.

So he just comes up to it.

I mean, hours and hours and it's even more than just the building.

The schematics he makes on his computers and things that he draws up and just.

I swear, sometimes we're at home at night, and he'll sit up and he's like, oh, this.

And then he, like, writes it down.

And so his brain is just constantly going, I like that with music, but not all with this.

I mean, this bench here, I yeah, how cool is that?

And we've been so great grateful for our community partners and things like that.

We have.

Yeah.

Let's talk about your community partners because you guys have.

Great.

So we yeah, we have just been blown away by the people that want to be involved on stage, but off stage as well.

And so we have people we've worked with in antique shops and stuff to procure some really true to the time items.

But then also we have a community partner that we are working with this weekend for Footloose, which is Ryan's place.

So we try to highlight a nonprofit in our area at each production that we do.

And so we did a workshop with their students in June.

Some of our staff went there and did some theater workshops.

It was our second year in a row.

So we work with children who are grieving a traumatic loss.

And so we were able to use theater to help them express themselves and just find a way to use their voice, but in a way that didn't feel super heavy, right?

They really didn't realize they were opening up and learning things because they were just playing.

Right.

Yeah.

And so they will have a table here.

Their staff will, this weekend in the lobby and they'll be have pamphlets and things up to talk about their services, how they can help you if you are interested or a need.

But then they will also have information that you can take home about how you can support their mission.

And it's just like a give back and and you can take some.

I love the community partnerships with us too.

Yeah.

It's amazing.

Okay, Ali, you're back on the stage.

Yeah, it's been a while.

Yeah.

Okay.

As it does it come back to you naturally.

I've needed a lot of direction and I'm super thankful for that because I'm open to whatever feedback.

I can get it.

And to get better because it is an art to be on this stage.

It is like about like, what does it mean to be up on the stage?

Because I know, like when you audition for something, it is nerve wracking.

It is so the hardest part people believe me, but it's the hardest part.

I think the hardest part is mic check.

I haven't been there yet so I'll come back to her if you if you get it.

Yeah you do, but it's great.

It's great to be back up on the stage.

Okay.

Everybody's got to come see the show.

We can fill 999 seats.

So we want to fill this up.

New place.

Let's talk about that.

Yeah.

So we are in Middlebury for this weekend at Northridge High School.

But there's tons of parking so you won't have to walk very far at all.

Thanks.

I say that with a school parking lot, you can park right by the door.

And so when you enter, there are permanent signs for the schools.

So I'll tell you where.

I think it's called the natatorium, I think.

Or there's something on, it's on, there's like, there was a sign for the okay, there was okay, I think there was a school is like a campus.

I will tell you.

It's like a college campus.

There are buildings everywhere.

There are so blessed.

Yes, but there are signs there.

And then we'll also have additional signage to let you know where to head.

And then, honestly, if you can't find that sign, I would just look for all the cards.

There you go.

That's always a key for it, but I believe it's door 23.

They're all numbered.

I think it's door 23 that you'll enter.

How can people get the tickets?

What time are the shows?

So Friday and Saturday, 25th 26th, 7:30 okay.

And then our matinee on Sunday is, 3 p.m. on the 27th, trying to remember all the numbers.

And you can get all the information on our website, which is the Phoenix arts.org.

If you forget for that, it'll take you somewhere in Arizona.

So don't do that unless you want a vacation.

I guess I'll do that after July 27th and you can head to you can go somewhere else, but they'll have to be here for those tickets on our website, right when you head to the home page.

But we'll also have tickets on sale at the door.

That's awesome.

All right, you guys break a leg and let's you footloose.

Footloose, kick up your Sunday shoes.

So many great things to experience here in Michiana.

Make sure you get out and enjoy all that we have to offer.

Next week, a little tease and we're going to be talking to you about an opportunity where you can host a foreign exchange student.

We'll give you those details then, but until then, we'll see you.

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