Our mission at Ashland Children's Theatre is to strengthen the vibrant youth culture of southern Oregon by providing children and their families with theater, education, performance experiences, and opportunities for artistic self-expression.

So what's the real story here?

An epic condensed or a lesson to be learned?

I fell in love with acting pretty early on.

I used to, create shows on my front porch for no one in particular.

I then went to San Francisco State University, I got a degree in theater.

And then when I moved to the Rogue Valley in 2002, I started looking around for some improvisers because I had gotten really involved with improv, and I had a small child, and so I was also interested in teaching children's theater.

I started teaching some classes in Ashland, and then Kate and I met at Oregon Stage Works.

And we sort of refer to it as our Reese's Peanut Butter Cup moment, because I was interested in teaching kids, but I didn't really have the interest in sort of doing the admin piece.

And Kate was totally down to do that.

I come by theater naturally, but I didn't start studying it.

I was doing speech pathology, and then I changed my major in my senior year at University of Hawaii to drama and theater.

And I wound up getting a degree and doing countless productions with UH.

And then at Honolulu Theater for youth.

And then, moved here to Oregon and worked at Actors Theater.

Through the years, I think Eve and I have developed a philosophy of lead with kindness.

It's about their welfare first and supporting them through the theater arts.

Have a blast!

Just have fun being the hypnotist.

So our producer Kate and our director Eve, who is also our playwright, who writes most of the scripts.

Really make a good team.

Kate and Eve complement each other very well.

They're like peanut butter and jelly.

In the way that peanut butter is good on its own and jelly is good on its own.

But when you put them together, it's amazing.

Kate and Eve are magicians.

I have been, acting and performing for 16 years.

A huge bulk of that was with ACT, especially, at the beginning, ACT has had just an enormous hand in, who I am as a performer and as a theater artist, who was literally, where it all began.

Because I started ACT, I have felt my confidence building.

I feel a little more open now.

ACT definitely brings multiple things to the community.

It gives us space for kids who, share similar interests.

I think both of my kids had a natural draw to theater, and I think what ACT does is to casting them in roles that you wouldn't think, oh, that's not natural for my kid, but they can pull a natural performance out of them to do something that you wouldn't expect them to do, to be sassier, funnier, or angrier, or pull that fire out of the kids and let them express that.

I think, strengthens them because then they understand.

Oh, yeah, that's in there.

And there's a way to do that.

In a really like constructive, funny, impactful way for the audience or for them, It finds those strengths in kids and brings them out.

That's what ACT does.

The way that ACT was there for me through more difficult periods of my life.

When I was about 12 years old, I was going through a real moment of questioning my identity.

Eve kind of saw that even if I didn't, like, directly communicate it to her and wrote me a role that really allowed me to explore that and to be comfortable within myself on stage and, adapted her story to what I needed, and allowed me to be who I needed to be within that artistic space, Well, I’m sorry to tell you this, but all actors think their part is the lead role.

If they have a special skill or interest or talent, we want that included in our productions.

It's always great, if you like, peek through the curtains on show day and see, like your family smiling at you in the crowd.

I really love making people laugh.

So I feel like that kind of brings joy to like people at the community and the kids always love it.

They find strengths, talents, vulnerabilities that can be turned into something really great.

And they bring that out of each kid, and they do it every time.

Kate is very good at like reading people and being like, this perso.. We need to give them some space just to like, work with them individually on something that they are having trouble with.

And so creating a place where kids can express themselves, and do the theater work, but also in an environment that's really safe and supportive and there's so much mutual respect, amongst the kids and between us and the kids, too.

And the more confident they are, the more they bring.

And it becomes a beautiful, self-perpetuating thing then.

I mean, the joys are countless.

Seeing a kiddo who can barely talk come and after six, eight weeks of rehearsal, and be able to say who they are and do their role in front of everybody and have their parent weeping because this is a kid who couldn't talk, Having a parent tell you that their child was severely depressed and had no friends, and we have no idea because they are so connected when they come in and so embraced and so alive on stage.

I could cry with how many joyous experiences we have.

We're really lucky.

I think there is something really valuable about getting your first learning experience in an environment of your peers.

So I would say that is what sets ACT apart from other experiences that I've had is just that it is a children's theater.

Doing that work from a very young age has allowed me to lead with a sense of empathy and a sense of curiosity when it comes to interacting with others and entering a community space or collaborative space.

It's about the community building because they become their own sort of family.

And I think that is huge for kids, that they find that connection and those people that are their tribe.

Anyone who comes in to ACT, whether they are watching a show, whether they are a student, a young actor, I want them to have a great time.

I want them to feel accepted.

I want them to feel part of a community.

I want them to find their light.

I am so grateful for ACT and what it's brought to my kids lives, my life, our lives as a family.

Forever grateful.

ACT doesn't just make you part of the cast, it makes you part of their family.

ACT is definitely worthwhile and fun, and it brings joy into my life.

Ashland Children's Theatre is saving the world with kids and theater.

One story at a time.

Oh, yeah., let's get that on video.