At the Arden Theatre Company, actors are prone to take on challenging, fulfilling roles—like Hedda Gabler, Mama Rose, and the Stinky Cheese Man.
The Philadelphia theater company typically presents seven shows a season, and two are produced and directed with a young audience in mind. Children’s productions use the same resources and budgets as the main-stage shows, and the actors appearing in the likes of Aaron Posner’s “Stupid Fucking Bird” or Annie Baker’s “John” this season are the same who will play roles in “A Year With Frog and Toad” and “The Light Princess.”
“With arts education becoming scarcer in our schools, we step up and play a role there,” says producing artistic director Terrence J. Nolen. “For so many of these kids, they’re seeing their first play ever.”
To assemble an acting ensemble that can play to a wide range of ages, Arden begins by casting locally, which has led to the creation of an informal repertory company. By Nolen’s estimate, 75 percent of the actors in any given season are local.
Over the years, Arden has been able to shape productions around the availability of local mainstays. This season’s closing production of “Gypsy” was chosen with regional favorite Mary Martello in mind for Rose. Posner, an Arden co-founder, wrote the part of Emma in “Stupid Fucking Bird” with colleague Grace Gonglewski in mind; she takes on the role in Arden’s season opener, marking the first time Posner directs his popular take on Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull.” Both Martello and Gonglewski are no strangers to Arden’s youth productions, either.
When casting for Arden Children’s Theatre, Nolen ensures the actors understand how significant the experience can be for a child. “The ability to see ‘Frog and Toad’—and then to shake Frog’s hand—is incredibly meaningful,” he explains. “Actors who are doing work for kids have to be open to and excited by that.”
Each year, approximately 6,000 students attend the children’s productions at no cost to the child. The theater hires teaching artists to visit classrooms in the days preceding and following the performance. Nolen first looks to the cast for someone with a passion for education, because “for kids to see someone onstage who’s been in a classroom teaching them, that rocks their world.” Similarly, when the actors work with the students after the performance, “they’re rock stars. The kids see their teacher in a whole new light.”
While Arden Children’s Theatre has a profound effect on the kids it reaches, that sense of connection also resonates with outside artists. In 2015, the company presented the world premiere of “Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates” by Laura Eason. That same season, the “House of Cards” writer’s play “Sex With Strangers” was one of the 10 most produced works in America. It’s that level of versatility that Nolen aims to celebrate.
After working with Arden, many visiting performers recognize an opportunity for both theater work and familial stability. “During the run, they start talking about moving here,” Nolen says. “They start to say to their fellow actors, ‘You own a house? How are the schools?’ ” Some actors commute regularly between New York and Philadelphia, including “Something Rotten!” star Rob McClure, who has done main-stage and children’s theater at Arden.
“If you look at the folks who have done 10 or more productions with us, almost all of them have works for kids included in that,” says Nolen. “It makes both aspects of our work stronger.”
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