Where Stories Come Alive
Main Street Theater’s Theater for Youth sows the seeds of imagination and wonder
At a recent production of Main Street Theater’s Theater for Youth’s The Lightening Thief, the outdoor colonnade of the Midtown Arts and Theatre Center Houston (MATCH) was crowded with theatergoers young and old, sporting homemade costumes and some store-bought T-shirts touting the show and its characters. The story of Percy Jackson, who might be the son of Zeus, and his encounters with other children of Greek gods who meet at summer camp and go on a quest, it’s a musical packed with catchy tunes and built-in fan base.
During the show, the audience cheered like their Boomer parents would at a Rolling Stones concert.
That kind of energy is part of why seeing a MST Theater for Youth Show is so special.
“The biggest misconception we have is that people think these are children performing,” said MST’s Theater for Youth artistic director Vivienne St. John. “But these are adults; these are professional actors performing for kids, sometimes as kids.”
Every show in the organization’s season is based on a children’s or young adult book, with a combination of contemporary and classic stories. St. John says that was by design, as a way to not only help children experience and enjoy live theater, but also as a way for them to engage with reading.
“It’s an opportunity for [children] to see books come alive right in front of them,” St. John says. “And at home and in their classrooms, they can ask questions about what they’ve seen and why things happened the way they did. It teaches empathy and compassion. And seeing a show on stage in our MATCH space is an intimate experience; they are right there in the action almost.”
Main Street Theater’s Theater for Youth began five years after Main Street Theater was established. The idea then was to give actors and artistic staff a place to work during the day. Originally, the youth theater program was housed in Main Street’s Times Boulevard location. In the nearly 40 years of MST Theater for Youth’s existence, it’s moved into a space at Chelsea Market and spent a year at MECA before ending up at the MATCH in Midtown. Their home in Matchbox 4 is the largest proscenium space in the theater complex.
Every year, Main Street Theater for Youth produces a five-show subscription season, a summer show and a tour that goes all over Texas. In addition, the organization offers field trips to its programs during the day. The organization reaches 150,000 young people across Houston every year.
“I’ve always described working at [at MST Theater for Youth] as the best job in the world,” says actor Jonathan Bynum, who’s been seen as Percy Jackson in The Lightening Thief, as well as in The Last Stop on Market Street and Cinderella with Main Street Theater for Youth, and in The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberly on Main Street Theater’s mainstage. He’s currently performing in Junie B. Jones Toothless Wonder. “With every show I’ve done at Main Street, there’s one thing that remains the same: that first moment the show is starting and the kids are just excited beyond belief. Then that first scene starts and their eyes light up and they go ‘Wow!’ To be a part of that, to feel like we’re making a difference and being in something that these kids will remember forever, that makes it all worth it and reminds me why I wanted to act in the first place.”
St. John says that the shows produced are put together by surveying parents and teachers, and by her own research. She jokes that she reads a lot of children’s books, and loves being able to see how stories have evolved over the last four decades. There are more books by authors of color now. There are many more stories that deal with contemporary issues children might grapple with: divorced parents, bullying, being different. But within those stories and the musicals based on them, St. John feels families will be able to see themselves and their communities.
“One of our shows next season, Carmela Full of Wishes, is about a little girl who’s father is stuck in another country,” says St. John. “And she has this dandelion that she blows and the seeds scatter and she makes wishes on them. Some are silly, but others are for her dad’s safety. And this is something that kids are really going through. So, it’s a chance for those children to see their stories on stage, while helping other children to know that this is real life.”
“It’s one thing to read the story; it’s another thing to see it live on stage where you can visualize it and see it happen in real time,” agreed Bynum. “I was a visual learner, and I saw a production of Frog and Toad, and I know I learned more about friendship and differences between those friends because I saw that show.”
With high-quality acting and design, MST’s Theater for Youth offers families an excellent option for exposing children to live performing arts. Many stories are familiar, and those that aren’t have familiar themes. Moreover, Main Street Theater’s Theater for Youth is among the few arts organizations in the city that offer programming for kids in this way. For parents seeking a place to connect with the stories their children read and see, spending a morning or afternoon at a MST Theater for Youth show is a terrific option.
Junie B. Jones Toothless Wonder runs through July 30. Tickets start at $20. The 2023-2024 season incudes:
Carmela Full of Wishes, adapted from the book by Matt de la Peña (Sept. 20 to Oct. 27)
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Nov. 12 to Dec. 23)
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, adapted from the novel by C.S. Lewis (Jan. 25 60 Feb. 18, 2024)
Stuart Little, adapted from the novel by E.B. White (Feb. 28 to April 6, 2024)
Click, Clack, Moo – Cows That Type, adapted from the book by Doreen Cronin
Sherlock Holmes & The Mystery of the Crown Jewel, based on the books of Sir Arthus Conan Doyle (April 17 to May 17, 2024)
For subscription and pricing information, visit https://mainstreettheater.com/theater-for-youth/