Today Corrina invites her dear friend Susan Nanning Sorenson, Owner and Artistic Director of "First Act Children's Theatre" to the show! Theatre is definitely a true passion that all three of the ladies possess. Growing up in the Arts has given each of these ladies the tools that have helped them to achieve their successes today! In this segment you will learn the benefits to having your child in the world of theatre. Today Susan will share with us why she started her company, why she chose to establish her career in the Arts, how theatre helps our children's minds and bodies, and when is the best time to enter your child into the arts! Get ready for the show!
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the mads Own Mom Squad podcast, a production
of iHeartRadio. Hard working real mamas having real conversations. Now
sit back, relax, and get ready to talk mom life
with Christa and her squad.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Well, Misskrina creat I am super excited with the phenomenal
woman you brought in studios.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
No, this is gonna be a great one and a
great topic for I really think everyone, And that's one
of the things I wanted to push. I have Susan
Nanny Sowrenson here with us, a wonderful, wonderful woman who
actually is doing puppets for Poggdochi. For those who don't
know Poggy you know, we have puppets coming soon.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Yeah, sneak peek.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
And this is like the first time we've really been
open about it because it's not even coming out for
a couple months.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I remember you kind of talking to me about this,
but it wasn't out there yet.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Isn't yet because she.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Just finished our five so we got some new characters
for POGGYDOGI But Susan Okay, So here's the thing though,
that this is not all the magic she creates. Oh,
she has all the magic, which I love hearing about.
So she is the owner in our his stick director
of First Act Children's Theater here in Wisconsin.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Fabulous, right right, And.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
There's no better topic than acting in theater.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Right you know this, yes, honey, yes, yes, this.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Is this is true to our hearts. Kristin I both
love theater, stage, acting and performers.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
We're like quadruple.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
You have to pull us back though, because we will
just start going breakout and you know, lay mins or something. Right.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
No, I'm just kidding.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
No, listen.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I tried out for dance or what was it like
dance in college. Three times I got denied. I'm like,
they're like, Chris said, this is not for you, like
FM every day look at you. Yeah, so I got it.
I got it in some other way. But they're like, honey,
you do not know how to dance. Get off the stage.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
So, Susan, you started First Act Children's Theater. I want
to know all about it.
Speaker 5 (01:46):
Thank you for asking. So First Act is like my baby.
I started it twenty five years ago.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (01:53):
I was in grad school studying theater here in Madison
at UW, getting my master's in Fine arts, and I
needed to make a living for the summer.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Yes, you do, y'all know what.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
I love kids, so I'm going to teach some summer camps.
So I launched it. It was a success. It was
so fun, and the next year I named it First
Tech Children's Theater and that was in two thousand and
we're celebrating our twenty fifth anniversary this year.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Wow, it is the name first act because the first
second act.
Speaker 5 (02:18):
It's first act children's theater. And yes, first second act.
The idea is that first act and also your first act?
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Sure?
Speaker 5 (02:26):
Sure, starting right, it's the beginning.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
What and that kind of circles back around to the
question I wanted to touch on, is you know, when
do we start introducing kids to theater, you know, watching
it and or acting in it.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Sure?
Speaker 5 (02:39):
Well, children are natural performers. They perform when they play
all the time, so they can start any time. Usually
about three years old is the youngest, okay, because they
have to have some attention span, retention, you know, be
able to stick with it for a little bit. But
they can do what's called creative dramatics at that age,
which is a form of drama play. It doesn't have
(03:00):
a focus of performance at the end of it It
is all about in the moment, acting out a story,
performing it. We can do a class where we teach
the story of Peter Rabbit and friends that wants five
Peter Rabbits.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
It doesn't really matter. You know.
Speaker 5 (03:15):
You can have as many bunnies or as many mister
McGregor's as you want to have. So it's not about
the performance. It's just about playing it out and dramatizing something.
And that's the form that's called creative dramatics. And children
as young as three can absolutely do that preschool, you know,
all the way up to three four k perfect. Getting
(03:35):
a performance aspect into it is usually rough until there
are about six five six years old, because that's a
lot to retain, you know, to get to understand where
do I go, where do I stand, what do I say?
Speaker 4 (03:50):
And then there's going to be the people watching me.
Speaker 5 (03:52):
Oh that's you have this element of an audience that's
brought into it, which turns it from drama into theater.
Is really about having an audience, right, So that is
why you want to wait a little bit before you
do that. Otherwise children can get what's called stage fright.
They just it's overwhelming. Sure, and we have to remind ourselves,
even when we work with our youngest kids, who are
(04:14):
six and seven years old, that this is very, very big. Yeah,
and we're process oriented, which means that our focus is
not on that final performance. Our focus throughout the eight
weeks of each of our sessions is really about developing
that creativity, developing a sense of self esteem, confidence and
(04:34):
these kids, and really saying, make big mistakes, get out
there and just do it and have fun. Who cares
if the lines aren't perfect, It's all okay.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
We sit in the front row with a script.
Speaker 5 (04:46):
If they get stuck, they look right at us and
we prompt them. We always talk to our families before
the show, and the kids are backstage waiting. They're so
excited and sometimes they're scared, and we're like, it's okay,
it's okay. So we ask the audience, we say, is
it okay if they make a mistake, and of course
resoundingly so yes. I said, are you here because you
support you love them? Yes, okay kids, And then I
(05:06):
usually talked to the kids backstage.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
So you guys ready, yes, all right, let's have some fun. Oh,
let's do let's have some fun.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
I love this because, like myself, and I know for Koreina,
theater was the way that I chose to express myself
as a kid. It was just and when I finally
got into high school, I started drama club. That was
everything through high school. Then I realized, you know what,
I want to go to college like yourself and went
to school for theater and then that's how I landed
(05:36):
into radio again. But for me and now as a mom,
the greatest joy that I've had was recently with my
own daughter, Jia, who this past year just experienced with
theater is all about, and it's just been the best
experience for me ever to watch her.
Speaker 5 (05:52):
She loves it.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
Yeah, she loves it. It's so much fun.
Speaker 5 (05:55):
And these kids do love it and they don't have
to go on and become actors.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
That's not what it's about. That's hard. That's a hard road.
It is hard.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
It's it's not what we're all about. We're about saying
theater is a way to express yourself. Theater is fun.
Theater teaches you multitasking. These kids, there's so much they
have to incorporate into learn to perform a play, to
be a character, to not be themselves, to learn a line,
and then say it in a certain way. So many
(06:26):
elements are involved in all of that, and when they
start young, they come into it unafraid because they play
like that.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
You know. My children played.
Speaker 5 (06:36):
They used to play Star Wars all over the house,
you know, and they would make up the story as.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
They were going along. And I'd be listening to this.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
I'd be in the kitchen and I hear them going, okay, okay,
I'm obi wan kenobi Okay.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
Now you're gonna go okay, and now we're gonna have
this fight. Okay, fight, fight, fight, you know. Okay, Now
you're gonna die. No, I don't want to die. No,
you got to die now. And they work out the play,
you know, and then they get back.
Speaker 5 (06:55):
Into it and there was never any judgment or yeah
you know it didn't.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
They didn't weren't looking for an audience. They're just doing
you know. I love that. That's what.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Yeah, that's the world I'm in right now. Like pretend
you're unicorn, and then pretend you're a unicorn that's fly right,
and then you're eating lunch, but then you're mad that
you didn't get what you wanted for.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
Like that's all day, every day, in my head.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
So I like, when you did that, I'm.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
Like, that's my world.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Yeah, I have to tell you to one thing that
you brought up that I loved is just the confidence
that theater builds, you know. It's interesting. I got into
theater a little later than I wished, you know, it
was later earlier than I think most, but it was
middle school. And then that kind of seeped into my
first job. And I worked at a retirement home serving food.
And these were people from like World War two era, right,
(07:40):
and they were they were grumpy, old, lovely people. And
it was hard to navigate this as a sixteen year
old hearing things like well that's not the right cake
I order, you know, And I really remember being like WHOA,
what do I do? And I remember some of the
skills I learned in theaters because I started that right,
I think around sixth grade, seventh grade, eighth grade. First
(08:03):
job was ninth, tenth grade, and I remember using those
skills like this is an acting scene for me. I
remember like take I can't remember all of it, but
I remember being like wow, like that actually made me
feel better. I knew what lines to make, I knew
how to like take criticism in a different way because
they would make you do improv right, react, response, all
(08:23):
these different games. And so I think really theater should
be introduced at such a young age, like you're saying,
six seven, eight, because these skills are so like they're
the life skills you want. You're not gonna go off
and be you know, Sandra Bullock. I mean we all wish,
but we're not going to be. But you take those
skills that you learned in theater, confidence, public speaking, react
(08:47):
and response, even just saying this is not a scene
I want to be in, so I'm going to just
be my you know, different person or reactor. I remember
there was this German woman that I used to serve.
She would yell at me all the time and she
really didn't like me, you don't like anybody, but I
always ended up serving her and I was just like,
I'm going to pretend this is a scene and I'm somebody,
you know, like those are the skills.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
That got make yourself out of a situation, right, And.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
So that's what I love about theater, you know, it
just makes you. These skills are what you can take
to being an accountant, to being a teacher, to being
all the other things.
Speaker 5 (09:19):
Well, in today's world where there's so much time spent
on social media screens and things, this is teaching human skills.
This is eye contact, This is expressing yourself through words,
through language, talking to a group of people, presenting yourself
in front of a group of people.
Speaker 4 (09:38):
That's a really big skill. Huge.
Speaker 5 (09:41):
I've taught college classes at Edgewood College, I taught for
theater theater arts for twenty two years, and I would
get students who just did not know how to be
in front of any kind of group.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
Wow, and that's you know.
Speaker 5 (09:56):
I would tell them, here's the big whiffim from this class.
You may not go on and be an oral interpreter,
but by the end of the semester, you'll know how
to stand in front of a group of people and speak.
And that's that's a human ability that we need to
foster in our kids.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
I really think that this should be a prerequisite in
school that all kids have to take theater. I agree
with you, it's just you know it because its a choice.
It's a choice. I think it should be something that
we have to take because it's a way of expression.
And whatever way you choose to go with this it's
like you said, these are tools that you're going to
grow up and use into your real life. And so
(10:32):
you know, one of the scariest things that majority of
people will say, public speaking, I.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
Can't do it.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Well, our jobs require that. So this is a great thing.
So well in the school should start making this man.
Speaker 5 (10:46):
And this approach, the approach that first have to uses
a process is so key to that because when you
remove the fear of making a mistake, which is the
reason most people don't want to be in front of
a group of people or speak in public.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
I'm going to make a mistake. I'm going to make
a fool of myself.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
We do the opposite, We say good, do that, be big,
make big mistakes because the stakes.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Are very low. You're a child and we're all here
to support you.
Speaker 5 (11:13):
So this is the time to do all of those
things and focus on you, your character, the story, make
it big, and forget the little mistakes. The little mistakes
don't matter.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
They don't matter. You know, if you miss a line,
if you who cares? Who cares? We don't care.
Speaker 5 (11:31):
And when you hear a seven year old say to
the rest of her peers, who's been in one play?
And she'll say, don't worry everybody if you make a
mistake on the line, because the audience doesn't even know
the play, so they won't know.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
True side it's true.
Speaker 5 (11:47):
Sure, Susan will be there with the script to help you,
and you just don't have to worry about it.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
Just tell the story. Is a seven year old.
Speaker 5 (11:55):
This was last week. Seven year old in our kids
are ready for performance, they perform. One of our groups
performs Ferdinand the Friendly Bull, a beautiful play I actually wrote.
That's a by language play. And it's so lovely to
see these kids doing this and you know, using their
Spanish skills in school and their parts and they're just darling.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
So so I mean, doesn't that that seven year old
just affirm all the work and the heart and the
sweat and the tears and all the things you probably
have threw out your whole life put into this, Isn't
it just like that's the light and you're like, and
that's why it is.
Speaker 5 (12:29):
And you know, I've been fortunate to have such wonderful
people working with me with First Act. My youngest daughter,
Emma Sorenson, is now a director and she has a
degree in theater arts from Edwick College and she's one
of our directors and she wants to go on and
get her master's in Fine arts. When they're directing, and
she absolutely loves working with these kids and they love her,
and she's one of those kids. When she was seven,
(12:51):
said I love this. I just love this, and I
not know how fun.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
You know? So, how old were your kids then when
you started all this? Are they babies?
Speaker 4 (13:00):
They were? Emma was in her first play when she was.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
Four, okay, and you were doing this okay.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
I just brought them with me.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
So you were like a working mom living your passion,
like literally managing plays and other children.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
How did you do that as a mom?
Speaker 5 (13:17):
It was insane, but you know, so I had my
heart goes out to all those moms who are working
and raising their children.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
But I brought the kids with me.
Speaker 5 (13:27):
I found out I was pregnant when I was in
my master's program and I said, well, I'm bringing my
baby to class. So yeah my degree. I graduated with
a four point and a child.
Speaker 4 (13:38):
On my in her carrier.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Yeah, good for you.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
So then they're my two youngest children, and they both
came up through first act, all the way up and
Matthew both performing and doing things. Emma is hugely into theater.
Matthew is now backstage and he works at Manona Terrace
and sets up all kinds of events, so he's doing
the tech world and loves that.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
So yeah, they have lived theater.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
With me all the wayful and first Act finally grew
to the point where I can do that full time now.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
But I used to teach.
Speaker 5 (14:09):
I taught music and art for years for seven years,
and then segued over into theater arts and has college
for twenty two years. So I've done this in addition
to parenting and teaching.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Don't you love that too? The term when you realize
you're finally a professional after just working your tail to
get into Mama, once you get that first paycheck, you
are a professional. But you know what, we don't care
about the money. We do this because we're passionate about it.
And that's what the arts are so amazing about. Right
in the arts. You can't top this kind of career.
Speaker 5 (14:43):
No, And I'm just such a gatekeeper about our mission
that we are process oriented. That is so big for
me that this is a place where kids come and
have fun, have fun in theater, and get to put
on the costumes and do all the stuff, but no worries.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Yeah, and that's the magic in it. You let them
maintain the magic that I just feel so much. And
this is a bold statement. I feel like magic is
We're losing it, you know, So we got to find
it in places like first Act the year in Madison.
So we also want to learn, like where can people
find this? Are you on a social like? What who
you know? For people in the Madison, Wisconsin area? Where
(15:18):
are where are you right?
Speaker 5 (15:19):
Our website is first EC Childrenscreator dot com, so it's
pretty easy. You can jump on our website learn more
about us, see pictures of us. There's a gallery with
lots of stuff showing pieces we've done. We're currently registering
for summer camps. We're almost wait.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
I want my son to be in it. Okay, I
gotta get on that.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
Yeah, so we have.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
We still have some classes open and we will open
our fall registration beginning.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
Of July to get that.
Speaker 5 (15:47):
We do after school programming for kids entering first grade
all the way up through high school and pre college.
We have programming wonderful, so we do things year round,
not just the summer so yeah, you find us and
just First Act Children's Theater.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
Even if you just google First Act, we will pop up.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
Oh that's wonderful.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Well, I can't wait until I see the show because
I know with Poggy, Yogi and I got to see
these puppets, we know when this is all coming down,
we will So that is amazing.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
We appreciate you being on our show talking about theater
and the magic that alls and entertainment can do for
our children. Get your kids on the stage.
Speaker 5 (16:24):
I'm super excited about Poggy. Oh kind of reached out
to me to do the puppets. I was delighted because
A I love to support women who are doing anything
in the arts. It's so exciting, so I just wanted
to be part of that and be supportive.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
And I love doing puppets.
Speaker 5 (16:40):
Have been doing them since, making them, building them, working
with them since I was a child. So it's been
so fun to create these characters for the show and
I can't wait for them to come to life.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
And another little sneak peak, she might be the voice
of a few hands.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Yeah oh yeah, listen, oh yeah. A woman of many,
many talents, So congratua. Relations to everything that you have
done and created, and you know, another woman being a
lady boss, you know, continuing in her path and you're
doing it and inspiring so many other kiddos.
Speaker 4 (17:11):
Yeah, love this to the two of you as well.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Yeah, gad to be here all right, Susan first act
children's theater, check them out, and yeah, keep that magic
alive and bright.
Speaker 5 (17:21):
I love it, Thank you, Thank you, ladies.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
This is the Matt Town Mom Squad podcast, a production
of iHeartRadio. You're Every episode of Matt Town Mom Squad
podcasts available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Music, or wherever
you listen to your favorite podcasts.
This is the mads Own Mom Squad podcast, a production
of iHeartRadio. Hard working real mamas having real conversations. Now
sit back, relax, and get ready to talk mom life
with Christa and her squad.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Well, Misskrina creat I am super excited with the phenomenal
woman you brought in studios.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
No, this is gonna be a great one and a
great topic for I really think everyone, And that's one
of the things I wanted to push. I have Susan
Nanny Sowrenson here with us, a wonderful, wonderful woman who
actually is doing puppets for Poggdochi. For those who don't
know Poggy you know, we have puppets coming soon.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Yeah, sneak peek.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
And this is like the first time we've really been
open about it because it's not even coming out for
a couple months.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I remember you kind of talking to me about this,
but it wasn't out there yet.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Isn't yet because she.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Just finished our five so we got some new characters
for POGGYDOGI But Susan Okay, So here's the thing though,
that this is not all the magic she creates. Oh,
she has all the magic, which I love hearing about.
So she is the owner in our his stick director
of First Act Children's Theater here in Wisconsin.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Fabulous, right right, And.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
There's no better topic than acting in theater.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Right you know this, yes, honey, yes, yes, this.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Is this is true to our hearts. Kristin I both
love theater, stage, acting and performers.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
We're like quadruple.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
You have to pull us back though, because we will
just start going breakout and you know, lay mins or something. Right.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
No, I'm just kidding.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
No, listen.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I tried out for dance or what was it like
dance in college. Three times I got denied. I'm like,
they're like, Chris said, this is not for you, like
FM every day look at you. Yeah, so I got it.
I got it in some other way. But they're like, honey,
you do not know how to dance. Get off the stage.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
So, Susan, you started First Act Children's Theater. I want
to know all about it.
Speaker 5 (01:46):
Thank you for asking. So First Act is like my baby.
I started it twenty five years ago.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (01:53):
I was in grad school studying theater here in Madison
at UW, getting my master's in Fine arts, and I
needed to make a living for the summer.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Yes, you do, y'all know what.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
I love kids, so I'm going to teach some summer camps.
So I launched it. It was a success. It was
so fun, and the next year I named it First
Tech Children's Theater and that was in two thousand and
we're celebrating our twenty fifth anniversary this year.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Wow, it is the name first act because the first
second act.
Speaker 5 (02:18):
It's first act children's theater. And yes, first second act.
The idea is that first act and also your first act?
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Sure?
Speaker 5 (02:26):
Sure, starting right, it's the beginning.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
What and that kind of circles back around to the
question I wanted to touch on, is you know, when
do we start introducing kids to theater, you know, watching
it and or acting in it.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Sure?
Speaker 5 (02:39):
Well, children are natural performers. They perform when they play
all the time, so they can start any time. Usually
about three years old is the youngest, okay, because they
have to have some attention span, retention, you know, be
able to stick with it for a little bit. But
they can do what's called creative dramatics at that age,
which is a form of drama play. It doesn't have
(03:00):
a focus of performance at the end of it It
is all about in the moment, acting out a story,
performing it. We can do a class where we teach
the story of Peter Rabbit and friends that wants five
Peter Rabbits.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
It doesn't really matter. You know.
Speaker 5 (03:15):
You can have as many bunnies or as many mister
McGregor's as you want to have. So it's not about
the performance. It's just about playing it out and dramatizing something.
And that's the form that's called creative dramatics. And children
as young as three can absolutely do that preschool, you know,
all the way up to three four k perfect. Getting
(03:35):
a performance aspect into it is usually rough until there
are about six five six years old, because that's a
lot to retain, you know, to get to understand where
do I go, where do I stand, what do I say?
Speaker 4 (03:50):
And then there's going to be the people watching me.
Speaker 5 (03:52):
Oh that's you have this element of an audience that's
brought into it, which turns it from drama into theater.
Is really about having an audience, right, So that is
why you want to wait a little bit before you
do that. Otherwise children can get what's called stage fright.
They just it's overwhelming. Sure, and we have to remind ourselves,
even when we work with our youngest kids, who are
(04:14):
six and seven years old, that this is very, very big. Yeah,
and we're process oriented, which means that our focus is
not on that final performance. Our focus throughout the eight
weeks of each of our sessions is really about developing
that creativity, developing a sense of self esteem, confidence and
(04:34):
these kids, and really saying, make big mistakes, get out
there and just do it and have fun. Who cares
if the lines aren't perfect, It's all okay.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
We sit in the front row with a script.
Speaker 5 (04:46):
If they get stuck, they look right at us and
we prompt them. We always talk to our families before
the show, and the kids are backstage waiting. They're so
excited and sometimes they're scared, and we're like, it's okay,
it's okay. So we ask the audience, we say, is
it okay if they make a mistake, and of course
resoundingly so yes. I said, are you here because you
support you love them? Yes, okay kids, And then I
(05:06):
usually talked to the kids backstage.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
So you guys ready, yes, all right, let's have some fun. Oh,
let's do let's have some fun.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
I love this because, like myself, and I know for Koreina,
theater was the way that I chose to express myself
as a kid. It was just and when I finally
got into high school, I started drama club. That was
everything through high school. Then I realized, you know what,
I want to go to college like yourself and went
to school for theater and then that's how I landed
(05:36):
into radio again. But for me and now as a mom,
the greatest joy that I've had was recently with my
own daughter, Jia, who this past year just experienced with
theater is all about, and it's just been the best
experience for me ever to watch her.
Speaker 5 (05:52):
She loves it.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
Yeah, she loves it. It's so much fun.
Speaker 5 (05:55):
And these kids do love it and they don't have
to go on and become actors.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
That's not what it's about. That's hard. That's a hard road.
It is hard.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
It's it's not what we're all about. We're about saying
theater is a way to express yourself. Theater is fun.
Theater teaches you multitasking. These kids, there's so much they
have to incorporate into learn to perform a play, to
be a character, to not be themselves, to learn a line,
and then say it in a certain way. So many
(06:26):
elements are involved in all of that, and when they
start young, they come into it unafraid because they play
like that.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
You know. My children played.
Speaker 5 (06:36):
They used to play Star Wars all over the house,
you know, and they would make up the story as.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
They were going along. And I'd be listening to this.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
I'd be in the kitchen and I hear them going, okay, okay,
I'm obi wan kenobi Okay.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
Now you're gonna go okay, and now we're gonna have
this fight. Okay, fight, fight, fight, you know. Okay, Now
you're gonna die. No, I don't want to die. No,
you got to die now. And they work out the play,
you know, and then they get back.
Speaker 5 (06:55):
Into it and there was never any judgment or yeah
you know it didn't.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
They didn't weren't looking for an audience. They're just doing
you know. I love that. That's what.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Yeah, that's the world I'm in right now. Like pretend
you're unicorn, and then pretend you're a unicorn that's fly right,
and then you're eating lunch, but then you're mad that
you didn't get what you wanted for.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
Like that's all day, every day, in my head.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
So I like, when you did that, I'm.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
Like, that's my world.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Yeah, I have to tell you to one thing that
you brought up that I loved is just the confidence
that theater builds, you know. It's interesting. I got into
theater a little later than I wished, you know, it
was later earlier than I think most, but it was
middle school. And then that kind of seeped into my
first job. And I worked at a retirement home serving food.
And these were people from like World War two era, right,
(07:40):
and they were they were grumpy, old, lovely people. And
it was hard to navigate this as a sixteen year
old hearing things like well that's not the right cake
I order, you know, And I really remember being like WHOA,
what do I do? And I remember some of the
skills I learned in theaters because I started that right,
I think around sixth grade, seventh grade, eighth grade. First
(08:03):
job was ninth, tenth grade, and I remember using those
skills like this is an acting scene for me. I
remember like take I can't remember all of it, but
I remember being like wow, like that actually made me
feel better. I knew what lines to make, I knew
how to like take criticism in a different way because
they would make you do improv right, react, response, all
(08:23):
these different games. And so I think really theater should
be introduced at such a young age, like you're saying,
six seven, eight, because these skills are so like they're
the life skills you want. You're not gonna go off
and be you know, Sandra Bullock. I mean we all wish,
but we're not going to be. But you take those
skills that you learned in theater, confidence, public speaking, react
(08:47):
and response, even just saying this is not a scene
I want to be in, so I'm going to just
be my you know, different person or reactor. I remember
there was this German woman that I used to serve.
She would yell at me all the time and she
really didn't like me, you don't like anybody, but I
always ended up serving her and I was just like,
I'm going to pretend this is a scene and I'm somebody,
you know, like those are the skills.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
That got make yourself out of a situation, right, And.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
So that's what I love about theater, you know, it
just makes you. These skills are what you can take
to being an accountant, to being a teacher, to being
all the other things.
Speaker 5 (09:19):
Well, in today's world where there's so much time spent
on social media screens and things, this is teaching human skills.
This is eye contact, This is expressing yourself through words,
through language, talking to a group of people, presenting yourself
in front of a group of people.
Speaker 4 (09:38):
That's a really big skill. Huge.
Speaker 5 (09:41):
I've taught college classes at Edgewood College, I taught for
theater theater arts for twenty two years, and I would
get students who just did not know how to be
in front of any kind of group.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
Wow, and that's you know.
Speaker 5 (09:56):
I would tell them, here's the big whiffim from this class.
You may not go on and be an oral interpreter,
but by the end of the semester, you'll know how
to stand in front of a group of people and speak.
And that's that's a human ability that we need to
foster in our kids.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
I really think that this should be a prerequisite in
school that all kids have to take theater. I agree
with you, it's just you know it because its a choice.
It's a choice. I think it should be something that
we have to take because it's a way of expression.
And whatever way you choose to go with this it's
like you said, these are tools that you're going to
grow up and use into your real life. And so
(10:32):
you know, one of the scariest things that majority of
people will say, public speaking, I.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
Can't do it.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Well, our jobs require that. So this is a great thing.
So well in the school should start making this man.
Speaker 5 (10:46):
And this approach, the approach that first have to uses
a process is so key to that because when you
remove the fear of making a mistake, which is the
reason most people don't want to be in front of
a group of people or speak in public.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
I'm going to make a mistake. I'm going to make
a fool of myself.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
We do the opposite, We say good, do that, be big,
make big mistakes because the stakes.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Are very low. You're a child and we're all here
to support you.
Speaker 5 (11:13):
So this is the time to do all of those
things and focus on you, your character, the story, make
it big, and forget the little mistakes. The little mistakes
don't matter.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
They don't matter. You know, if you miss a line,
if you who cares? Who cares? We don't care.
Speaker 5 (11:31):
And when you hear a seven year old say to
the rest of her peers, who's been in one play?
And she'll say, don't worry everybody if you make a
mistake on the line, because the audience doesn't even know
the play, so they won't know.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
True side it's true.
Speaker 5 (11:47):
Sure, Susan will be there with the script to help you,
and you just don't have to worry about it.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
Just tell the story. Is a seven year old.
Speaker 5 (11:55):
This was last week. Seven year old in our kids
are ready for performance, they perform. One of our groups
performs Ferdinand the Friendly Bull, a beautiful play I actually wrote.
That's a by language play. And it's so lovely to
see these kids doing this and you know, using their
Spanish skills in school and their parts and they're just darling.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
So so I mean, doesn't that that seven year old
just affirm all the work and the heart and the
sweat and the tears and all the things you probably
have threw out your whole life put into this, Isn't
it just like that's the light and you're like, and
that's why it is.
Speaker 5 (12:29):
And you know, I've been fortunate to have such wonderful
people working with me with First Act. My youngest daughter,
Emma Sorenson, is now a director and she has a
degree in theater arts from Edwick College and she's one
of our directors and she wants to go on and
get her master's in Fine arts. When they're directing, and
she absolutely loves working with these kids and they love her,
and she's one of those kids. When she was seven,
(12:51):
said I love this. I just love this, and I
not know how fun.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
You know? So, how old were your kids then when
you started all this? Are they babies?
Speaker 4 (13:00):
They were? Emma was in her first play when she was.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
Four, okay, and you were doing this okay.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
I just brought them with me.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
So you were like a working mom living your passion,
like literally managing plays and other children.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
How did you do that as a mom?
Speaker 5 (13:17):
It was insane, but you know, so I had my
heart goes out to all those moms who are working
and raising their children.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
But I brought the kids with me.
Speaker 5 (13:27):
I found out I was pregnant when I was in
my master's program and I said, well, I'm bringing my
baby to class. So yeah my degree. I graduated with
a four point and a child.
Speaker 4 (13:38):
On my in her carrier.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Yeah, good for you.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
So then they're my two youngest children, and they both
came up through first act, all the way up and
Matthew both performing and doing things. Emma is hugely into theater.
Matthew is now backstage and he works at Manona Terrace
and sets up all kinds of events, so he's doing
the tech world and loves that.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
So yeah, they have lived theater.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
With me all the wayful and first Act finally grew
to the point where I can do that full time now.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
But I used to teach.
Speaker 5 (14:09):
I taught music and art for years for seven years,
and then segued over into theater arts and has college
for twenty two years. So I've done this in addition
to parenting and teaching.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Don't you love that too? The term when you realize
you're finally a professional after just working your tail to
get into Mama, once you get that first paycheck, you
are a professional. But you know what, we don't care
about the money. We do this because we're passionate about it.
And that's what the arts are so amazing about. Right
in the arts. You can't top this kind of career.
Speaker 5 (14:43):
No, And I'm just such a gatekeeper about our mission
that we are process oriented. That is so big for
me that this is a place where kids come and
have fun, have fun in theater, and get to put
on the costumes and do all the stuff, but no worries.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Yeah, and that's the magic in it. You let them
maintain the magic that I just feel so much. And
this is a bold statement. I feel like magic is
We're losing it, you know, So we got to find
it in places like first Act the year in Madison.
So we also want to learn, like where can people
find this? Are you on a social like? What who
you know? For people in the Madison, Wisconsin area? Where
(15:18):
are where are you right?
Speaker 5 (15:19):
Our website is first EC Childrenscreator dot com, so it's
pretty easy. You can jump on our website learn more
about us, see pictures of us. There's a gallery with
lots of stuff showing pieces we've done. We're currently registering
for summer camps. We're almost wait.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
I want my son to be in it. Okay, I
gotta get on that.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
Yeah, so we have.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
We still have some classes open and we will open
our fall registration beginning.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
Of July to get that.
Speaker 5 (15:47):
We do after school programming for kids entering first grade
all the way up through high school and pre college.
We have programming wonderful, so we do things year round,
not just the summer so yeah, you find us and
just First Act Children's Theater.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
Even if you just google First Act, we will pop up.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
Oh that's wonderful.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Well, I can't wait until I see the show because
I know with Poggy, Yogi and I got to see
these puppets, we know when this is all coming down,
we will So that is amazing.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
We appreciate you being on our show talking about theater
and the magic that alls and entertainment can do for
our children. Get your kids on the stage.
Speaker 5 (16:24):
I'm super excited about Poggy. Oh kind of reached out
to me to do the puppets. I was delighted because
A I love to support women who are doing anything
in the arts. It's so exciting, so I just wanted
to be part of that and be supportive.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
And I love doing puppets.
Speaker 5 (16:40):
Have been doing them since, making them, building them, working
with them since I was a child. So it's been
so fun to create these characters for the show and
I can't wait for them to come to life.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
And another little sneak peak, she might be the voice
of a few hands.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Yeah oh yeah, listen, oh yeah. A woman of many,
many talents, So congratua. Relations to everything that you have
done and created, and you know, another woman being a
lady boss, you know, continuing in her path and you're
doing it and inspiring so many other kiddos.
Speaker 4 (17:11):
Yeah, love this to the two of you as well.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Yeah, gad to be here all right, Susan first act
children's theater, check them out, and yeah, keep that magic
alive and bright.
Speaker 5 (17:21):
I love it, Thank you, Thank you, ladies.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
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