Pasadena CTE
From the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, proving that I'm not the only adult making a fool of him/herself on stage (and no, I wasn't involved in this CTE production - I'm only with the Claremont group):
Singing, dancing and kicking up her legs, Mary Jensen dove into acting at a local children's theater group for the sake of her two daughters. Six years and 12 musicals later, Emily and Maddy have grown into teenagers and Jensen finds herself doing this year's production of "Annie' on her own.
Friends tell her she doesn't have to do it anymore, but she can't leave - she's hooked.
"They know I'm never gonna stop,' said Jensen, 54, of Sierra Madre. "My husband thinks I'm totally crazy, but he shrugs his shoulders and knows it's a latent midlife change.'
Jensen even recruited her older sister, Pat, who doesn't have any children, to pitch in at the Children's Theatre Experience, a nonprofit group that offers local kids the chance to put on musicals such as "Fiddler on the Roof' and "Peter Pan' two times a year. The group serves kids and families in Pasadena/Glendale, Claremont, Conejo Valley areas (Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks) and Orange County.
The group takes children as young as 5 to act in large-scale productions with more than 200 cast members, including adults.
Parents usually cheer on the sidelines at their offspring's soccer and Little League games, but putting on a play is an activity the whole family can enjoy, theater co-founder Sherry Frymer said.
"Children who are involved in fine arts and music have extraordinary test scores,' Frymer said. "Some local teachers can tell which kids are ours: They are self-assured. Public speaking is not an issue anymore.'
Parent Gretchen Lurie of Pasadena said her 13-year-old daughter, Paige, can't wait to go to rehearsals every Saturday.
"She's met wonderful friends and has embraced much more confidence in her peer relationships,' Lurie said. "She's happiest when she's with her theater group.'
The Pasadena group has rehearsed for more than 12 weeks and will unveil its autumn performance of "Annie' on Friday, with 13-year-old Taylor Connolly playing the lead....
Mary Jensen's husband isn't a fan of musicals, but goes to the show to support his wife and kids and enjoys himself a little bit too, she said. Jensen said she comes back year after year because she has a great core of friends and loves seeing the kids perform.
"I never had any desire to be on stage,' she said. "It was kind of on a dare and it become an escape haven for me. It's a personal growth and a personal challenge, and it's something that doesn't get old with me. It keeps me young.'
Other CTE mentions in this blog here, here, here, and probably in other places also. Normally I don't write about Roger Miller.
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