Sunday, May 18, 2008

BY TIMOTHY A. MCDONALD

On Saturday, May 3, I had the honor of witnessing Pioneer High School perform the world premiere of "Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka,'' a new musical that I wrote with Leslie Bricusse.

Each year, I attend somewhere between 100 and 150 productions of musicals at high schools, middle schools and elementary schools across the country. This is my job. My company, iTheatrics, creates musicals for schools and has developed programs for school districts enabling them to build sustainable and cost-effective arts programs.

What I saw at Pioneer High School was truly remarkable. In fact, in their production I saw the future.

Let me explain: Pioneer employs University of Michigan students as the creative staff for their musicals. The benefits of this policy are nearly too many to list! University students are afforded the opportunity to develop their craft in a real-world setting. There is no reading about theory from an armchair - the program essentially pushes these students to "go do it, kid, and make it work.''

In turn, the high school students are afforded endless opportunities of positive modeling through their experience of working with mentors only slightly older than they are. There is a tangible creative spark inherent in this mix. Furthermore, all of these students can celebrate that there are no old fogies forcing their creative vision on them! (And by old fogy, I mean anyone older than 23 and a half...)

And then the Pioneer program has taken a further step, by including elementary students in the show, who in turn are mentored by the high school students!
Imagine the life-altering opportunity of being a college kid and getting to work in your field in a meaningful way? Or a high school kid working side-by-side with a smart college kid? Or an elementary kid seeing all of this magic and mentorship for the first time?

The end result was one of the best pieces of school theater I've had the pleasure of seeing anywhere. I was not alone. Your community joined me in rising to its feet to applaud the efforts of these young people - not once, not twice, but with THREE standing ovations! Hooray!

Imagine what the world would be like if more opportunities like this were available?

I know, for certain, the world would be a better place. The proof was in the production.

I encourage you to celebrate Pioneer's musical theater program. Send a note, write a check, volunteer, see any and every show they produce. Because what they are producing is the future, and their future is bright, indeed!

About the writer: Timothy A. McDonald is the co-creator of "Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka'' and the author of "The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley.'' He is the founding chairman of iTheatrics, a leading creative consultant in educational musical theater, based in New York City. To contribute essays to Other Voices, contact Mary Morgan, opinion editor, at 734-994-6605 or mmorgan@annarbornews.com.