The Mielke Arts Center is buzzing from the activity of almost 40 munchkins.
It’s questionable, however, whether they will still be munchkins by the time this week is over. Some of them could end up as flying monkeys, scarecrows or even wicked witches.
The Shawano County Arts Council’s weeklong children’s theater workshop will conclude with a free public performance of “The Wizard of Oz” on Saturday. In its third year of existence, the summer activity has grown in popularity since the organization first pondered having something for the next generation of thespians.
In 2013, SCAC had 19 children participate to bring the classic “Peter Pan” to life on the Mielke stage. Since then, word of mouth has brought children to the annual workshop from all over northeast Wisconsin, to the point where the arts council this year had to require preregistration in order to avoid having too large a group.
While the move streamlined the process, SCAC quickly found itself reaching its enrollment cap well ahead of its July 1 deadline and having to turn away eager children wanting their 15 minutes of fame, according to Ann Van Grinsven, SCAC vice president and coordinator for the workshop.
“Last year, we had walk-ins upon walk-ins, and we went way over — we had 46 last year (as a result),” Van Grinsven said. “We were overwhelmed. We had preregistration (last year), but we didn’t say they had to preregister.”
The participants come from all over. Many are from Shawano, but there are also plenty of children from Bonduel, Cecil, Caroline, Clintonville, Eland, Oconto Falls and De Pere.
Some of the workshop participants have been involved two or three years. For others, it’s their first time on stage.
Jen Green, a Shawano parent, decided to enroll her two children in the workshop, and she is pleased she did. While attending a rehearsal this week, Green got a kick out of seeing her son do an impersonation of the Wicked Witch of the West after she melts from being drenched with a bucket of water.
“I’ve been really impressed with how organized the staff and how encouraging they are, and yet it’s a safe place to try new things,” Green said. “At first, my 7-year-old son didn’t want to do it, but now it’s ‘Is it time to go? Is it time to go?’”
Joe Engels and Megan Lisowe, both Appleton residents, are back for their third turn as the directors. They’ve worked with The Attic Theatre in Appleton for six years, along with other locales.
“The joy of this is how quickly we can put this show together,” Engels said. “Our basic philosophy with putting together the show is that kids can do a lot more than we think they can, and if we just show them how, they’ll surprise you.”
The short turnaround time can also be a challenge, Lisowe said, as the directors have to get to know the kids very quickly. The first night was audition night, and Engels and Lisowe had to determine who would do well by more than just how well they read the material.
“You’re never sure if a kid is ready for a big part or a small part,” Lisowe said. “You can’t always base it on how they read, because if they’re a beginning reader, it doesn’t tell you how well they can act.”
Van Grinsven isn’t sure why the interest in children’s theater has exploded. She said SCAC doesn’t promote the workshop, but word of mouth could be a factor.
“I think there was just a need in this community to reach out to the kids and get them involved,” Van Grinsven said. “We want them, because these are our future actors and actresses.”
SCAC may look into expanding the program and have two workshops to accommodate for the children who had to be turned away, but Van Grinsven was uncertain whether Engels and Lisowe could do two weeks in Shawano with their busy schedules. If an additional workshop were to occur, it would probably be with other directors who would be available, she said.
