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Bringing the Peanuts to life

All of the characters in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown are kids, and yet the adult actors embody youth so well. How does your choreography lend itself to youthfulness?

“When I’m choreographing, I really like to set aside a bit of time at the beginning of the rehearsal period to gather the artists and lead workshops, which tend to be tailored specifically to each project. These workshops become the building blocks for the choreography I will teach, and the sort of “North Star” for any movement vocabulary we develop as a team. Before any movement began, I gathered our Charlie Brown cast in a circle and led them in a prompted round robin exercise. The theme was childhood. Each person was to say the first word that came to mind, without thinking about it. The word eventually expanded to a sentence, the sentences expanded to forgotten stories about our youth. It was incredible to see how each artist really sank into this exercise to tap into that childlike state. I believe that in order to truly embody a character, you must allow your mind to unselfconsciously reach into its depths to unlock things you might’ve forgotten. This allows for creativity to flow, and for the artist to feel they have permission to let these memories inform their movement vocabulary. I was never interested in a mock childlike way of moving. Most young children haven’t yet learned how to compose themselves physically, to self edit…movement is a pure extension of being in the moment and feeling what you feel, wanting what you want. I’m so glad that the choreography was an extension of that.”

Tell us about the rehearsal room – where else did the cast and crew find a sense of play?

“Our incredible Director, Jimmy Shields, had the brilliant idea of setting aside 30 minutes for recess most days. This sort of free choice play time was where anyone in the room (or even in the building) could select from an exciting array of childlike activities: Legos, blocks, puzzles, jumping rope, hula hooping, basketball, coloring and sticker books…there was something for everyone. We even enjoyed one day of recess outside. Some folx tossed a football around, some tiptoed along the train tracks, others practiced cartwheels in the grass. How great is that?”

Many iconic moments make an appearance in the show, including the Peanuts theme “Linus and Lucy” by Vince Guaraldi! What other iconic Peanuts moments are present onstage?

“My wonderful Associate Choreographer, Nehemiah Hooks, and I had checked out about 20 Peanuts books from the library between the two of us. We studied these and watched many documentaries and cartoons together. Our goal was to identify what made Peanuts recognizably Peanuts. While we knew our version would be its own modernized thing, we wanted to honor certain iconic stylings: the way Lucy leans and lounges on Schroeder’s piano; the direction Snoopy lays down on the doghouse with the head to the left and legs to the right; the turned out feet; the exaggerated angles of the body. And of course, we’d remiss to do this show without incorporating be those quintessential dance moves from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special.”

You’re next on stage as a cast member and Dance Captain in Mamma Mia! What has it been like moving from choreographer to cast member at Village Theatre?

“I am so thrilled to jump into Mamma Mia! as a Performer and Dance Captain! It really is such a blessing to be able to have this much variety in my career.

While I believe these various job titles have transferable skills, being a cast member requires a whole other set of muscles, endurance, and patience than being a member of the Creative Team, which usually requires a good chunk of planning, preparation, and problem solving.

Being an actor requires more bodily energy whereas choreography requires more of my brain power.

As far as being a Dance Captain goes, I think having a Choreographer’s brain really sets me up for success when it comes to my duties: keeping track of who goes where when; maintaining the integrity of the movement; making adjustments for understudies/swings and injuries; and being an advocate and go-between for the cast and other departments.

The best part though? Creating characters, wearing fun costumes and wigs, and inspiring the next generation of artists!”