20th Anniversary
The KID Show:
MUSIC BOX by Allison Quiller Directed by Renee Prince
THE KID SHOW: A HISTORY
During her first season at CRT in 2002, Renée Prince got to know “a rogue band of girls from town.” Those girls were Hanna and Hailey Waters, Allison Quiller, Erin Powers (Schrag), Hannah Richter, Dani Lewis, Samantha Schlough, and Erin Hooper—all who frequented the theatre. Prince was inspired by their energy and wildness, so when the time came to create material for the (then) annual CRT cabaret, she asked if they wanted to put together a mime piece, and they said YES! Prince had studied mime at Northwestern University where she performed and taught throughout Chicago with the school’s Mime Company. The performance was such a hit that the Hitchcock Foundation asked if their organization could support additional educational programming; and just like that, the Creede Initiative (later The KID Show) was born! The first year of The KID Show was a full mime show called, aptly, An Afternoon of Mime. And because there were so many young visual artists in the cast, Renée recruited her brother, Ryan Prince, to “come to the mountains and make puppets for the summer.” Over the next few years, the team adapted beloved children’s stories for the stage using movement, puppetry, and tons of imagination from the students. They also began collaborating with Natalie Maynard, whose costume magic became a staple of the program. As that first group of students grew, they were ready for more challenges and eager to sink their teeth into scripted work, so the team of Prince, Prince, and Maynard commissioned Jeff Carey to write a play for the ensemble. Emilia’s Tree was their first collaboration with the beloved
Carey, who went on to write the musicals: Lullaby Bay and Scruff Turbo and the Children of the Future. Over the past 20 years, the program has adapted to serve the needs of an ever-changing population of Creede kids, but the basic mission has remained the same: to create an environment where young people can be seen, valued, appreciated, and encouraged to grow through the process of creating a fully realized, professional-quality piece of theatre. Students involved in The KID Show have been able to perform in brand-new musicals, promenade theatre, devised theatre, movement-based productions, shows on trapeze, futuristic Shakespearean adaptations, and so much more. As we reflect on the past 20 years, we are excited to see how The KID Show will continue to grow and change. We are grateful for Renée and Ryan Prince for seeing the potential and diving in fearlessly. After so many years, we know without a shadow of a doubt the magic that can happen when you trust that you can “leap and the net will appear.”
An Afternoon of Mime (2003)
HITCHCOCK FOUNDATION
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