CHILDSPLAY THEATRE

CHILDSPLAY THEATRE exciting pivot to digital

By Lisa Van Loo

When Averi Gutierrez, marketing director at Childsplay Theatre, tries to explain how programming looks and feels at the children’s theater, she comes up with a mix of words that fit perfectly but seemingly don’t go together.

“Things are similar but very different,” she says.

When the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in social distancing measures, Childsplay Theatre canceled its final show of the season. And then, the theater pivoted in a “big way,” according to Gutierrez.

After quickly evaluating the situation, Childsplay Theatre went digital, transitioning its in-person academy classes to a virtual environment within weeks.

“It really took off,” she says. “Now, it has turned into something that is probably one of our strongest suits.”

For select classes, Childplay Theatre prepares what they call their “theatre-in-a-box,” full of props to its online students who log on to classes using Zoom, a platform that has allowed kids to take classes with cousins and friends from across the country — something that couldn’t have happened before the pandemic. “The content is similar, but the tools might be different.”

And different can be good for some students. Gutierrez says Childsplay Theatre is finding a number of kids are more comfortable acting, discovering voices and performing in a virtual classroom rather than in person, which means their programming is bringing new kids into the fold.

Beyond its academy classes, Childsplay Theatre has launched Imagine Together Online, which offers grant-funded programming to kids for free. They’ve watched as nearly 3,000 people tuned in to see a production of The Grumpiest Boy In The World on YouTube, and they held a drama-infused storytime with Explore a Story, as actors not only perform the story but unpack its themes, concepts and vocabulary in new ways.

Childplay Theatre also worked with other theaters across the country to produce A Kids Play About Racism, and it is currently working on producing four one-person plays for teachers to share in the classroom.

“We’re trying to be as creative as possible,” Gutierrez says.

To learn more, visit childsplayaz.org.