Cross Campus Collaboration in the Arts: Seussical, Jr.

A Q&A with four High School students who helped with the Lower School production of “Seussical”

For many High School artists, the threads of their passion and interests in the arts trace back to Lower and Middle School experiences. This past summer, some of Ensworth’s High School students followed their ties back to the arts programs at Red Gables as they returned to help with the Ensworth Children’s Theater production of Seussical, the Musical, Jr. Ella Hartman ‘22, Braxton Gunn ‘25, Julia Moore ‘24, and Owen Jackoboice ‘24 share insights about the connections between their experiences with the arts at the Middle School and High School, and how those threads came together in working with the younger students in Seussical.

Ella Hartmann '22

Julia Moore '24

How did you hear about the opportunity to help out with the Seussical production?

Julia: I found Seussical through Mrs. Wolter because I was deeply involved in theater in Middle School; I was in every single show. I wanted to be a counselor for it, not only because I love theater, but because I think being a camp counselor is so much fun! If I can find a camp that I think I would’ve had fun doing as a kid, like Seussical, I can easily make camp fun for the kids there. Seussical was my fifth camp counseling gig that summer.

Ella: I heard about the opportunity of helping out with Seussical by working with previous productions. I volunteered at the Middle School, helping with several productions, such as Into the Woods, Jr., and Hairspray, Jr. Additionally, I worked at the same camp when the kids did Aladdin, Jr. I was excited for an opportunity to continue my work with kids in theater. Working with the production was so fun because I could utilize my interest in music.

The Wickersham Brothers

Did working for the production align with your passions or studies at the High School?

Braxton: Working on the show helped me figure out that I wanted to do theater production in High School. While helping with Seussical, I met the head of the theater production, Mr. Allen, and he said that I would do well in theater tech.

Ella: My training in music played a big role in this job. I have been in Rock Band, Chamber Singers, and Encore in High School. I also have taken AP Music Theory. When I first started teaching the kids music, I was a little hesitant in my abilities. However, training with teachers such as Jim Aveni at the High School made me feel prepared to tackle the challenge. compassion and patience for those I was working with in theater at the High School. When I see a new actor getting overwhelmed, I’m able to have more patience with them due to my experience. I try to make sure fourth graders can have fun at camp rather than worrying about getting everything perfect. Still, I know that it is unreasonably difficult to keep kids on task, which gives me so much compassion for our directors and teachers who are just trying to get us to do our jobs.

Was it good being back on the Red Gables Campus and working with those students and teachers?

Owen: The show definitely gave me more insight as to what happens behind the scenes when I’m performing. It was good to be back to help kids foster their musical development in their formative years. The teachers and staff were helpful and treated the interns very well.

Julia: I liked going back to Red Gables, especially because the kids I was working with were my brother’s age, so I got to connect with the kids he hangs out with at school. Working with Mrs. Wolter was especially interesting because I was a student of hers when I was younger. The games and songs that I saw as just fun when I was little, I now saw as expert classroom management tactics.

Braxton: Being back at Red Gables felt awesome; working with the teachers brought back many memories of when I first met them and how we had bonded as student and teacher. I didn’t necessarily work with the kids, but when I did get to do things with them, it was always fun and joy-filled.

Do you have any fond memories of productions you were involved in at Red Gables?

Modern Millie. The style of the show was new to me, so it was very challenging. I was pushed out of my comfort zone and, as a result, it caused great growth to my voice and my knowledge of music.

Braxton: The fondest memory I have of a show I was involved in at Red Gables was Into the Woods, where I was the Big Bad Wolf because that was my best performance at Red Gables. Everyone loved my wolf howl, and I loved the songs I sang. It was also the last production I was ever in at Red Gables due to COVID, so it’s also special due to that reason.

Julia: One fond memory I have of being in a Red Gables production was in seventh grade when I played Tracy in Hairspray. I wasn’t expecting to get the lead role, so it showed me for the first time that I could handle that much responsibility in a show. Plus, singing and dancing with my friends was delightful, and I met one of my current best friends in that show.

Horton and his Whos

Do you plan to pursue arts/ theater/production in college or beyond?

Braxton: In college, I do hope to be able to work in theater production and pursue some arts. Right now, I’m taking a photography class, and that is very fun. I’m learning all about cameras and how to take the best pictures, and I feel like that might be a good thing to hold onto for later in life.

Owen: Yes, I am planning to pursue a career in music.

Ella: I plan to major in music business in college with a minor in songwriting. I am also excited to be a part of ensembles.

Julia: Even though I’m not planning to pursue theater professionally, the ability to speak in front of others and adapt quickly to change are tools that will serve me very well in the professional world.