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East Valley Children’s Theatre marks 25 years

BY SRIANTHI PERERA

Tribune Contributor

A25-year-long love letter to creating, performing, growing and making friends that have become family.

That’s how C. Lynn Johnson describes East Valley Children’s Theatre.

The Gilbert woman’s talents run the gamut from theater hair stylist to playwright, all of which have won her awards.

As a teen, she starred in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the theater’s �irst production.

“EVCT has been family to me for 25 years,” she said. “It’s a safe space where I can play and create freely. It’s the place that I can say that outside of my family’s in�luence, shaped me into the person I am today.

“From being one of the performers to myself then being one of those adults shaping the performers who came after me, it’s been an honor to be part of EVCT’s impact on our community,” she added.

For nearly 25 years, the Mesa-based children’s theater has shepherded nearly 14,000 youth ages 5 to 18 who have donned costumes, assumed roles, walked, danced, sung and spoken their practiced words on stage. The nonpro�it has produced 86 shows and has grown from a single production and workshop in the �irst year to a full-service theater offering numerous additional programs, classes, camps and performance troupes among them. It’s also known for its playwriting contest, presenting original works for children annually.

EVCT was an all-volunteer organization until two years ago, when it hired an of�ice manager and a bookkeeper. Its current annual budget is about $250,000 and its main donors have included The Boeing Co. of Mesa and Arizona Commission on the Arts. “I just enjoy working with the theater; I enjoy the kids,” said Karen Rolston, the producing artistic director who played a vital role in the theater’s development.

Rolston, a teacher from Mesa Public Schools, Chandler-Gilbert Community

The East Valley Children's Theatre is marking its 25th anniversary this year and has a full season of colorful, entertaining productions lined up at the Mesa Arts Center. (Special to the Tribune)

���THEATER ���� 19

Mesa nurse at Banner going strong at age 88

TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF

At age 88 and with more than 60 years of nursing under her belt, nurse Ellie Ucci isn’t letting age or another COVID-19 surge slow her down.

Last year she celebrated 40 years with Banner Health – and still works two to three days per week in the post-partum unit at Banner Gateway Medical Center.

The Mesa resident says her “Italian heart and a strong faith in God” keep her going, but she also simply loves helping people, especially new parents.

“I empower them – with tough love and a warm approach,” she said. “My top goal is to get babies nursing during that ‘golden hour,’ which is the �irst hour after birth. Once the baby nurses in that �irst hour, I tell moms to put the baby down and rest.”

Ucci gives advice and encouragement, but it’s up to families to decide what works best for them.

“You have to adapt to your baby,” she said.

She encourages both moms and dads to practice skin-to-skin contact with their new baby for the best bonding experience.

“I do a lot of educating and supporting,” she added.

Shannon Heronema Garcia, director of Women and Infant Services at Banner

College and Arizona State University, took on the theater in her retirement. Now that the 25th season is about to begin, she plans to retire in earnest.

Also departing is Kathie McMahon, who served in many roles within the organization, the last as past president, head of the advisory board and marketing director.

McMahon, who leads the 25th year anniversary celebration committee, observed, “From performing in a junior high auditorium to becoming a Founding Resident Company of the Mesa Arts Center; from rehearsal in a pre-school building to offering classes, troupes, camps, and performances in a four-suite studio; from an unknown theatre to a highly regarded, award-winning nonpro�it organization; it’s been a miraculous 20-plus years.”

A professional musician, McMahon composed original music for seven of EVCT’s productions. She received six ariZoni nominations and four garnered awards.

Parents enroll children in the theater for many reasons, but interest is perhaps key.

Five years ago, Tre Moore of Mesa was enrolled in a musical theater summer camp. That was the beginning of a new passion for the now 17-year-old.

“Theatre appeals to me because the possibilities are endless. Nothing is impossible in theatre. With the right amount of imagination, you can go just about anywhere,” said the self-confessed “completely unapologetic Broadway and musical theatre nerd.”

Parent volunteer Marco Velasquez Sr. of Gilbert said that he enrolled his son, Marco Velasquez Jr. four years ago because he expressed a sincere interest in it. His daughter followed suit.

Now 13, Marco is a seasoned thespian. He began at 9 with a performance with EVCT’s Performance Troupes and moved to stage productions for eight shows and participated in three virtual productions. The East Valley Children's Theatre has garnered numerous awards for its talented casting and colorful stagecraft. (Special to the Tribune)

His 6-year-old sister Victoria, also a participant, performed in a cabaret show and a production of Tales with Baba Yaga & A Bowl of Soup.

Their father says it has been one of the best decisions he’s made for his children and his family.

“EVCT provides a place where our children can perform, grow in con�idence and respect of theatre and their fellow performers, and experience true joy. It’s just such an incredible experience we’ve been fortunate to have,” he said.

“EVCT is so unique in that they’ve created a community and home whereby our children are challenged, can grow in con�idence, and can experience such fun and beautiful experiences that we, as a family can also enjoy,” said Velasquez, who considers himself an unof�icial ambassador for the organization.

The theater has drawn some kids out of their shell.

“EVCT has shown me how to show up con�idently in a space, be myself, and not worry about looking funny,” Tre said. “I have always been extroverted and outgoing, but EVCT has de�initely kept that spark alive. Some non-theatre related skills last much longer than the applause. Tre lists learning the importance of teamwork, time management, adaptability and sociability as part of his theater education. East Valley Children’s Theater was created when there was nothing similar in the area. Its precursor is the Chandler Children’s Theatre, begun by Robert and Patricia Goyer in 1994. They have since both passed. The organization dissolved after a few years, but the community-minded group, which also included Angie Majed, Christi Moffat, Hazel Morgan and Steve Furedy, decided to build it. In 1997, they reorganized it with a grant from The Boeing Co. “There wasn’t anything like this at that time. Now there are lots of children’s theaters. In the late 1990s and the early 2000s, there wasn’t anything. It was important for them for something to be here,” Rolston recalled. In 2005, shows were moved to the prestigious stage at Mesa Arts Center. Rolston organized a playwriting contest around the same time due to a dearth of plays written for children with a focus on stories and fairy tales.

“It has been so successful,” she said. The last competition received about 60 entries from around the world.

Johnson is perhaps a poster child of how children’s theater can shape someone’s life.

She has written about 10 of the plays that EVCT has performed over the years and has won original script AriZoni’s four times. “One of my favorite parts of writing for children is the out-of-the-box way they interpret my work,” Johnson said. “Kids are so creative and unencumbered by expectations and preconceived notions. They’re spongey-clay, soaking everything up and ready to be molded.”

Everybody is equal on stage.

“Everybody welcomes them and they can be themselves and not worry about being judged about who they were or where they come from,” Rolston said. “Theater is like that.”

Even during the pandemic’s peak, EVCT managed to produce plays virtually, making good use of technology. “In a �ield where theatres open and close all the time, and especially during the last year-and-half when theaters went dark across the world, this feels like an almost miraculous milestone,” Johnson said. ■

Anniversary year

East Valley Children’s Theatre is celebrating its 25th anniversary season from Sept. 23 to June 26 at Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St. Sept. 23-Oct. 3: The Clumsy Princess Dec. 2-12: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, the musical Feb. 10-20: The Prince and the Pauper, the musical June 16-26: Marion and the Merry Men, A New Legend of Robin Hood. Season tickets cost $50 per person. Details: 480-756-3828 or evct.org

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Gateway, called Ucci “an absolute ray of sunshine in our department.

“She is so positive and happy to come to work. During the last peak of COVID, many of our RNs were asked to be ‘Helping Hands’ in other departments. She came by my of�ice after her shift as Helping Hands, and thanked me for allowing her to go to the oncology �loor and work with such delightful patients.

“Ellie has a way of making your day with her sweet spirit and loving heart. I am so grateful to have Ellie in our department,” Heronema Garcia said.

Ucci is a caregiver at heart. When she learned her husband’s health would do better in a drier climate, they relocated to Arizona from Illinois in 1978 with their three daughters.

Ucci cared for her husband, who she calls

THE MESA TRIBUNE | AUGUST 29, 2021 her hero, until he passed away in 1990.

“He was my one great love,” she said.

In addition to working at Banner, Ucci spent 30 years as a school nurse with the Mesa Public Schools. She retired from there when she learned her then 17-yearold grandson had leukemia, so she could use her nursing experience to help care for him at home.

She provided care and support to him throughout his four-year cancer journey, and he is now cancer free and thriving.

Ucci is among four generations of her family who work at Banner Health. Her daughter, a grandson, granddaughter and great grandson also work in various positions. She said family and faith give her purpose in life.

“I love my family, God and medicine,” she said. “I love what I do and do what I love.” ■

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