Studio 3 Children’s Theatre Miss Electricity
By Michael & Laura Clark • Jan 30th, 2012 • Category: ReviewsStudio 3 Children’s Theatre
Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA
Through February 25th
55 minutes
$12/$8 Children
Reviewed January 28, 2012
Think back to the joy of being a kid again. You remember those wonderful mornings, sleeping in, birds chirping, your best friend living next door, a nagging mother, geography quizzes, and bullies at school. Miss Electricity follows the adventures of Violet, a fifth grader dealing with all the regular things all kids face. But since Violet believes she’s destined to be special in some way, so she puts all her efforts at becoming special. Her getting hit by lightning twice was an unexpected surprise, causing new problems.
This cute play was a great introduction to theater for children. The story was simple, presented straightforwardly. Scene and costume changes happened quickly, there were few times when the pace lagged, so children did not have the opportunity to get bored. There were a few special effects with the lights and sound which were well-timed. All four actors made their roles engaging and understandable.
Anna Jackson as Violet (who always wore shades of purple) was a lot of fun to watch. Her belief in her powers after being struck by lightning was believable. Eben Kuhns played Freddy, Violet’s assistant. He was more ground in reality, but he still believed in Violet, and supported her though all of her adventures. Chris Galindo and Sabra Michelle tackled multiple roles with lightning-quick costume changes, and both were successful at making all of their characters interesting and convincing.
The one weakness in the production was an aspect of the script. Near the end of the story, Violet’s problems overwhelmed her with no one to turn to, and is helped by the Greek goddess Athena. The deus ex machina used in this manner was quite unexpected, and the fantasy aspect of that solution to Violet’s situation really pulled me out of the show. Kids probably won’t be bothered by this.
Miss Electricity is the second production from the new Studio 3 Theatre for Young Audiences, part of the Workhouse Arts Center and Lorton Arts Foundation. Future productions include Sinbad, Rapunzel, and Winnie the Pooh. Definitely check out this very young theater company.
Director’s Notes
“I’m trying, but the 5th grade is hard.” Violet and very other 5th grader don’t realize yet that this sentence will be repeated throughout the rest of their lives, just changing the situation. Like Violet, we are all struggling to figure out how to do the best of what we are capable; how to be “special” and leave a mark. Expending time and energy to surpass our limited perception of ourselves, and sometimes overlooking the things we already have. Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz finds out that if “I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own back yard, because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.” Violet is on the same journey. In the age of the media blitz, technology overload and instant gratification, economic pressures and the pressure to over achieve, we often overlook the less complicated parts to our lives. The emotional connections that make us human give us the stability and strength we need to “keep trying” even though the 5th grade is hard. When we lose sight of those connections, or deny them; we lose our own path. As we move into a new year, Miss Electricity is the perfect choice for us her at Studio 3. Our personal connections to each other and to you the audience are what give us the great future we know is ahead. Thanks for being our “Freddy”, and enjoy the show.
Caren Hearne
Photo Gallery
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Photos by Melanie Beus
Cast
- Violet: Anna Jackson
- Freddy, Owl: Eben Kuhns
- Narrator, Billy-the-Bully, Zeus: Chris Glindo
- Mom, Connie-Can’t-Do, Mrs. Waldo, Athena: Sabra Michelle
- Understudy for Anna: Ashleigh Howard
- Understudy for Sabra: Megan Malone Behm
- Understudy for Eben and Chris: Calvin Register, Jr.
Technical Staff
- Director: Caren Hearne
- Assistant Director: Samantha Jalejel
- Technical Director: Joseph Wallen
- Sound Designer, Sound Board Operator: Alex Aucion
- Stage Manager, Light Board Operator: Kevin Laughon
- Assistant Stage Manger: Katie Cairns
- Costume Designer: Kristen Jepperson
- Program Designer: Calvin Register, Jr.
Disclaimer: Studio 3 Children’s Theatre provided a complimentary media ticket to ShowBizRadio for this review.
This article can be linked to as: http://washingtondc.showbizradio.com/goto/7601.