Interview by Kira Cramer

This month’s spotlight shines on Kendal Clifton, our musical director for our summer camp production of The Claw. Kendal worked closely with Megan Hicks for both sessions of campers, teaching them many songs about friendship and conquering fears. Kendal currently attends WSU and is studying Music Education. We are grateful to her for spending two weeks of her summer at The Merc with our young actors.

Kendal and I found some time during rehearsals to talk about her theater experiences. Our conversation follows:

Tell us about your past experience with theater.
Kendal has been performing in plays and musicals from 3rd grade on, and she’s 19 now. She has been cast in ensemble and lead roles in musical and non-musical productions. Some of Kendal’s favorite roles are The Cat in The Hat, Seussical and as Maria in The Sound of Music.


What excites you about live theater?
Kendal shares that she is excited about participating in live theater because it is unique – much  different from a movie-musical. While film production often has multiple takes, live theater is intimate; no matter what character you play, someone in the audience will make a connection. 

As an actor, she says that she enjoys portraying a character totally unlike who she is.


Why is live theater important in a small community like the Methow Valley?
Kendal doesn’t come from a super small community, but she believes that live theater gives everyone something to participate in. She says that it’s a way for kids to understand what a community can be, and that theater doesn’t always have to be competitive or like Broadway. 

Kendal continues that live theater is an important building block that helps community members, young and older, know each other in ways different from just knowing each other in a small community.


Can you share a unique experience you have had in a theater setting… As an actor or director?
Kendal responded that in junior high, she was the understudy for Peter Pan and had no idea what it was going to entail. She learned a lot when she shadowed the actor who was playing Peter Pan (she was cast as one of the Lost Boys.) The part taught her that it’s okay not to be the lead because she realized that everyone gets a turn and the role you are cast in is usually what’s best for you and the show. 

Kendal also shared that she choreographed the dances for Seussical with her friends in high school, noting that it was fun to be behind the scenes as well as on the stage. Kendal highly recommends getting some experience in any aspect of theater–on stage as well as backstage – because working in multiple areas of the theater teaches a variety of skills and helps you gain appreciation for all that goes into a production.


What draws you to a particular script like The Claw?
Kendal commented that she did not expect The Claw to  address as many topics as it does. She noted the complexities of emotions in the music–friendship and navigating life choices, which can  teach the actors as well as audience members valuable life lessons that she hopes stick with them. She comments further that good theater has something that everyone can relate to, and if she were to choose a script for a children’s show, it would definitely be uplifting. In a good script, she says, struggle is necessary so that there is a positive resolution. Kendal says that music is most important to her – she is a musician first and a thespian second. Music, she says, always amplifies the story.

As a director, what do you hope to accomplish?
Kendal’s first goal is for the kids to have a good time. It should be fun, they should feel safe, and learn something. Whether they pursue music or theater, it is a great experience to express yourself and work on a team. Sports are more pressure, but theater allows you to be yourself with less confinement. 

Kendal hopes the actors leave the camp with a sense of accomplishment, and  if they get the message from the show, that’s great. If they have the songs stuck in their head, it might become their motto and that is powerful – “it’s the best day…”


Anything else you would like to share?
Kendal shares that The Merc Playhouse could be in a much bigger city and do just as well because of  the quality of performance and talent. She further states that the Methow Valley community is so powerful with auditions happening during the week of camp. She loves that everyone seems to know and help each other out. 

Kendal also stated how amazing Megan Hicks is as a director, actress, dancer, and choreographer; she says that she has learned so much being in her productions and working with her. Kendal continues that Megan has thoroughly inspired her to become a teacher with her passion and creativity, and Kendal hopes to continue participating in theater’s many aspects.

We are so fortunate to have Kendal as our Musical Director during camp weeks and hope she will be back to work with our Merc Playhouse campers in the future.

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Interviewed by Kira Cramer, Executive Director
 
KIRA: Tell us about your experience with theater.
DON: Before I connected with The Merc, my last acting had been in a high school production of The Mouse That Roared. I played a crazy general, I think. About 10 years ago, Jane Hubrig and Ki Gottberg convinced me to take a role in Twelfth Night, which Ki was directing with a Western setting. I played Sir Toby Belch, a drunken womanizer, so typecasting right off the bat! I don’t know what I was thinking going straight from nothing to Shakespeare, but I had a great time with the cast and crew and have been hooked ever since.

I also acted in a Readers Theater production of Morning’s at Seven, and a full production of The Importance of Being Earnest (so, I went from a drunken womanizer to an Anglican minister — easy transition). I rehearsed for the full production of The Real Inspector Hound, but had to drop out at the last minute because of a medical issue. Big disappointment, especially in that it turns out my character was in fact the “real” Inspector Hound.

I have directed two Readers Theater productions (The Gift of the Magi and The Lifespan of a Fact) and one full production (Rope). Each was a different experience, all were incredibly rewarding.

KIRA: What excites you about live theater?
DON: Engaging with the audience, taking them to someplace they have never experienced for a couple of hours. During that time, the audience and cast agree to suspend disbelief and remove themselves from the rest of the world, in a shared space. It’s intimate, personal and often emotional. And there’s the uncertainty of being “live” — it’s like a tightrope walk every night. You have to be OK with that challenge, as nervous as it might make you (and I am always nervous).

KIRA: Why is it important in a small community like the Methow Valley?
DON: It’s a creative outlet and opportunity for people who thrive in that kind of environment (and it seems there are plenty of us). For audiences, it’s a chance to experience excellent and diverse productions and enjoy the creative talents of people they know. For me, it’s a way to not be “the publisher” for a while, and take part in something I enjoy.

KIRA: Can you share a unique experience you have had in a theater
setting... as an actor or director?
DON: ​In a broader sense, I have realized (and used to my advantage) that there are similarities in what I do as a newspaper editor and what I do as a director. The parallels are interesting. I explored that connection in an essay I wrote for Nieman Storyboard, a website devoted to narrative writing and editing skills. You can find it at The role of editor as director. The one generic lesson I’ve learned is that, when you are putting a play (or a story) together, everything is intentional.

KIRA: What draws you to a particular script like Rope or The Lifespan of A Fact?
DON: I like intriguing, nuanced characters and moral ambiguity. Rope was a psychological thriller that posed questions about how far someone would go to prove their beliefs. Lifespan took on a hot-button topical issue that is not easily resolved, as we learned from a very well-written script which gave each of the characters a lot to do.

KIRA: As a director, what do you hope to accomplish?
DON: For the audience, I would hope they’d come away asking questions and talking about what they just saw. For the cast, I would like them to feel invested in the characters and be respected for their efforts to inhabit the roles; and to feel like part of a supportive team. I’m not a taskmaster director, I don’t think — I try to convey my sense of what the play is attempting to accomplish, and what each character contributes to that. But I do go in with a very clear idea of what I want to happen.

KIRA: Anything else you would like us to know?
DON: There are all kinds of ways to get involved in community theater, and every one of them is crucial to a successful production. You don’t have to act or direct to have a meaningful “role” in bringing a play to life. A lot of behind-the-scenes work goes into making it possible for those actors to walk out on the stage every night (and they are grateful for it).

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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in one of the Merc’s amazing children’s theater productions?  We thought we would find out by talking to Rowan Kelley and Asher Fisher, two cast members of “Beauty and the Beast,” currently in rehearsal at the Merc.

First of all, I asked the two of them about their past experience in theater.  Rowan, a sixth grader at Liberty Bell High School remembered that the first thing she did at the Merc was a summer theater camp.  She loved that and went on to audition for a part in “The Fantastic Mister Fox.”  She was cast in the role of Ms. Fox.  She then played the part of one of the Candy Cane Guards in the holiday production of “The Nutcracker.” She realizes that when she lived in Seattle, she would never have had these wonderful opportunities, so she loves being involved in a small community theater like the Merc.

Asher, a seventh grader at Liberty Bell High School, shared that he has really not done anything before “Beauty and the Beast,” except some fun plays with friends and a role in the Missoula Children’s Theater earlier this school year. 

Since they are playing the important parts of “Beauty” (Rowan) and “Beast” (Asher),  I wanted to know what it is like for them to be in this particular play.  Rowan explained that this might be her favorite role at the Merc because the rest of the actors in this play are so good and so well cast, and it’s really easy to work with them. She really likes the positive message of the play and the great characters in the story. 

Asher shared that for him, the play is quite fun, although he does have a lot of lines to learn and not enough time to memorize them!   He thinks that it is easier to learn his lines while moving his body around on stage.  

I asked them both what they say to other kids who might be thinking about auditioning for a Merc play but are wondering if they could do it.  They both said that,  “the directors here, like Ms. Orme,  are really great and do not judge you at all.  They’re not harsh and they take you as you are … work with what you’ve got.”   Their advice was, “don’t be scared to put yourself out there.”  They both agreed that they have learned a lot about theater in all of the productions they’ve been in, and that starting with a small role and working your way up to a major role is a good way to build your confidence.  

When I asked if there was anything else they wanted to add, both Rowan and Asher agreed that theater is, “a really fun thing to do and it’s a great way to express your emotions, express yourself, and work with a character that you like.  It is not too hard, so you should put yourself out there and give it a try!”  They wished that there was more theater at school but that overall, the Methow Valley provides lots of great opportunities. Asher said that he thought the world should be “covered” with acting because it helps you in a lot of ways that don’t have anything to do with theater, like building confidence, using your voice, and just being generally better. 

I honestly don’t think any of us at the Merc could have expressed the importance of theater any better than these two!  Be sure to come and see Rowan and Asher, and all of the amazing cast of “Beauty and the Beast,”  in March!​