Kids Interactive Theatre Ensemble(KITE) was founded by Mark and Hara Lewis of Topanga as a charity fundraiser to help people in need. We were looking for ways to raise money for charitable healthcare initiatives when our daughter said, "Hey, why don't we put on a play?" Seemed like a good idea, so off we went.
Having many years experience both in theatre and working with kids, it seemed like a natural fit for both Hara and Mark to develop a workshop wherein the kids would create the play they would eventually present for an audience. We begin with the skeleton of 2 or 3 stories; folktales, fairytales, fables, etc. We present them to the group in a fairly neutral way, as an outline to be filled in. The kids, through improvisation and theatre games, then create the characters, dialogue, scenes, blocking etc, guided by their directors Hara and Mark. By around week four of our 10-week workshop, we have enough information to write the script and give it back to the kids, who then work it as a play for the remainder of the workshop. Then it's showtime!
One unique feature of our storytelling is its ensemble nature. We use no sets, very few props. Rather, the kids become the scenery, props, sound effects etc. We need a tall tower in the middle of a forest? Five kids come together and create the tower with their bodies. It has a high window and a great oaken door? They become those pieces too. The characters interact with this "human sculpture" just as they would with a constructed wooden set, but it's a lot more fun. As a result, there isn't the sense of "lead" roles and "supporting" roles; everyone feels they are an integral part of the story as a whole. No one has much "downtime" offstage. They are all constantly in motion, participating, feeling their contribution.
Another aspect that sets KITE apart is its tone. We as directors are very conscious of tone and content. Both Hara and Mark believe that children in theatre should be held in gentleness, respect and love; they do not wish or deserve to be condescended to, nor do they need the hyper-stimulation offered by so many theatre experiences ostensibly aimed at children. With that in mind, KITE was created to foster, encourage, and nurture the children’s innate sense of creative play; to provide a safe environment for them to express and create, to learn experientially before intellectually, to value process over product, and do it all while having FUN! This is theatre “for children by children”, presented on a level that is at once safe for the little ones and challenging for the bigger ones. A tricky balance, but one we believe we have struck with KITE.
Additionally, we feel strongly that in our society today there is a need for entertainments (especially geared towards children) that present a wholesome viewpoint, one of strong moral character and attention to values. This is an aesthetic which deeply touches all of the children involved in KITE, players and audiences alike. And we find it is tremendously appreciated by parents. In all the glowingly positive comments we receive from our shows, the overarching theme seems to be, “It was so KID FRIENDLY! So WHOLESOME! We go to so many shows that are supposed to be for kids but they’re scary or rough or somehow inappropriate, or else they’re just boring. But this was fun for the kids AND the grownups, and there was nothing in it that I didn’t want my 3-year old to see….”
KITE’s mission is to give what we can to people in need, and to foster the values of giving and generosity in the children whose lives we touch. The children in our workshops receive not only the satisfaction of having created a fun and fulfilling theatre experience, but more importantly the knowledge that they are contributing to the greater good.
About Mark and Hara Lewis:
Mark is an actor, musician, and writer holding a BFA in Drama/Music Theatre from Carnegie Mellon University. He has been an instructor of Orff Schulwerk at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music since 1999. His students there range in age from 2 - 14 years. He has also taught music at several PUSD schools through the Conservatory’s Community Outreach project, at several LAUSD schools through the Crossroads Community Foundation’s “PS Arts” program, and at St. Matthews School in Pacific Palisades. In addition, Mark teaches acting and improvisation for the Conejo Valley Homeschoolers Association, SolSeeds Homeschoolers, and the Theatricum Botanicum’s Academy of the Classics Youth Drama Camp. He is a composer and performer of children’s music and stories – his first CD is about to be released. You can hear streaming samples of his music and stories at www.marklewisworks.com
Hara currently leads a Waldorf kindergarten class for homeschoolers in the Topanga area. She was the group leader for SolSeeds, a Waldorf-inspired homeschoolers’ cooperative which at its height held 31 students from 23 families. The students ranged in age from preschool/kinder to 5th/6th grade. Hara was the group’s director for three years and led the kindergarten for four years, in addition to leading the upper grades’ drama classes and directing their plays. She is a certified La Leche League leader and post-partum doula. She has a strong theatre background, having worked in many aspects of theatre arts in Chicago and New York.
They have three children, ages 14, 12, and 6.
