Early yesterday morning, just as the sun started to backlight the grey rain clouds overhung from last night’s shower, we made our way downcity to my favorite theatre.

PPAC was filled to its maximum with excited children, field tripping to the ballet as part of Providence’s community arts outreach program.  What a wonderful way to debut our cast of Hansel & Gretel, on the biggest stage in the state before thousands of enthusiastic kids.  They make the most interesting spectators, don’t they?

Maybe I’m projecting my time as a child of the theatre, but I feel so fueled by the spontaneity of a young audience.  A rogue chuckle here, a random gasp there, reactions unfiltered and not one emotion held back.  It’s so helpful to be reminded what it feels like to see the show with fresh eyes, after hours of rehearsing the same scenes again and again.  Even when a show feels stale (which trust me, this one definitely does not!) you can always count on a child audience to teach you something new about it, purely through their physical reception of the performance.

The gloomy weather in Providence this morning also lent itself quite well to the dark tone of this story.  Then again, I have been known to relate outside surroundings to inside feelings…

Projections of my psyche aside, with well-timed applause, hooting and hollering aplenty, I’d say the show was an overall success.

There are 3 more chances to catch us in Ilya Kozadayev’s brand new production of Hansel & Gretel, this time in our black box theatre on Hope Street.  Don’t miss it.

For tickets.