Schools

Children's Theatre Takes a Long Walk Down Memory Lane

Youth drama program celebrates 75 seasons with testimonials and memorabilia stretching back to the beginning.

Seventy-five years is a long time for any organization to stay in business. That'sĀ  especially true of one that relies almost entirely on a large number of volunteers to carry out its mission.

But the Wauwatosa Children's Theatre is not just still around after three-quarters of a century, it is thriving. One key reason is the longevity of those who participate.

"It seems to get under our skin," said Barbara Forbes, who has been directing WCT shows for "20-some years."

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"People who get involved tend to stay with it," she said.

Even Forbes' lengthy tenure pales compared to her directing colleague Lois Weber.

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"Oh, it's been about 45 years," Weber said. "It might be a little longer, but 45 years is safe to say."

Weber and Forbes' are collaborating on a collection of memorabilia reaching back to the first WCT season that will be on display Saturday afternoon at in a celebration of its diamond anniversary following a 2 p.m. performance of "The Crying Princess and the Golden Goose."

Forbes has been working on a timeline and scrapbooks with items representing nearly every season. She said that at the least, she has a newspaper notice from all but a very few years.

"I really don't believe there was ever a year that they didn't put on a show," Forbes said.

Forbes said that in preparation for the anniversary, various repositories around had been searched throroughly.

"We found two huge bags at East," she said. "The mice had gotten to a lot of it."

Among the gems she discovered was an original photo print from the 1936-'37 season from a show called "The Patchwork Girl of Oz," a play based on the seventh Oz book by Frank Baum, published in 1913.

Posters, scripts, programs and some of the classic costumes from past performances will also be on display.

The event will feature living memories as well, Weber said. Lynn Leider, the granddaughter of WCT founder Norma Reinhardt Muth, will speak about her family's long involvement, including that of her mother Marilyn Anderson, who took over from her mother.

"We have the fifth generation now," Weber said. "Lynn's daughter, Lisa, has been a part of it, and Lisa's daughter, who I think is 8 years old, was in a show last year."

Weber said that she and others stay involved for so long because of the purity of the mission and vision of Muth and Anderson.

"It's pretty well followed all along, bringing classic literature to children, especially the fairy tales," she said. "It has a moral value. We have no violence in the plays.

"It's to encourage children to gain confidence and composure in front of an audience. Mrs. Anderson always said, 'We're not building actors and actresses, we're giving children opportunities to grow."

Nevertheless, Weber said, there have been plenty of WCT kids who have gone on to continued careers in theatre ā€“ and one of them is Forbes' daughter, Alison Forbes.

"She started (with WCT) when she was 8," Forbes said, "and was in theatre all four years in high school while also working with First Stage.

"She's acted with most of the professional theatres in Milwaukee, and she has the lead in Skylight's "Sunday in the Park with George," opening in May."

Barbara Forbes fell in love with acting as a high school girl in Britain and has never lost her love for the stage.

"My husband and I go to see as many theatre performances as we can," she said. "Even when our daughter isn't in them."

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Let's go!

Children's Theatre of Wauwatosa

"Celebrating Seventy-Five Years of Happily Ever After"

When: 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Wauwatosa West High School, 1400 W. Center St.

The celebration follows a performance at 2 p.m. of "The Crying Princess and the Golden Goose." Admission to the show is $4.

The Wauwatosa Children's Theatre is a program of the Wauwatosa Recreation Department.


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