TADA! Youth Theater, a group dedicated to performing plays and teaching drama classes specifically for kids, has a new musical out called “Heroes.” We spoke to Janine Nina Trevens, artistic director for TADA! and author of “Heroes” to find out what it’s all about.
What is the plot of “Heroes”?
It’s about these kids in this neighborhood…who are all very selfish… and are not really thinking about anyone else. Because of that, the Woman of Great Magic takes away the sun so that the world is in total darkness. For the sun to come back, they have to go on these three different journeys…based on things they need to learn.
How did you come up with the idea for the script?
Originally, it was a piece that TADA! commissioned from Tom Keegan and Davidson Lloyd in 1985. It was more of a play with music and was called a performance art piece. Tammy Holder, the composer and I, first rewrote it a little bit together and she added music to it. We kept the script basically the way it was in 2002–when we revived it–as a response to 9/11. The message then was that everyone can be heroes and that we should celebrate heroes. We decided to do it again now and make it more of a musical and more relevant to today…because we do feel like kids need to realize that they can be heroes… to both the world and society even at a young age.
How did you assemble the cast?
Our casts are always member of our resident youth ensemble. They are kids ages 8-18 who audition and are accepted into the program based on talent. It’s a total free pre-professional program for kids from all different boroughs and all different backgrounds who have a love for theater and a need to be on stage.
What do you want kids to learn from the show?
What I’d love kids to learn is that being who you are is important and that you don’t have to be like everybody else. Our audience watches kids just like them on stage working hard and performing and I feel they take something away from that.
What has been the overall response from parents?
Everybody seems to love it. I think the show is a great way for parents to start conversations with their kids about the heroes in their life and who they want to be. Also, parents see something different in the piece then kids do, whether they get more sentimental value out of it or they get the jokes on a different level. Our productions are very family-theater oriented so adults can enjoy them as much as kids can.
“Heroes,” along with “Unsung,” a dance-theater piece, is running through August 1 at the TADA! Youth Theater at 15 West 28th Street. Tickets are available at tadatheater.com.
