when Andrew was a student of Mr . K ’ s . Mr . K ’ s influence also shines through the selection of the material , as Andrew indicates : “ Shakespearean productions were a regular part of the program when Bill Kilipstine was the director years ago .” As a result , the current theater department ’ s goals include the intention that Shakespeare be performed every other year as part of the repertoire .
Specific to this season ’ s Macbeth , Andrew says , “ Working on this production is unique and exciting for several reasons . Not only is every member of our cast new to Shakespeare , but most are working on a three-quarter thrust stage for the first time .” He explains , “ In this unusually intimate arrangement , the audience sits on three sides of the performance area , very close to the performers ( in rows only three or four chairs deep ).” Andrew adds , “ Everyone will feel like they have a front-row seat to Macbeth ’ s murderous plot ! The cast and I are working to develop a grand sense of Shakespeare ’ s language to pair with an ultra-realistic , up-close acting style .”
In addition to continuing Mr . K ’ s tradition of Shakespeare curriculum , Andrew says , “ Mr . K had a very student-led program , with a student house manager , student light designer , etc . The program was built on passing on knowledge to the next generation . Seniors taught the younger generation . It ran like clockwork . It was invisible .” Andrew wants to recreate that system for his own students . “ This is the first graduating class this year who could have been with us from the beginning of that system .” He hopes to see some of that knowledge moving forward .
A Family Rooted In Community Theater Experience
Before learning from Mr . K or Berkeley , Andrew and his brothers — Josh , Matthew , and Nathan — learned from their mother who has been creating sets , choreography and directing plays as long as Andrew can remember . Despite this , Janell has no formal theater training . Instead she has a wealth of experience . Between all the theater companies their family has been involved with , she laughs saying , “ Sometimes we were doing five shows at time as a family .” Though , she says they ’ ve learned not to repeat that much overlap too often .
Janell started her work in theater at The Point Church in San Jose in 2003 and continues there today , gradually taking over for the current program director . She laughs and blames a third-grade Andrew who wanted to be in the church play . She tells him , “ It ’ s all your fault . You said , ‘ Mom , no one else is going to do it .’” She gave in , and his first role at the church was as a holiday card company villain in the 1990 ’ s age of political correctness who was trying to take the word “ Christ ” out of “ Christmas ,” to which he had a song and dance in a suit and sunglasses .
She refers to her training as trial by fire . In terms of directing , she explains , “ If you are a people watcher , and you know how people are , then you know how they should be because you read into them .” She also explains the need for patience and flexibility . “ It ’ s trial and error when you ’ re working with kids : okay , that didn ’ t work , so next time I go to rehearsal , I need to try something else to bring it out of someone . Those are people strategies .”
But Andrew remembers both his mom ’ s creative skills and efforts going back further . He says to his mom , “ I remember once there was some church event when I was quite young , and you turned a room into a garden that was a realistic experience . It had a mirror on the ground , and you made rocks out of paper . It was a full creative environment .”
“ You have to have some kind of creative something . You ’ re right ,” Janell says to Andrew . She recalls trying to sort out choreography to a particular song . “ I remember showing up the church and listening to the music 15 times in the car , and I figured out how to do it .” Her patience and persistence paid off when she served as Nordstrom Elementary School ’ s theater program director for seven years , working with up to 80 kids per year — some as young as first graders . While there was tremendous parent support and organization , the shows were quite elaborate and there wasn ’ t really a stage , so they would build a stage and sets from the ground up each time .
When Andrew graduated from Nordstrom and left its theater program , he also largely abandoned the acting scene because there was no theater program at Britton Middle School . Instead he immersed himself in the world of scenic design for Nordstrom ’ s productions and continued to work with his family . In South County and beyond , Andrew is known for his elaborate sets , which he has designed using a series of sophisticated computer software programs over the years .
Janell and Andrew both spent significant time working on sets and direction at South Valley Community Theater in Morgan Hill . Janell directed a number of teen shows , using those people skills and her own experience raising four teenage boys to wrangle kids into the characters she needed them to be . Andrew has been very successful designing highly complex and extravagant sets that challenged his family and other members of the community to build .
New Goals For Live Oak Theater Guild ’ s Future
Now that Andrew , Janell and occasionally some of the other Cummings brothers are reunited back at Live Oak , thanks to Ware , many full circles have been completed . While Andrew never thought he ’ d be teaching at his old high school , he says , “ The administration is very supportive and lets us be creative without a lot of censorship .” It ’ s also a good fit for hungry young minds who want the “ aha ” moments he loves to provide . “ It ’ s an enthusiastic group ,” he says . Circling back to the Nordstrom days , Andrew adds , “ I have students say , ‘ I know your mom .’” Janell adds , “ It ’ s fun to see them now .” As the theater department comes into contact with faces familiar and new , another primary goal is to create a safe space for kids who may not feel comfortable elsewhere on campus . At the same time , Andrew says one of the student officers ’ goals is to involve more kids in theater , both as actors and with tech , from all groups and walks of life . He ’ s pleased that the numbers show progress on that front , but wants to do more create inclusion ; kids should know that anyone can participate in theater .
Andrew is also trying to bring in more collaboration from other departments . For the first time at Live Oak , art students will be painting sets for a theater production during Macbeth , and the Fashion Club is sewing costumes .
As the theater department plans for A Christmas Carol and the accompanying Dickens Faire , they hope this tradition will help build a more stable audience base and create a place in the community where people will commit to return to Live Oak ’ s productions . Last year they created a smaller version of the Dickens Faire display in the lobby . This year , the Dickens Faire will be a realistic immersive London street in the lobby , with imbedded actors and an interactive theater experience including dialogue with accents , and more .
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2016 gmhtoday . com
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