Chris King looks back at Little Theatre history

I retired from Cape Henlopen High School several years ago. I was so ready to leave. After working in a cold, damp or hot, humid, windowless building for so many years, I was ready to live in the sun – no, not Florida, here in Delaware.

My career spanned 24 years; 15 of those were as a theatre teacher helping to produce three plays a year. I was suffering from a burnout that I thought couldn’t be cooled. I left the teaching profession never looking back – until this week.

As I see the demolition equipment sitting in the middle of the space that used to be the Cape High’s Little Theatre, I have a lump in my throat. I am surprised by all the memories that suddenly descend on me as stage walls tumble, bricks splay and steel buckles.

Hundreds of students performed on the Little Theatre stage. How do they feel about witnessing their Little Theater fall? Is there a general sadness in seeing outdated mortar and brick, once a symbol of their education, fade away?

I spent many years in the classroom teaching English and theatre academic classes, but the moments that stand out are those in the theatre preparing plays for the stage. Comedies and dramas were rehearsed five or six weeks, and musicals took at least eight to 10 weeks of rehearsal. By the end of the preparation, teachers and students knew each other pretty well.

Some of my most memorable moments with Cape’s students involved feelings of frustration during rehearsal periods when students didn’t show up for practice because they thought their absence wouldn’t be a big deal.

Ironically, two or three main cast members would decide this on the same day, making a productive rehearsal impossible. Then there were the feelings of pride and jubilation as I saw students after weeks of practice overcome stage fright, inhibitions and intense direction to evoke a wonderfully believable character for the stage. And what a feeling of satisfaction when a stagehand, through the creative process, solved a problem and produced a set piece, costume ensemble or lighting design that enhanced the show.

However, my most profound feelings involved the spirituality of the theatre experience. Isn’t it more or less a miracle when you take various young people with little or no experience, then educate, direct and practice them so they are able to create a theatre experience that leaves a lasting impression?

This spiritual experience almost always ensures that the students and the audience will be back for more.

Yes, working with a play is a lasting memory for both teacher and student. We loved the laughter, the pranks, the stimulating rehearsal moments; we hated the intensity, the deadlines, the tiredness. We looked forward to the play’s end and then missed it terribly, having the void of rehearsal in our afternoon schedules. In the aftermath and glow of a good show, someone would always say the minute the show was over, “When is the next tryout?”

Where are these students today? Many have stayed in the profession and continued to perform as actors, musicians, dancers and singers in entertainment venues across America. Some have pursued teaching careers to pass on the many life skills learned through the collaborative effort of theatre, but with most, the experience of performing has left a memory, a memory that they’ll share with their children when they say, “Hey, why don’t you try out for the school play? I performed when I was in school.”

No matter what, experiencing the rehearsal process, working backstage and performing are unforgettable learning experiences, lasting memories, even when the building is no longer there.