W T
(jetstone
13, 2003
J2^teat, M(^87Sr
JMontreat Coffm's Student H/oice
“Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”
Amy Lauren Scoggin
I laughed, I cried, I
reconsidered the meaning
of life, love, and joy. “Ev
erything I Need to Know
I Learned in Kindergar
ten” moved me and the
other audience members
in ways I’m sure most of
us never expected when
we walked into Gaither
Chapel on that fateful
Saturday night. From the
truly excellent acting and
direction, to the moving
story line and the inven
tive and beautiful music,
the entire production was
truly a feast for theatre
fans and newcomers
alike.
The piece consisted
of multiple scenes of
heart-warming delight.
including a fantastically
hilarious “song” called
“Uh-oh!” in which the
cast, in choir robes.
rhythmically chanted the
random “oops”, “yikes”,
and “uh-oh’s” that ac
company life. This scene
brought a lot of laughter
from the crowd, myself
included.
Continuing with the
theme of
Kindergar
ten hilarity,
the well-
arranged
ensemble
of charac
ters of
fered what
I found to
be the most |
amusing
scene, in
volving the
portrayal
of the play
“Cinder
ella.” In
the scene,
one child who stands out
from the rest learns what
it means to be yourself,
and to live life to the
fullest without fear of
judgment or ry>ercus-
sions. The performance
by Chad Britts in this
scene was especially
funny and heartwarming,
and his commitment to
the part was apparent, as
he demonstrated a hilari
ous amount of gymnas
tic ability, leaping and
jumping around the stage
in a particular moment
of theatrical wonder.
While each scene was
moving and wonder
ful, the more serious
and somber scenes were
especially well acted and
directed. During one
scene I remember espe
cially well, actor Stepha
nie Routh portrayed a
woman fully devoted to
her Alzheimer’s-ridden
husband played by Jor
dan Karr. She shared her
story of caring and strug
gle with a sense of joy
and love that pulled on
the heartstrings of even
this hard-nosed critic.
The entire cast worked
together to make scenes
like that bring tears to
many a viewer’s eye, and
warmth to our hearts.
The final scene of the
play was, in my opinion,
the most masterful. Each
actor came together to
bring the existence of
God and our place in
this world to light in the
simplest of ways. With
absolute commitment
CO their
roles, the
msemble
:apti-
.^ated this
dewer,
:aus-
ing me
to leave
isking my
3wn ques
tions and
feeling a
renewed
sense.of
appre
ciation
for God,
the little
things, and everything
my teacher. Miss Leon
ard, taught me in Kin
dergarten.
The truth is, the play’s
title is accurate. We do
learn so many basic es
sentials to life in those
first years of school,
interacting with each
other in the most basic
ways. Learning to share,
no hitting, always tell
the truth. These things
carrv us through to our
final years, and instill in
us the basic moral prin-
ciples of life. If nothing
else, “Everything I Need
To Know I Learned in
Kindergarten” taught
me this: Miss Leonard
deserves a hug the next
time I see her, because
she’s the reason I know
that it’s okay to make a
mistake as long as you fix
it, that you won’t die if
you swallow a watermel
on seed, and corn is for
eating, not shoving into
boys’ noses.
“May the God of hopefill you with alljoy and peace as
you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope
by the power ofthe Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13
Grew:
Artie Adkins
Savanna Biggs
Chad Britts
Caitlin DeBoer
Ashley Craig
Spencer Dobrolski
Krystal Jones
Amanda King
Jordan Karr
Cami Routh
Stephanie Routh
Megan Russ
Nathan Adams
Buck Hinman
Directed by Callan White-Hinman