Oregon Children's Theatre Presents YOUR TURN!

Oregon Children's Theatre presents Your Turn!, a brand-new, kid-centric episodic show that will inspire joy, fun, and activity in students and families, premiering on November 1, 2020. Each episode focuses on a different theme, and explores that theme through music, movement, art, mindful moments, and much more. The series will be the first episodic video series produced by OCT and marks an exciting milestone in the organization's ability to engage with a local and national audience, amidst COVID-19 public gathering restrictions.

The show's creators and artists, Sydney Jackson and Kaleena Newman, have been collaborators since 2017. They co-create theatre, movement, and filmed works, as well as teach together. Kaleena and Sydney specialize in working for and with kids. Kaleena's background is in Theatre for Young Audiences and has worked as an actor and teaching artist with Oregon Children's Theatre, Childsplay Theater (Phoenix, AZ), Bay Area Children's Theatre (Oakland, CA), and Northwest Children's Theatre. Sydney is a movement artist with training in modern dance and improvisation, and has led workshops, choreographed, and performed in cities across the U.S and internationally. They are also a black farmer.

"I have always been drawn to creating a kids' show, even when I was a kid," explained Newman, "but now instead of coercing my siblings into helping me, Sydney and I have the support and partnership of OCT, which is a wonderful collaboration. This project has given Sydney and myself the creative freedom to make something totally new, to focus on we want to create. It has also allowed me to combine both my acting and teaching backgrounds in a new way."

Largely thanks to their previous collaborations, the on-screen chemistry is undeniable. "When Sydney and Kaleena work together, they make magic," said Marcella Crowson, Artistic Director at OCT. "When we had the idea for an episodic series, we knew that they would be the perfect pair to collaborate with and create a fun-filled, educational, and child-centric show."

In its development, it was important that the voice of the child be strongly represented; even the concept and the title of the show, Your Turn!, speaks to the role of the child in the creation of the show. "We wanted kids to feel like they were a part of the show, not just inactive viewers," Crowson commented. "They can participate right alongside Sydney and Kaleena and have the opportunity to see themselves reflected in the show as well." Each episode features a video submission from kids sharing things they love to do, like games, activities, or stories.

"Imagining the students we've taught viewing the different segments was both an enjoyable part of the process and an endless inspiration," Jackson added. "Seeing kids talk about the show or do the activities from the show has been one of the best parts." Most importantly, families and classrooms can spend time laughing, playing, and learning together while watching the show; its segmented approach and online streaming makes it possible to pause the show and dive into the themes and activities together.

The first episode, entitled 'Creating Something New,' explores something all kids can identify with: the joy, excitement, anxiety, and bravery that can come along with trying something new. In the episode, kids learn about a viewer's unique way of going to school, new games, recipes, and more. The theme was meaningful for Jackson and Newman as well. "As we say in Episode One, 'creating new things can be scary,'" Jackson continued. "It is nerve-wracking to create content for a multitude of reasons, but I know how important it would have been for me as a kid to see a queer, black person hosting one of the shows I watched. Creating the show has also pushed me to stretch beyond my usual projects, and for that I am grateful!"

OCT is committed to serving educators during this uncharted era of distance and hybrid learning. In support of schools and homeschoolers, free supplemental learning activities for each episode of Your Turn! will be made available for teachers on the website. "We know that this is a challenging time for educators as well as families," Crowson stated. "Parents and teachers are coming together in new and exciting ways to facilitate learning for their children, and our goal is to support that collaboration by providing resources that can serve both, while also bringing the magic of theater into the home and classroom."

Your Turn! is the second premiere of a virtual project for OCT since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but its first episodic production. New episodes will be released on a monthly basis, streaming for free online through OCT's Facebook and YouTube channels, starting on November 1, 2020. No registration is required to view, but donations to Oregon Children's Theatre are highly encouraged for the organization to create more episodes and digital content. Learn more about the show at octc.org/your-turn.

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