Gamm dedicated to teaching kids (and adults) through theatre

By Ethan Hartley
Posted 10/4/18

By ETHAN HARTLEY -- The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre (Gamm) will present its first performance to a live audience from their new space at 1245 Jefferson Blvd. in Warwick on Monday, Oct. 8.

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Gamm dedicated to teaching kids (and adults) through theatre

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The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre (Gamm) will present its first performance to a live audience from their new space at 1245 Jefferson Blvd. in Warwick on Monday, Oct. 8. However, this show will be something a little lighter than their featured performance of Tennessee Williams’ “Night of the Iguana” that premieres on Oct. 16.

“Charlie Bumpers vs. the Really Nice Gnome” is a play targeted towards kids in elementary school but with a twist – the entire child-aged cast of characters is played by adults.

“It’s very funny for kids to see a grown man in a beard wearing a colorful cardigan,” said director Jessica Chace. “In general, it’s a very fast paced, high energy, very fun show. We use colorful blocks and simple costume pieces and hats to differentiate between the characters.”

The production will be the second production of a Charlie Bumpers book, which are adapted from the works of Rhode Island native Bill Harley, who has already authored six books in his children’s series that focuses on the life and adventures of a well-intentioned nine-year-old boy who can sometimes find himself in the middle of some troubling situations.

In this production, Charlie is set to perform in his 4th-grade play, but he gets the role of the “Really Nice Gnome” instead of his dream role of the “Evil Sorcerer.” Chace said that Charlie must learn through the play’s progression that sometimes you have to perform roles and responsibilities that you think you’d rather not do, and that you often realize these types of roles are what was for the best after all.

“Charlie is a very relatable character,” she said. “The kinds understand and relate to it.”

The kid-centric production is part of the Gamm’s Education Department, which began about a decade ago in the theater’s original home in Pawtucket. However, the theater began a more targeted focus on producing kid-friendly types of shows last year that combine with a focus on promoting literacy in local students, according to Susie Schutt, Education Director for the Gamm.

Last year, Schutt and the Gamm brought their production of the first Charlie Bumpers book into the Francis J. Varieur Elementary School in Pawtucket, breaking the play into three parts for three third grade classes to incorporate into a performance that they put on for the rest of their school peers.

“We do a lot of things but the biggest part of the work we do is going into schools and doing work with students by bringing a book and having them bring it to performance,” Schutt said. “We have a focus on literacy in the education department. Even though we’re a theatre company and are theater first and foremost, I never want to go into a school and just do something for fun. We try to have something that is solidly as part of a curriculum.”

Schutt said that the theater is now gearing up efforts to expand this type of programming to other school districts, and have already made connections in Providence, Central Falls, Woonsocket and now, of course, Warwick is a major target as well. “Especially in Warwick, we’re looking to build new connections here,” Schutt said.

These types of in-school programs are just one aspect of the education department’s larger focus in bringing theater to younger audiences. The Gamm also hosts in-house theater lessons for children and adults, and partners with local organizations such as the Kent County YMCA to put on summer acting camps to help hone skills and teach about the industry. Classes at the new theater space in Warwick will begin Oct. 17 for students and Oct. 15 for adults. Classes charge tuition but the Gamm also offer scholarships for those in financial need.

“We’ve received a lot of interest, and we’re hoping being in this space will make it more robust,” Schutt said of the opportunities for their classes. “I think the Gamm Education Presents program has the opportunity in this location to grow, and I’m hopeful that it will be a hit with families.”

After all, despite the child-centric focus of the Charlie Bumpers plays, Chace emphasized that the show – and the books they are based upon – are purposefully written to also appeal to the adults in the room, making theater more enjoyable for all ages.

“We started this Gamm Education Presents arm of the education dept to get more family and young children into our doors,” Chace said. “Theater should be accessible at any age, and if we instill that now hopefully they’ll continue to attend theater as adults.”

Both Chace and Schutt expressed excitement for the future of the Gamm in its new, much larger space. While Charlie Bumpers will be performed in the main stage area, it will actually be separated from the space currently being blocked and designed for Night of the Iguana.

“It’s very exciting for people to see Charlie Bumpers in the large theatre,” Chace said. “Knowing that right behind it is the set for ‘Iguana’ shows how versatile and large our space is. We want it to be a community space...And I think it will help people start seeing the full breadth of what we can offer to the community.”

To see the full schedule of performances for Charlie Bumpers, including the dates and times set aside for matinees and field trips for schools interested in bringing their classes to see the show visit www.gammtheatre.org/gep. To book a matinee for a class field trip, contact Tracy at 723-4266 ex. 111.

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