May 17, 2007

Stars in their eyes

Kathy Olson’s Children’s Playhouse of San Jose creates the future stars of tomorrow

By Jeanne Carbone Lewis
Staff Writer

Kathleen Olson loves the stage.

Growing up in Minnesota, Olson and her siblings would perform behind clothes lines, charging a nickel to their parents or anyone else who would attend. From there, she acted in plays in school and in Community Theater.

Along the way, she married a military man who was overseas much of the time, earned her teaching degree, raised three children and taught learning handicapped students, English and theater at Almaden’s Castillero Middle School. While at the school she started the theater department in 1983. Somehow the energetic Olson found time to create the Children’s Play House of San Jose in 1975.

Kathy Olson on the performance night of the “Journey of Jane and Hercules.” Photo by Allison Johnson

“The Children’s Play House started when a friend and I looked in the newspaper and found that San Jose Children’s Musical Theater was offering a program,” said Olson. “They asked if I could play the piano and direct. I said yes, but I needed to write my own material, which I had never done before. I don’t know what possessed me to do that other than I didn’t like what I saw out there.”

Children’s theater at the time allowed only for less than eight children to act in a play. Olson decided to write new material where 30 or more kids would be on the stage at once. She founded Children’s Play House 30 years ago to give every child a chance to participate. She charges families significantly less than other children’s production companies. The goal is to have fun and to learn important skills like public speaking, self-esteem and meeting new friends, which are all part in parcel of the Children’s Play House experience.

“It’s just fun for the kids,” said Children’s Play House Executive Assistant Cheryl Nicholls. “There’s no pressure. They’re learning and developing skills while having fun.”

To date, Olson has written 45 musicals, comedies and drama-des featuring morality dilemmas and learning situations for the children to explore. The plays are constantly tweaked depending on how many kindergartners through eighth graders attend. And besides performances at schools and churches in Almaden, Los Gatos, Blossom Valley, Willow Glen and Morgan Hill, Children’s Play House even offers a week of summer camp where students work toward performing a one-act play at the end of the week.

Although the focus is on fun, several of the alumni of Children’s Play House have achieved success in show business. Sean Smith had a speaking roll in the “The Bourne Identity” and appeared in “Phantom of the Opera” in L.A. Another is in an off Broadway play while another appears in TV commercials.

Nicholls first heard of Children’s Play House when her first grade daughter Britney signed up to perform 10 years ago. “Britney was very shy so we needed to help her find her voice,” said Nicholls. “Now she’s a stage addict.”

So much so that Britney is assistant director for her mother in the production of “Alice in Wonderland” at the Carden Academy in Morgan Hill.

And that’s what you find at Children’s Play House. The kids come back either to act in another Olson play or even to direct when they’re older. And parents rave about the program.

“Three of my four children have attended Children’s Play House,” said Graystone Elementary School parent Allison Johnson. “The beauty of the program is that it provides a place and opportunity for kids to sing and perform which isn’t available in a lot of schools these days. The confidence to be up in front of others naturally occurs from performing, and is a valuable life lesson going forward. There is a window of opportunity when a child is willing to do this and this program catches that time period.”

The "Journey of Jane and Hercules" was performed at Oak Grove High School recently. Photo by Allison Johnson

Johnson’s fourth grader Sara is now rehearsing for the Children’s Play House production of “The Reunion” scheduled at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Blossom Valley on June 9.

“It’s fun to be in the plays,” said Sarah, 10. “And it’s a place to meet new people and become friends with them. I also got a couple of friends from school to do a play with me. It’s something they normally wouldn’t do but they really liked it.”

Olson admits she had thought of retiring when she left teaching at Castillero Middle School in 2002. But “the smiles on the kids’ faces” keeps her writing, directing, sewing costumes, choreographing, musical directing and the like.

“I have a great deal of energy, I’m kind of hyperactive,” said Olson. “The Children’s Play House is a passion of mine, and I’ve seen the good it’s done. I thought of retiring but lots of kids need this. It’s a special place for a special child.”

A performance of “The Reunion” is scheduled for June 9 at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Blossom Valley. “The Big Bad Wolf” will be performed June 11 at Simonds Elementary School in Almaden Valley. Summer Camp is scheduled for the week of June 25-29.

For more information on Children’s Play House of San Jose visit www.childrensplayhouse.org or contact Kathy Olson at (408) 858-1257 or cphofsj@sbcglobal.net.