By Alexandra Pecci
Correspondent
—
Miles Burns' deep singing voice is booming. The tones are strong with a rock-blues bite, which renders the subject matter somewhat unexpected.
"Drinking' milk under the sun. I'm drinkin' milk until the gallon's done," he bellows with exuberance.
Behind him, Grady O'Neil chimes in with '60s girl-group-style backups.
Burns, 25, and O'Neil, 23, are the new co-directors of youth programming at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth. Along with their determination to bring new life and energy to the children's stage, they also bring experience. Both Burns and O'Neil are products of the youth program at Seacoast Rep themselves and each has performed and worked at the theater for many years.
"My very first show as a kid was in the youth program here, so I've been here for 15 years in some capacity," O'Neil says.
That would have made her 8 years old at her debut.
"It positively influenced my life," she adds. "And it's kind of cool to make the decisions that will impact kids now."
In their new roles, Burns and O'Neil are trying to grow the theater experience for both the audience and the performers into an even bigger event than it has been in the past for this organization with roots dating back to the 1970s with Theater By The Sea.
During the run of their first show, "Rapunzel," Burns and O'Neil, along with guitar player Scottie Hermenau, dressed up in renaissance costumes, singing and handing out flyers outside on Bow Street to drum up interest and support.
"People have responded pretty well to that," Burns said. "We had 100 walk-up tickets sold last weekend. It's really exciting."
Burns, a songwriter, is incorporating some of his little ditties like the one about milk into pre-show concerts, as well as the featured performances. Last year, he got his first chance to compose music for the youth mainstage show, "Alice and Wonderland."
"I've been a writer of silly songs for a long time," he says.
Next up for the youth stage is "Madeline's Christmas," running from Dec. 11 to 19 and based on Ludwig Bemelman's book about the spunky little French schoolgirl. In addition to the performance, the event will include a pre-show concert featuring Burns as Santa, O'Neil as Mrs. Claus, and several "elves." They'll sell ornaments, perform Christmas songs, and let the kids take pictures with Santa.
"We're trying to make going to the theater for the audience members more of an event," O'Neil says. "It's kind of a fair when they walk into the theater with lots of people dressed in costumes."
As for the children who perform in their shows, O'Neil and Burns not only want to teach them about musical theater, but also provide a place where they can have fun, meet new friends and find their voices.
Burns says he has great memories of performing with the Seacoast Rep's youth program as a high school student.
"I felt comfortable in my skin, which is something that's hard to come by for a lot of teenagers," he says.
O'Neil agrees, saying that performing is a "really big confidence booster" for the kids; once they get over the hurdle of being nervous and they can just have fun onstage.
In addition to youth productions for which children have to audition, classes and a summer camp are offered through the theater to teach young people acting, singing and other theater skills. There's also an internship program for high school students.
Beyond the formal classes and performances, Burns and O'Neil also want to provide a support system.
"They need to have people that they can trust and talk to and feel supported by," O'Neil says.
Now that they're at the helm of youth programming, O'Neil and Burns say they hope they can bring a vibrancy and energy to the program that will give the kids the kind of experiences that they had when they were young. Those experiences helped them both on and off the stage.
"It's cool because Grady and I both performed in youth shows when we were little, too. ... I came out of my shell," Burns says.
He's happy to watch a similar metamorphosis with his own students, now.
"I know that they're getting friendship," he says. "And they're getting an education in something that they're into."
If you go:
What: Seacoast Repertory Theater Youth Program Performances.
Where: 125 Bow St., Portsmouth.
Upcoming shows: "Madeline's Christmas," Dec. 11 to 19; "Pinocchio," Feb. 12 to 27; "Puss in Boots," April 30 to May 15; "Alice in Wonderland," May 27 to June 5.
Learn more: Visit www.SeacoastRep.org or call 603-433-4793.
