A message from himself

e3: a brief history
My father has been a Presbyterian minister for almost 40 years. We spent many summers at theological seminars hosted by St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. As a child, there were MANY things to do on campus, but one of the highlights (for me) was watching the summer theater performances every year. I didn't know it then, but I would actually become classmates and friends with some of these people - the Tortoise and the Hare (they know who they are).
Pat Quade, who ran the Theater Department at St. Olaf for many years, created and ran a Children's Summer Theater Institute utilizing the many talents of the
St. Olaf Theater faculty and students. This is where the idea was spawned and my introduction to this world began...

Unfortunately, this program ceased to exist by the time I got to college; however, as I was preparing to graduate in the spring of 1993,
I saw a job posting for a position as part of a 5 week summer theater program for kids that would be based in Minneapolis.
PERFECT - a job in my field AND in the city where I was going to live. Could I actually get paid to do theater? What a novel idea.
This is where the Children's Summer Theater Institute (CSTI) began. I worked for CSTI for 9 summers and, throughout my tenure, served as their
technical director/instructor, set designer/builder, creative dramatics instructor, assistant director, costume designer, and artistic director.
That is where I met and worked with some of e3's current employees: Ashley Harness, Anna Cramer, and Adara Bryan.

During the winter of 2001-02, in discussing WHAT I do in the summer and WHY I do it with some of my good friends,
they encouraged me to take a risk and start my own company. That is what I did.
I owe SO much to the experiences I had for those 9 summers. They changed me forever.
Then, in February of 2002, theatre e3 was born and a new chapter in my life opened.

eric's musings on creating theatre with children
There are many that think I must be crazy to spend 5 weeks of my summer with 70 kids between the ages of 7 and 14. I cannot imagine my life without it.
Theatre is a sacred space for me. It can be intellectual, it can be frustrating, it can be inspiring, and it can be fun!
I have NO desire to create the future Lawrence Olivier's or Sarah Bernhardt's. If it happens, that is just icing on the cake (I love cake!).
My desire for e3 is to create a safe, welcoming space for kids to play, to experiment with the beauty and power that is theatrical representation.

One of my major goals in the course of the 5 week program is to create an ensemble. I have been told my ENTIRE theater career that "there are no small parts, only small actors." I used to scoff at that idea on a regular basis, but it was my high school theater director, Jim Lamson, who truly taught me the beauty of that.
He made me feel intrinsic to any play I was in. Ask my mother about my first "main stage" high school play: I carried a plant on stage, cried and blew my nose really loud and humorously. That's what I did. But I was treated with the same demeanor and respect as the seniors who had the leads. That has stuck with me and a play; a performance is only as good as the entire company's commitment to it. It is that commitment and support that I strive to teach the students during their time at e3.

My heart has been warmed continuously over my years doing summer theater as I watch kids grow into young adults and take on that leadership role and mentor the younger students. They support each other both on stage and off. What many don't know is that not only do these students perform a full length musical, but they are in charge of knowing all of their lines (no prompting), their blocking, their costume changes and all of the scene changes.
They do it ALL, they do it well, and most importantly, they have fun while doing it.

e3 has become a family. That's how I view it.
And every year, as with any family, there is change: new members are added, some move on to other things, but the memories will be there forever.
In a dedication and tribute to e3, Ali Lauer ('05 graduate) stated that "e3 is my neverland - I wish I could stay young forever." That's how I feel. I feel blessed that I have helped create a space of learning, a space of risk taking, a space of community, a space of acceptance, and a space for laughing.
I've been doing this for 14 summers and I look forward to it every year.

Theatre is the tool we use to create community, to promote leadership and learning, and a backdrop or a common love, to build a family.

-e

© 2006 theatre e3
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Last modified April 10, 2009