Hi, friend.

Children Are the Future…Superheroes. July 10, 2010

Working with Juniors is a wonderful thing. A terribly exhausting, obscenely fun thing.

What was our show about? “CATEGORY 5: a musical blown out of proportion” centers on Seagull High, your average run-of-the-mill educational facility with students, faculty, and a healthy student news team. Well, run-of-the-mill UNTIL 4 students receive letters in their lockers, inviting them to join the mysterious janitor’s club. This club has been gathered to help the students discover their superpowers, eventually joining together to save the town from a 2012-style storm. Too bad the gossiping students and fear-mongering media don’t look kindly on mutants! Will the super students save the day? Who will save the super students?

Anyways, the show was oodles of fun. Lovewell shows tend to include everything from angry mob dances, indie guitar trios, razzmatazz soft shoe numbers, and pseudo-political raps. Lots of fun dances, plenty of catchy songs.

I always like trying to figure out what sparks Lovewell shows. This year focused on acceptance and a need to feel useful. These kids are entering middle school, just beginning to face tough academics and more competitive arts education. And, as awful as it is, most middle schoolers are about to discover that they’re not quite as special as the gold stars of elementary school dictated. They’re pushed into their small areas of expertise: you’re good at math, you can be funny, you’re a good musician. Don’t try your best at everything…stick to where you succeed. It thoroughly depresses me that these AMAZING kids (they’re bright and warm and terribly fun) will feel inadequate. These kids (who are ALWAYS smiling) will grow up to be the 99% of high schoolers that always seem to be in a bad mood. They’ll be the same messed up adults that frown on newness and obsess over the dangers of the world (instead of the promises). These kids want to be superheroes now.

Can’t we all be?