When the arts and crafts are whisked away, Ms.Veve (inviting Elizabeth Jones)-who rocks a colorful dress and knee socks-tells the children: “There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you.” When you first arrive in the theater, kids are invited onto the “stage” to make puppets with crayons and paper bags-or you can lounge on huge bean bag chairs. She launches into my favorite song of the whole show-a punk rock, tongue-in-cheek ode to rice. “What is that horrible smell?” She puts them in their place, informing them that kimchi is delicious and furthermore, rice is a perfectly normal thing to eat for lunch. When Min opens her lunch, the other kids lean back.

And who can forget Min (spunky, unapologetic Un Joo Christopher), who lives for art and family trips to Korea. He cannot speak but the kids welcome him enthusiastically. Sam (imaginative, shy Lou Cooper) spent the summer composing music on his tablet, which also allows him to communicate. Bay Area Children’s Theatre – Photos by Ben Krantz Studios She didn’t do anything except read books and babysit her sister. Angelina (sparkling Jordan Taylor) is worried that her teacher will ask what she did that summer.

Rigoberto (agile Mundo Ballejos), a young soccer enthusiast, has just moved to New York from Venezuela. The cast expertly transforms into children before our eyes. That is the empowering message behind Bay Area Children’s Theatre’s latest musical, based Jacqueline Woodson’s bestselling book.įour nervous children attend their first day of school, unsure what to expect, how they will fit in, or how to express big, deep ideas they feel but can’t yet put into words. “The Day You Begin!” is the day you start to tell your special stories, unique to you.

Millennial Notes Woodson, Reagon, Davis Offer Musical Gift to Parents, Kids

Jacqueline woodson the day you begin