“There will be times when you walk into a room, and no one there is quite like you, until the day you begin to share your stories”
It is difficult at any age to enter a new space. There are different sights, unfamiliar sounds, and usually, new faces who have different experiences than you. Sometimes these new spaces take time to become familiar, and sometimes it takes courage within ourselves to open up to these new experiences to create our own place within this space. But luckily for you, the Family Theater at the Kennedy Center is a bright and fabulous space for you to experience the joy that is Jacqueline Woodson’s The Day You Begin!
Based on the the #1 New York Times bestseller of the same name, the world premiere of Woodson’s children’s book is brought to life on the stage of The Kennedy Center’s Family Theater. Directed by Charlotte Brathwaite, with Music and Lyrics by Toshi Reagon and Script by Jacqueline Woodson herself, The Day You Begin is a wondrous production that encourages its audience to recognize their own magic within and to tell their own story.
Lighting designer Tuçe Yasak, Scenic Designer Jian Jung, and Projection Designer Attilio Rigotti go hand in hand beautifully to create a wondrous and magical classroom sure to make any teacher drool in envy at its chic rainbow lighting and crisp clean lines. The classroom setting is carefully curated to create a feeling of warmth and whimsy for the children meant to learn within its walls.
Similarly, costumes by Trevor Bowen compliment the rainbow aesthetic beautifully as each character is dressed themed in their own separate color scheme that only further brightens the space the characters inhabit. But it is not just the color scheme that shines on stage; the costumes compliment the young school age range of the characters come to life, and there is mad respect for the fun purple jumpsuit Ms. Veve (Audrey Elaine Hailes) absolutely rocks on stage that screams “I’m a fun teacher ready for anything!”
As the production begins, on stage the students Angelina (Carla Duren), Rigoberto (Camilo Linares), Min (Ashley D Nguyen), and Sam (Noah Virgile) do what young children do best: use their imagination! Using a variety of simple objects found throughout the classroom, guided by the Puppetry Design and Direction by Emma Wiseman, the students create a makeshift puppet that, with the students’ help, can walk, run, dunk a basketball, and fly away on a breeze. But the intro to the production is not the only time we see the use of puppetry to allude to the magic of imagination; puppetry is beautifully scattered throughout the play as a medium to not only tell the students’ stories, but to also help them approach and understand the stories of their new classmates.
Continuing in the vein of magical realism, throughout the production the cast occasionally breaks the fourth wall of their classroom and invites the audience to participate through song or interaction. Especially given that this piece is more specifically targeted towards a younger audience (but enjoyed by all!), this was a welcome way to not only spread the joy on stage with the audience and keep the younger ones attentive, but also a way to create a more magical atmosphere in the storytelling of some of the characters.
However, that is not to say that the entire production is interactive. The majority of the performance is enacted as a straight stage-performance where that fourth wall comes back up. But when the fourth wall comes down, that is when some of the more memorable experiences for young audience goers will be made. Rigoberto’s intro is a perfect example of this shared magic as he entered from the back of the theatre, enacting his passion for playing fútbol and engaging the audience in his game as a projection screen opens on stage, and suddenly, a video transposes the audience onto the stage as a means to integrate the audience together with the story. Needless to say, it was a delight to see the bright smiles of the young audience shine on stage at the realization that they were now a part of the action!
One of the lovely aspects of this overall interaction with the audience is that it is introduced gently as the performance begins. Led by the class’s teacher Ms Veve, played by Audrey Elaine Hailes, she exudes an aura of light and love from the first moment she enters the theatre. As the teacher of our young class, Hailes begins the production by wandering around the theatre, greeting her young audience members, and spreading encouragement and recognition as she makes each young person feel seen. This connection she creates with the young audience members is part of the charm of the play as a whole and would have strengthened the performance further if there were a few more instances of this type of interaction throughout.
As for our students, the first student on our class roster is Angelina, played by Carla Duren. Shy in her concerns that she is not as experienced as her fellow classmates, Duren captures the youthful duplicity of timid and energetic as her character warms to her new friends while she slowly begins to create bonds through their common differences. Fellow classmate Sam, played by Noah Virgile, portrays a non-verbal student simultaneously content to stand off to the side, while also willing to interact with the other students and share the different ways he hears and sees the magic in the air around them.
One of the more energetic students in the class is Min, played by Ashley D Nguyen. Portrayed as a character sometimes bursting with creative energy, Nguyen excels at exemplifying the youthful excitement to experience and share everything around her, and more importantly, record it in her drawings. And finally, Rigoberto is here! Played by Camilo Linares, Rigoberto is not only new to this class, but also freshly arrived in New York. Linares beautifully depicts the rambunctiousness of a young boy who loves to play fútbol (what Americans call “Soccer”), while also depicting the melancholy of leaving behind everything he knew as comforting and familiar in his homeland.
As with any new production, there are always a few bumps that need to be smoothed out. While overall this was a very strong and enjoyable production, during several of the musical numbers, the reverb from the sound system created a slight echoing effect that muffled the lyrics, sometimes making it difficult to understand the words to the song. Additionally, running at approximately 55 minutes, this is certainly a show that leaves the audience wanting a bit more. While ideal in its runtime for young attention spans, the ending does come about rather abruptly. While enjoyable to the last moment, a stronger cohesive reinforcement of the thematic lesson learned would have made the story feel more complete.
While best suited for ages 7-12, The Day You Begin is suitable for all ages (yes, even adults). The Day You Begin is a brief, but no less memorable event about the experiences we all undergo when we are exposed to something new. Resonant in its theme that even though there are times when we enter a space and may feel alone, when we take the leap to show courage in our vulnerability and share (and receive) our own stories with each other, suddenly the space around us becomes less lonely and more magical. Running through December 18th, don’t miss your chance to share in the magic that is The Day You Begin!
Running Time: Approximately 55 minutes with no intermission.
The Day You Begin plays through December 18th, 2022 in the Family Theatre at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts— 2700 F Street NW, in Washington, DC. For tickets call the box office at (202) 467-4600 or purchase them online.
