The Theater Academy isn't the only place where acknowledgements are given on a regular basis. First Stage the annual tradition of acknowledging exceptional students and families we have the honor to serve through our programming.
Announced at our annual meeting on November 10, 2021, the 2021
Family of the Year award went to the Madson Family—Stacy, Eric, Alexis, Vivian,
Loralei, Beatrix and Guienivere.
In the words of Theater Academy Headmaster, J.T. Backes, the
Madson Family lives and breathes First Stage. Whether they are participating in
Theater Academy classes, Young Company, or performing in our mainstage Theater
Productions, the Madson Family exemplifies First Stage’s mission.
Vivian and Loralei were introduced to First Stage at our satellite
location at Layton Boulevard West a few years ago. From there, Loralei was cast
in our 2017/2018 production of THE WIZ, and after that, the Madson children
were regular Theater Academy students—all of whom took classes virtually last
season and now have returned to our in-person programming. The Madson Family
was a constant during a time when theater itself was extremely unpredictable.
“Their
positivity and passion for this company and the work we do, inspires me, my
staff, and all of our First Stage families.” – J.T. Backes
At the acceptance of the award, Stacy shared an incredible speech
on behalf of the entire Madson Family:
My family sat
down together and talked about what makes First Stage so very important to our
lives and immediately, everyone agreed that the teachers and staff rise to the
top of our list. Every single person at First Stage is, without exception,
outstanding at his or her job. Each person is, in part, defined by their
kindness and patience. Staff go out of their way to assist me in untangling
schedules and encourage me to apply for financial assistance. And, my
family needs that assistance to be part of this great endeavor. As
homeschoolers, we decided to sacrifice monetary security for personal freedom and
were afraid that decision ruled out incredible opportunities like First
Stage. Thankfully, because of such generous donors, it did not.
Every teacher
has taken the time to give pointed, personal care and guidance for the
individual needs of each student. They answer an unending litany of
questions with never a hint of annoyance or irritation. Then, as individuals
working in their field, the teachers show my children, through example, that it
is possible to fulfill personal dreams—that adulthood does not mean resignation
and stagnation. It can mean dynamic growth where exciting opportunities do
exist beyond childhood. In a world where grown-ups so often lose their youthful
dreams in the daily drudgery of their vocation, these adults exude enthusiasm
and passion for their work.
Along with
that creative energy from the training and performance branches of First Stage,
the nuts and bolts of the organization are also commendable. In an era of
ever-changing structures and turmoil, coming from households that may be riddled
with confusion and strife, First Stage supplies precious reassurance to a child
by doing exactly what they say they will do each day. The way they start on
time, explain their processes and expectations beforehand, and end when they
say they will gives comfort to children who may not have consistency in other
parts of their lives. A child is beautifully supplied with both rules to follow
as well as open-ended adventures into the unknown.
First Stage
creates rituals in their three cleansing breath exercises and they create
camaraderie with the chance for acknowledgments between students in the
end-of-day ceremony. Because everyone knows there’s a place for them to
voice encouragement toward others at the end of the day, their vision is honed
to see successes in their peers throughout the day’s entirety. What an
incredible way to show them that uplifting and praising others, unsolicited,
can be done all the time and is not anything to be afraid of.
Unknowing
parents hear of First Stage and say to me, ‘Well, we haven’t looked into that
because they’re not really interested in becoming an actor when they get
older.’ I sigh… take a breath... and just hope that I’ll get across the
importance of what I’m about to tell them. I say that I believe every
child (actor or mathematician-bound) should, and hopefully could, attend First
Stage in their formative years. I say that their growth goes so far beyond
the singularity of “acting” and I just hope that I help them to understand.
Young ones,
especially in the years when their bodies feel as though they may be betraying
them—changing each day without permission and morphing into something new and
foreign—get the chance to move and find out where their body ends and the rest
of the world begins. They discover what they're physically capable of and
create muscle memory for actions that aren’t called for anywhere else in life.
Children who
may have never heard themselves speak with decisiveness, clarity, or volume get
the chance to, safely, hear what they sound like before that skill may be
needed in their adult lives. How much harder it would be for a child to
speak up against injustice or to ignite the imagination of the masses and lead
the next revolution if they've never heard what they sound like when sharing
their convictions out loud. I tell my children that, when they encounter
oppression or injustice, I want their voices to ‘leap out’ of their mouths
without hesitation. I tell them that they are to freely and automatically
use their speaking ability for those who are voiceless. It is the work they do
at First Stage that makes this much more likely in their future.
The teachers
may have no idea that they do not cease to exist when my children walk out the
doors. The moment they sit down in my car at pick up, all four are bubbling
over with excitement and stories of their time in the building. They trip
over each other in the telling and we all laugh, or marvel, at the individual
memories.
Every teacher
is alive in my house daily. They are present in my kitchen daily. Their
off-hand remarks, their jokes, their habits and nostalgic personal stories,
their subconscious physical movements, their wisdom and advice, their
idiosyncrasies, and minute observations about each of them as individuals are
dominant subjects in the chatter of my home. In fact, I don't know that there
has ever been an instance where someone returns from a First Stage class or
event and does not repeat every detail to the rest of us. More than once,
in fact, if everyone isn’t there for the first telling!
And, what
they’re sharing when they relay these stories is the summation of their
exercise at self-actualization that day. Their close observations of their
instructors transfer to closely observing themselves. They come to First
Stage and are encouraged to discover themselves and to hone their identity. The
worldly practice of identifying both one’s strengths and weaknesses is rare,
but at First Stage they do both regularly and, most importantly, without
judgment! They teach the skill of self-critique without
self-criticism. By working closely with their teachers and creating clear
and pointed personal goals for their class time, my children make intentional
decisions about who they want to be and in what ways they want to grow. From
there that progress is regularly checked on and they’re taught how to follow a
plan and how to organically make adjustments to that plan when called for in
real-time. That is truly a skill with benefits for a lifetime.
I only get
one chance to nurture my children into adulthood—one shot in my one lifetime to
do my best—and I am so lucky to have all of them do it with me. They are shaping
my lifelong best friends. They are training my late-in-life caregivers. Today,
they are helping to raise my grandchildren. I am so grateful they are here
to share that honor with me.
“I can't” is
not in my children’s vocabulary. My children do take risks, they do, in
fact, conquer their fears, and they are on the journey toward being unafraid to
lead. First Stage and I are partners in forming my children and I could not ask
for a better partner in every single one of them.
Thank you
First Stage... for all that you do.
Thank you, Madson Family! We are honored to have you as a part of
our First Stage Family.
