2021 Family of the Year: Meet the Madsons

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.