BY LUCIA MAURO
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Ever since they performed together in plays at Copley High School in their native Akron, Ohio, Karen and Alyn Cardarelli–who also were involved in local children’s theatre–knew they had a lot in common. But the husband-and-wife founders of Chicago’s Emerald City Theatre Company discovered their combined creative, comedic and marketing skills when, as teens, they made films and cast their friends in these original parodies of A Christmas Carol, James Bond flicks and the popular "Siskel and Ebert" TV program.
Once filming was completed, they hosted elaborate premieres and organized their own Academy Awards–handing out Oscars in the shape of plastic Ninja Turtle shampoo bottles painted gold.
"I think we eventually had to start a theatre company," says Alyn, referring to the five-year-old Emerald City, "or we would have burst."
The Cardarellis met in high school but attended separate colleges. Alyn, 38, majored in English at the University of Akron; Karen, 36, majored in telecommunications at Indiana University. The couple married shortly after graduating from college, then moved to Chicago about 14 years ago. They studied improv at Players Workshop and at The Second City Training Center.
Karen, who began performing with a professional children’s troupe at the age of eight, realized as an adult that "the children’s audience is so gratifying–they’re vocal, they’re honest, and they believe in the magic." She continued to perform plays in college and, upon relocating to Chicago, served as assistant director at Players Workshop and Second City’s Children’s Theatre.
Alyn, a talented lyricist and comedy writer, shared his wife’s belief in establishing a dynamic children’s theatre geared toward memorable, imaginative experiences. The Cardarellis complemented their artistic goals with carefully honed business savvy. Alyn, who serves as Emerald City’s director of new works and pens the book and lyrics (together with composer Steve Goers) to most of its shows, has a full-time job as a product manager for a local technology firm.
Producer and artistic director Karen formerly worked in advertising and immediately established a board of business professionals for Emerald City. Quaker Oats was an initial corporate sponsor, awarding the company $10,000 in 1996 to launch a full season of three productions over 14 weeks. A large pool of volunteers, referred to as "wizards," helped the company–whose name was inspired by Karen’s long-time fascination with the MGM film classic, The Wizard of Oz–grow.
Emerald City’s debut production, The Littlest Angel, opened during the 1996 Christmas holidays at the Athenaeum Theatre. The Rodgers and Hammerstein version of Cinderella followed in January 1997 at The Theatre Building; and the company’s first new musical, Alyn’s Captain Virtue and the Champions of Justice, closed the season, which sold 74 subscriptions and attracted nearly 5,000 audience members.
Early on, the Cardarelli’s made it a point to become better known in the community by producing the summer Oz Park Festival’s opening parade for children and participating in the Marshall Field’s "Jingle Elf" parade. By the 1998-99 season, Emerald City entered into an agreement with the Old Town School of Folk Music, which offered rent at one-third the cost with hopes that the School would benefit by increased children’s school enrollment. Emerald City also transformed the School’s concert hall on Armitage into a 150-seat theatre.
"By the third year," says Karen, "we created a five-year growth plan and established a goal to become a top Chicago destination for families."
They soon embarked on their personal Yellow Brick Road toward fiscal and artistic success. The 1998-99 season began at Old Town with a remounting of Winnie the Pooh, followed by three new works by Alyn: Frosty Returns, Hercules Saves the World and The Last Dragon of Camelot (an original story about a young woman who wants to become a knight).
At this point, the founders began hiring respected directors like Dado and Ann Filmer from the adult theatre world, as well as professional set and costume designers. Subscription sales increased 65 percent and total attendance was up 60 percent. Frosty Returns, directed by Filmer, broke all box office records and is quickly becoming an annual holiday show.
By 2000, Emerald City increased its subscriber base to 630 and soon outgrew the Old Town space. The company, which Karen says helped the Old Town School of Folk Music increase its children’s programming by 30 percent, then moved to a new base at the 300-seat Apollo Theatre, where Alyn’s production of Rumpelstiltskin is running through Nov. 18. It also offered simultaneous productions at the Royal George Theatre and is being presented by the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights, where Winnie the Pooh runs through Nov. 18, then returns Dec. 8-Jan. 13.
"There was a great synergy at Old Town," says Karen, "but we needed the seats. We had a total annual attendance of 20,000. We’re growing by 50 to 100 percent every year. But instead of going into one big venue, we thought we should go into different venues–essentially bring theatre to different audiences.
"Metropolis will take care of marketing for us. So we get to spread ourselves out but not spread ourselves too thin."
Percentages come up a lot–attesting to the Cardarellis serious commitment to their business plan and audience tracking. One of Emerald City’s most successful programs is its birthday party packages, which represent 25 percent of its box office. They include a performance and reception, with a character from the show singing "Happy Birthday."
Audience interaction is a crucial ingredient in Emerald City’s shows, and the Cardarelli’s like to incorporate improv. Actors typically ask the audience questions or seek their advice, making the children feel like they can contribute to the creative process. During a Saturday matinee performance of Rumpelstiltskin, a group of youngsters–many attending a birthday party–helped the Princess remember how she got the gold-spinning troll to appear: "You have to start crying!" shouted a group of five-year-olds in unison.
"I think because kids are exposed to so many ideas and images," explains Alyn, "they’re savvier. So the shows need to move a bit faster and be more complex."
"But we don’t want to alienate children or their parents," adds Karen. "There’s never an entire scene or block of dialogue that goes over kids’ heads. We also give children a chance to participate while teaching them theatre etiquette. Because kids can watch videotapes in their own home and talk, we make it clear when they need to sit quietly and listen and when it’s okay to interact with the cast."
As the main lyricist-book writer, Alyn must tackle the challenge of making fairytales or cartoon figures relevant for our times, weave in a gentle moral and craft jokes that will make both children and adults laugh. In Rumpelstiltskin, he includes some clever, self-satiric bits, like the Herald who puts on various wigs to become other characters. Alyn plays with theatrical conventions and eventually has the Queen reveal to her family that, due to financial problems, all their servants, footmen and mid-wives have really been the Herald in disguise.
"You look for those moral lessons," says Alyn. "And, of course, fairytales make no sense. So you have to re-fashion them with balanced ideas that appeal to children today. In the [Brothers Grimm’s] original story of Rumpelstiltskin, the Princess lies and essentially builds her kingdom on a lie, but she somehow gets rewarded without ever having to tell the truth. I thought it was important that the Princess confess and show the positive results of her actions.
"I also can’t accept a character being a doormat or a prize. We’ve made Sleeping Beauty more active by involving her in her own rescue through a dream. You have to respect modern sensibility and make the work funny."
In the realm of villains, it’s important that the writer and actor makes it clear that the villain is not there to hurt children in the audience. And a nemesis typically gets to deliver some of the best jokes to ease children’s fears.
Alyn and Karen–together with the directors, their board and the artists–collaborate on each show. According to Karen, years of having to house manage allowed her to sit in the audience and observe when kids began to fidget and what jokes worked more than others. Running times never exceed one hour, and the kids have a chance to meet the characters afterwards and get autographs. After Rumpelstiltskin, the squealing children rushed onto the stage to meet their favorite characters as if they were at a rock concert.
"I’ve been influenced by the creators of the Warner Bros. cartoons," says Alyn. "I was watching a documentary on them, and they basically admitted all they wanted to do was make themselves laugh. You want the audience to feel engaged. Parents and their kids can share an entertaining experience and carry it with them."
"We consider our competition to be the movies," Karen interjects. "Our mission is considered family entertainment. Our main goal is for our audiences to have a great time and want to come back to see theatre–all kinds of theatre."
Calling children’s theatre as serious as adult productions, Karen hopes audiences (including parents, who may not have been avid theatregoers) will be exposed to the various styles of Chicago theatre by observing the different types of productions Emerald City offers. "We put together a potpourri of Chicago theatre," she says, referring to the range of professional directors they hire–from the dark and dramatic to lighthearted music-theatre approaches.
The Cardarelli’s plan each season the way "a networker would choose a Thursday night line-up." They strive for a balance of the following genres: a munchkin show (for three- to six-year-olds), a holiday show, a princess show (featuring a strong female character), an adventure show, and a story from another land.
In addition to Rumpelstiltskin, Emerald City’s 2001-02 season at the Apollo Theatre includes Frosty; Winnie the Pooh; Aladdin; and Me Tarzan, You Jane.
Now children’s theatre is a more urgent and personal endeavor. Karen and Alyn have a 2-year-old daughter, Madelyn, who is reaching an age when she can appreciate their productions.
"The best way for adults to see children’s theatre," says Karen, "is when they bring a child they love. I can’t wait to take Madelyn to Winnie the Pooh and see her face when she gets an autograph."
Obviously, the magical sheen of children’s theatre shows no sign of tarnishing soon for the founders of Emerald City Theatre Company.