Teen Theater Programming – An Interview with Kate Whitman

by Katherine Knox on July 17, 2024

Following her Oregon Library Association (OLA) presentation, “Studying the Teen Theater Troupe as a Roadmap for Creative and Inclusive Teen Programming,” I spoke with Kate Whitman to find out more about her library teen theater projects.

First, tell us a little about how you came to library programming!

I taught for ten years before coming to the library. I spent six years co-teaching a Montessori class of 3 to 6-year-olds at West Hills Montessori and eight years as an outreach theater teacher for ages 3-18 at schools and community centers across Iowa and Oregon. In 2020, I joined the Hillsboro Public Library as an intern, was hired as a Library Materials Assistant, and then promoted to Library Support Specialist by 2021. During that time, I finished my graduate degree in Library Science with a concentration in Youth Services from Emporia State University. Currently I do Toddler Storytime (with attendees of 90+), Adult Cozy Storytime (another huge hit), and the Teen Theater Troupe.

Where did the idea for a teen theater program come from?

This is one of those magical moments when a community need matches a librarian’s skill set. Our amazing Hillsboro Public Library needed an ongoing teen program to get more teens in the door. I researched and found very little in terms of free teen theater opportunities in Hillsboro. And not all Hillsboro schools have theater programs. Our Summer Reading theme the summer of 2023 was “Find Your Voice” (a perfect theme for developing an original play with Hillsboro teens and sharing their voices with the community). The stars were all aligning! I designed and proposed a summer-long playwriting and performance program for teens and the library leadership team supported the plan. The twenty teens who joined loved it and we performed for around 100 people of all ages. It showed the community and the library that this could be an ongoing program. I created the Library Teen Theater Troupe, and we are now working on our fourth show/season.

You have two programs going, “theater troupe” and “theater intensive,” tell us a little about their structure?

Our Library Teen Theater Troupe (or The Stinkbugs as they named themselves after I saved a bug), usually meets every other Wednesday when we are in a season. We meet from 6-7:45 pm and use our big event room as our rehearsal and performance space. Each season has a great mix of new and returning teens and so we start by creating a safe, warm space of respect and fun.

Every meeting we introduce ourselves with names, pronouns, and access needs. Access needs can be mental or physical (like ADHD or a twisted ankle) and the teens really appreciate this check-in (being cared about as people) before we start. Following check-in, we do games and skill building (the first day), playwriting and skill building (next few meetings), and then rehearsing and performing our play to the community in our event room. I have two amazing teen co-directors I invited to work with me who help bring new ideas and help things run smoothly.

The theater intensives are a new program this summer and we offered two of them, each on a Saturday from 2-5:30. I lead the camps with Grayson Ashford, the Education Fellow with Bag&Baggage, a local professional theater company. These half-day intensives offer a deep dive into skills like improv and auditioning and are open for any teens to join, regardless of whether they are part of the library troupe. The last one was a great mix of new and returning teens. Many of the new teens want to sign up for our fall season now! I love having teens join the troupe but also want to help them network and find local professional opportunities. These intensives help them feel ready to do that.

Currently registration is required and there are age restrictions – was that the case from the beginning or a result of turnout? Does registration get filled every time?

We set it up this way from the beginning because I know 20 is a nice size group to work with for making original plays. It is big enough to have great energy and for the teens to make friends and small enough for everyone’s voices to be heard. Registration also provides easy communication with families because they submit their email and it is a good safety idea to have family contact information. The program fills up every time and we usually have several people on the waitlist that I try to contact so they can join in the future.

How many participants stick around to the end and how many attend the big show? Do you have repeat participants?

Usually everyone stays until the show. Occasionally we lose one or two to other commitments. I make sure they know the door is always open to return and that I fully support whatever feels good to them and what opportunities they want to pursue.

We usually have around 100 in attendance for our shows. It really makes the teens light up to see how Hillsboro comes out to support them and see their work.

Each season we have had a wonderful mix of new and returning. We usually have about half new and half returning. And we have had teens miss a season and then return again later.

Do you require any parental permissions?

I require parents and guardians to fill out an emergency contact/safety sheet at the first meeting of every season. And I let parents know when we choose to film the play and send them a private YouTube channel link to view.

Do participants have to do any “homework?”

I try to keep most of our work in our rehearsals because everyone’s home life looks different, and the teens are just so incredibly busy. I do ask that teens do their best to practice their lines and blocking at home, but I also allow scripts onstage if needed. The point of this troupe is not to present perfect, polished shows, but rather shows from the teens’ hearts that they will have fun with and feel proud of.

How much time does it take to run the program (directly with teens and at your desk)?

It truly depends on where we are in the process. We have the 6-7:45pm meetings and our performances (2 hours of prep and an hour for the show). At my desk, I send reminder emails to the families about the shows, rehearsals, other theater opportunities and library programs they might enjoy. I make it clear to the families that I am now a resource for them in all things library and community. I help the teens become volunteers at the library when they are interested and write them job recommendations. I do sometimes need to spend a few hours on lesson planning/playwriting when we run out of time at rehearsals. But since I have worked with young people writing/performing original plays for over a decade, it makes things go much faster.

Do you have assistants/volunteers?

I love working with my two amazing teen co-directors who bring great ideas like the access needs check in. I also love working with teen library summer interns and volunteers who I usually ask to hold the role of stage manager, helping with notes and set changes. If you work with teens, give them leadership roles! It keeps them coming back and inspires younger group members to rise up and take those roles later.

What has been the typical total cost and what was it for?

This is a great, low-cost program! The main cost is my time as a staff member. We get snacks occasionally to have on hand and I did a special project last season making troupe shirts. For the snacks it can be around 10-15 dollars and the shirts were a little over 100 (we saved since I printed the text in our maker space). I want the focus to be on writing and acting, so we try to handmake/keep the costumes and set simple.

You are about to start your fourth round of the troupe, what have you learned/how is this one different?

We are going to make this show a little shorter than our normal hour and have each teen choose one main scene to be in so they can get deep into character and feel fully comfortable with their lines. We are also trying to have everyone really involved in the writing process. Some teens are already working on the scenes at home, and we will work as a group at our next meeting. Each season goes really fast with around 7 or 8 meetings so this format will let us dig a bit deeper as the teens grow their craft. Our show will fit the library’s Summer Reading conservationism theme of “Read, Renew, Repeat” and be about a tree’s memories of its community.

Plans to keep the program going?

Absolutely! There is a lot of interest in our fall season already and Bag&Baggage wants to continue working with us on the intensives. The troupe may change format over time, but it is clear we have made something lasting. I am so grateful for the immense support we’ve received from our library and community. I am hearing from colleagues that the troupe is being talked about around Hillsboro, there was a lot of interest from other Oregon libraries when I presented about the program at our Oregon Library Association Conference this spring…but best of all I have teens saying they feel like they can be their true, creative selves at our library. Stinkbugs for life!

If you are interested in learning more about theater programming or would like to receive a copy of her OLA presentation, “Studying the Teen Theater Troupe as a Roadmap for Creative and Inclusive Teen Programming,” please contact Kate Whitman at Kate.Whitman@hillsboro-oregon.gov.