By Liz Eichler
What happens when you give young people the tools to craft their own stories? They devise the theater they want to see, writing their own scripts, expressing their own voice in words and movement. And they can create something magical and memorable.
InBocca Theatre Educational Partnership
This summer, InBocca Performance launched a new education initiative in partnership with Know Theater of Cincinnati. Rooted in devised theater—a creative process where performers develop the story together—the program encourages students to collaboratively create narratives and bring them to life. Welcoming 3rd through 12th graders, they build bold, body-centered work that reflects their own questions, fears, and hopes. It’s an approach that challenges both the performers and the adults guiding them.
InBocca has created some really memorable Fringe shows, including the recent Rappings and The Last Witch in Ireland. Both of these shows told stories heavily influenced by modern dance. Still rebuilding after COVID-19, InBocca hopes to return to a full schedule.
InBocca Theatre Education is a Unique Process
I had the opportunity to sit in on a dress rehearsal of Outlaws of Sherwood, before their public performances on August 1-3 at Know Theater. What I witnessed wasn’t your typical children’s theater production. It was a process unfolding in real time—just one step in what could become a lifelong love of theater and ownership of the creative process. There are moments of raw vulnerability, unexpected humor, and fierce focus and commitment. This isn’t parroting, it is crafting.
Caroline Stine, founder of InBocca, is no stranger to creating theater from the ground up. “I started this company when I was 12 years old. My neighbors and I (many homeschooled) staged full-scale musicals.” Stine started a summer musical theater program for Fort Thomas schools (FTIS) and later shifted focus to doing devised theater at Village Players of Fort Thomas.
But then Bridget Leak of Know Theater came knocking on her door, asking to build a program at the theater. Leak says, “In wanting to relaunch the education program, my first question was, how does the Know offer young artists something different from the other theaters in town? I immediately called Caroline Stine. Knowing her InBocca devised work, it felt like a perfect match for the Know.”
Stine shares, “We were looking for a new home, and Know wanted to engage more directly with young artists in the Greater Cincinnati community. Adults love to tell new stories and ‘get weird,’ and—surprise—so do kids.”
This is Not Your Grandma’s Children’s Theatre
“This is not your grandma’s children’s theater,” says Stine. (I had mentioned how my grandmother sent me and moy siblings to summer theater classes to “learn to articulate” because she said we all mumbled.) InBocca’s focus is firmly movement-based and experimental storytelling. “We work to tell stories with our bodies and the images we make on stage, not only through the words we say,” Stine explains.
And the students? They’re not shying away from difficult topics. “They wanted to talk about ICE. About Black kids being attacked by police. About income inequality,” says Stine. “I don’t pretend to have my finger on the pulse of everything, but I’ve learned over the years: kids are smart. They see what’s happening. ‘Children will listen.’ They want to make meaning from it—and change it.” That sense of purpose is core to InBocca’s identity.
The Production
Outlaws of Sherwood focuses on a group of friends who realize they must act against the tyranny of someone pretending to be king. Some scenes push the story along, others express deep feelings through movement. For example, Marion wrestles with her privilege. The sheriff must prove his loyalty to Prince John. Meanwhile the denizens of Sherwood come together at a support group, to try to manage their feelings of loss and government betrayal.
The sixty-minute production opened my eyes to what differentiates this educational program from others. There are so many great approaches to teaching theatre–and so many stellar programs in Cincinnati. This is one way to empower the students who want a hand in crafting the whole thing, from story to performance.
From tunes adapted from Disney’s Robin Hood, to explorations of modern anxiety, the show provides an easy-to-follow narrative. It underlines how the turmoil of a current regime affects all of the inhabitants of the land. There are some really talented young people. And of course, Sarah Spurling and Nicole Hershey do an excellent job being the villians.
The Cast Includes Kids and Adults
The cast includes:
- Aariana Duckworth
- Lily Hobson
- Roland Hensley
- Charlie Crawford
- Cece Shepard
- Aaydin Duckworth
- Annabelle Helton
- Emori-Witmer Gautsch
And, as the “Old Gods of Sherwood:” Grace Wagner, Sarah Spurling, Nicole Hershey, Amira Beck-Borden, Perry Hensley and Krista Noll. The adults have volunteered their time to work with the students, adding to the richness of the performance.
Building Something Special
Ultimately, the new partnership between InBocca and Know Theater isn’t just about offering another theater class. It’s about cultivating a space where young people can take artistic risks, explore the edge of their imaginations, and create work that matters deeply to them. And it’s about adults brave enough to learn alongside them.
Before the show, I had a moment to chat with Erica Kruse, a Highland High School graduate and alum of Stine’s program. Now studying Illustration at the New School in NYC, she comes back to the program every year. Whether it is to see the younger kids grow, or reinvigorate her own creative juices, this appears to be a truly unique program, nurturing the next generation of artists and audiences.
The students really connect and support each other—from 3rd grader to high school senior to adult helpers—and truly own the process. This kind of collaborative, meaningful theater education has the potential to shape not just future performers, but thoughtful, engaged citizens who understand the power of storytelling to create change.
Tickets and Education Program Information
For tickets for this weekend’s show, visit: https://www.knowtheatre.com/special-events/
For upcoming Know and InBocca Theatre Education options, click here: https://www.knowtheatre.com/special-events/
(If you would like to contribute to an upcoming article about all of the options for theatre education in the Greater Cincinnati area, reach out to leagueofcincinnatitheatres@gmail.com or lizeichler5@gmail.com)
