Setting the Stage

In the summer of 1981, a single mother moved to Langley from her native Texas with two young children in tow. She brought memories of being a small girl singing along with her father as he played the piano. She held scrapbooks and pictures of her years as a “drama kid” growing up in Dallas. She packed along a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in theater arts from the University of Texas.

When Martha Murphy arrived in Langley almost 23 years ago, she planted the seeds of future theater.

As she walked through office space No. 102 on the ground floor of the Porter Building in Langley this week she glowed with excitement. Two decades ago, she held the first classes for what is now known as Whidbey Children’s Theater in the living room of her home on Third Street. Today, her vision has grown.

Later this year, Whidbey Children’s Theater will begin the first stages of taking over the entire first floor of the Porter Building and marking out a place its members can call home.

“We’ve never been somewhere that we could put a sign up and announce we were there for good,” Murphy said.

Blueprints hang on the wall of preliminary design schemes that envision a 100-seat performance space, offices, classrooms, rehearsal space and a voice room. The new digs will be a step up from the random churches, schools and community halls where Murphy has taught her young thespians over the years.

“We were basically on street corners at times,” she said.

Teaching theater on South Whidbey started out as a hobby for Murphy; it was something to do with her own children.

During her first year on the island, she offered four classes to “the neighborhood kids of Langley.” The summer of 1982 marked WCT’s first major production, “Journey to Oz,” staged at the Clyde Theatre with a cast of 25 young actors.

In the years since, there has been hundreds of students, classes, workshops and stage productions. Second generations — daughters and sons of former young actors — are now on stage.

Murphy has seen kids like Gregory Colfer, 15, grow up on that stage. Colfer’s first role with WCT was as a troll at the age of 5, back when “parents came to the productions out of pity because the kids were so cute.” He admits that if not involved with theater he’d probably spend more time sitting in front of a computer.

“There are so many benefits to it,” he said. “Whidbey Children’s Theater builds an audience for theater in the younger generations and it’s a training ground for when they want to be in it.”

Colfer said the chance to be on stage is important to students his age because of its ability to act as an emotional outlet.

“If you got a bad grade in math that day you can step on stage and put all of your frustration into what you’re doing and get it out of you,” he said.

Teaching children an appreciation and love for theater and the ability to step onto the stage with confidence has grown into Murphy’s life passion. She has always maintained that Whidbey Children’s Theater should make a difference in the lives of children, and that idea will remain the driving force as Whidbey Children’s Theater has now applied for nonprofit status.

WCT’s move follows the summer 2003 sale of “The Barn,” a rustic building across the street from Murphy’s house. The Barn was originally purchased by Murphy as an investment. In recent years it was where WCT classes, costumes and stage props shared space, and zoning restrictions over its use forced a sale.

“People panicked and were afraid the classes would stop,” Murphy said. “I was getting calls daily asking what they could do to ensure the continuation of this organization.”

Whidbey Children’s Theater was left without a home. Murphy and parents held emergency “what to do” meetings in July.

A core group of parents, theater students and Whidbey theater community members formed a board of directors and Whidbey Children’s Theater was reborn as a nonprofit.

“I knew I wanted to be a part of this,” said board president Peggy Juve. “Now we’ll be able to raise funds and make the important experience of theater available to more kids.”

Juve’s own daughter, 16-year-old Kate Hodges, has been with the Children’s Theater since a third grader. Hodges is now a student representative on the board as a student at South Whidbey High School.

WCT’s ability to grow into a prosperous nonprofit youth theater organization from Murphy’s current private venture has always been on her mind but always left out of the question.

“I never wanted to take away from my time with these kids to be able to sit down and do the planning,” she said.

She won’t have to avoid it any longer as she can now slip into the role of artistic director overseeing a busy year of theater with a bank of people behind her to lend their support. This summer’s program alone will have offer at least 15 classes. Later this year, guest instructors will be brought in for 30 other classes that will include maskmaking, juggling, and even a film camp.

On the production side, “Les Miserables” preliminary auditions just wrapped. “Into the Woods, Jr.” will take to the stage in May. “Prince and the Pauper” is set for July. “Music Man” auditions will be held in June, with the production to be held during July’s Choochokam. Full rehearsals for “Les Miserables” will begin in August; its three-weekend stage run in October will be Whidbey Children’s Theater’s grandest production to date.

“It’s going to be one of the largest productions this island has seen by anyone,” Murphy said.

At age 55, Murphy admits she knows that she will not always be able to lead Whidbey Children’s Theater. Still, she also cannot imagine life without it. The “freshness” of these kids is her fuel, her lifeblood.

Whidbey Children’s Theater has become a community resource for kids whom acting, singing and theater is their extracurricular activity.

“There’s so many kids who don’t do sports and aren’t in the band,” she said. “Their love is acting and being up on stage.”

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