A Broadway Books First Class Visit From Charles Busch

The Divine Charles Busch brings some Old School GLAMOUR to BBFC

There are a few things I've come to learn about playwright, performer and Drag Legend Charles Busch.

He is terribly clever. He delivers a line like nobody's business. He can command a room with the slightest movement. And his heart is as big as Susan Hayward's performance in I'll Cry Tomorrow.

All of this makes him a perfect fit to entertain and enlighten a classroom of elementary school children. The juxtaposition of bravado and tenderness plays well with young children who are required to navigate the complex social structures of school. This is when they build friendships, not always based on commonalities but predicated on necessity, proximity or boredom.

Charles understands that childhood can be tricky and that sometimes it takes a while to come to terms with who we are and what life has placed at our feet. These are not always things we speak about directly but this is where the term "being a role model" comes into play. We teach by example. We listen. We see. We acknowledge. We let children know they'll find their way through it all because we are living proof.

Charles Busch reading UNLOVABLE by Dan Yacarrino alongside ASL interpreter Stephanie Feyne 

This is the second time Charles joined Broadway Books First Class as a guest artist. The first time he read the cautionary tale The Spider and The Fly and shared stories with my first graders. This time he visited with some pre-k and second grade students to read Unlovable by Dan Yaccarino. Unlovable tells the story of a pug named Alfred who is teased mercilessly and called "unlovable" until, one day, he finds someone just like him. In the book it is another pug but the message, of course, goes deeper. The book selection was inspired by the question-and-answer session Charles had with the students during his first visit.

Charles wrote about that visit on Facebook and has graciously given permission for me to include a bit of it here.

One of the children asked me when I started acting and writing. I explained that it was around their age. I told them I had a rather lonely childhood and always felt different from the other kids and when I was grown up I found a group of friends who also felt alone and different and we formed our own group.  Each person was so interesting and unique that I was inspired to write parts for them to show how wonderful they were and we put on plays together. For the first time in my life, I truly had friends who wanted to play with me and people came from all over to see us. They got it.

The children got it this time as well. I am always curious how the reverberations of these visits will play out in a child's life.

And like last time, the children were fascinated to learn how Charles uses makeup to create the look of his female characters, such as Irish O'Flanagan in Times Square Angel.

Having fun with false eyelashes!

At the children's request, Charles brought along some false eyelashes, a bangle and a boa. Charles performed a little mini-transformation right before our eyes and afterwards got down on the floor with the children and shared the goods. 

Before long there were giggles and guffaws as the false eyelashes became a mustache, a beard and even a third eye. The children seemed to understand his explanation about why he performs the female roles in his plays - it is a way to step outside of himself to find freedom of expression (although these days he is becoming more comfortable performing the male roles). 

After all, how is it any different from the boy in my class who comes in every morning and puts on the police uniform? Children understand the need to step into other roles, to become someone other than themselves for a time whether it be to work out their place within familial power dynamics (e.g. playing mommy and telling others what to do), societal power dynamics (e.g. a cop giving a ticket or arresting someone) or playing out relationships they want to be true (e.g. "You are my sister").  

All of these manifestations show us to be like musicians playing the same song but with different pitches and chords. And that is where we learn to embrace diversity and play in harmony with one another. We are more alike than we are different but our differences should be celebrated. 

A second grade student asks Charles to reread his favorite page
"Squawk, Unlovable!"

As we handed out copies of Unlovable - signed by Charles - the children sat on the rug to read alone, in pairs or in small groups. Some mimicked the way Charles gave life to the characters and even asked him to read parts again.

Others had more questions or wanted to practice his name sign. Charles describes it as such, "For Charles I make a C with my hand and cup the side of my face and for Busch I pat the bottom of my hair like I'm styling it." (In Deaf culture name signs are given by someone who is Deaf or hard of hearing and, for someone who is hearing, a name sign signals acceptance into the Deaf community. Name signs are unique to each individual and relate to an aspect of your appearance or personality. Charles has an amazing name sign!)

That afternoon the children wrote out a bunch of thank you cards for Charles illustrated with eyelashes, pugs, flaming-haired chanteuses and words of encouragement and gratitude. I will end this post with one card written by Leo, "Dear Mr. Busch/Charles Busch: Thank you for everything that you did. And you can make a play out of all that.  THANK YOU!!"

A Glimpse into a Broadway Books First Class Event

Here it is, boys!

Here it is, world!

Here's a little glimpse into a Broadway Books First Class guest artist visit!

I've been wanting to create a short video to showcase the program for some time so that folks who are interested can see what takes place during one of these events.

Happily, I was fortunate enough to discuss this with professional film editor Jamie Kirkpatrick (My Friend Dahmer).  Jamie recorded Ali Stroker's visit this past November and edited together a short film capturing the excitement of the occasion. 

Our next collaboration hopes to showcase the professional theater artists who've visited thus far.  The roster of generous performers is growing and I celebrate each and every one.

A Broadway Books First Class Visit From Ali Stroker

"Make Your Limitations Your Opportunities"
Guest Artist Ali Stroker with the Pre-K and Second Grade students

Once upon a time, when Broadway Books First Class was merely a twinkle in my eye, I imagined facilitating simple, low-key guest visits for my students. Of course, that was never really the case as we welcomed administrators, guests and - most importantly - ASL interpreters from the start. Over time the visits have expanded to include more children and more adults, so that I now find myself playing the role of event planner.

Actress and singer Ali Stroker's visit was an event indeed! (We even had exquisite "pre-show" music from Esther Kim of Tokyo & the Boy!)

Ali Stroker made her Broadway debut in the 2015 Deaf West Theater revival of Spring Awakening.  She's also performed at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and New York's Town Hall. Television audiences recognize her from the hit shows Glee and Glee Project. Her guiding principle of "Making Your Limitations Your Opportunities" helps educate, entertain and energize others.

Ali and I selected the book The Gold Leaf by Kirsten Hall and Matthew Forsythe for her reading. It is a story of longing, tranquility, beauty and loss told through descriptive language and muted color. In the book, forest animals discover "something most unusual" in a gold leaf that shines and sparkles.

Inspired by the richness of the illustrations and story setting we created an autumnal wonderland in our classroom to mirror the theme of the book.

This meant a trip for me to Michael's craft store to purchase leaves and branches and an outdoor excursion for the children to gather fallen foliage.

We painted the leaves with gold acrylic paint and coated them with Mod Podge. The idea was that we would all toss our leaves in the air before Ali read so that as the words of the book washed over us, we'd be surrounded by leaves of every color, including the eponymous gold ones.

                                             Photo Credit: Eileen Lograno

Joyously throwing autumn leaves on a count of 1, 2, 3!

Being a deliciously sneaky event planner, I also had a surprise up my sleeve for Ali. I arranged for the author of The Gold Leaf, Kirsten Hall, to attend the event. I introduced the two talents after Ali read, but just before I did the children had a surprise of their own. Kirsten wrote about what transpired...

"The kids threw leaves in the air to begin Ali's reading. Only a (lucky, envied) few caught gold leaves as they fell. When the story was over those few kids who had caught the gold leaves surprised us all by getting up and approaching Ali to give HER their gold leaves. All on their own volition, all in the spirit of the book. The entire experience was a golden reminder of the many things we all have vs don't have, what matters vs what doesn't, and how not having can sometimes be the bigger gift."

Students give gold leaves to Ali Stroker after she read The Gold Leaf

Afterwards, Ali shared how she fell in love with the theater as a 6-year-old girl because it allowed her to express herself in a way that was otherwise unavailable to her. The joy of performing offset the difficulties she endured after being hurt in a car accident at Age 2.

Ali is the first person in a wheelchair to perform on Broadway, which she said was a big reminder to her that we need to create more opportunities for people living with disabilities. It was a rather powerful thing to watch a restless, rowdy group of leaf-throwing children quietly focus on the message behind Ali's words. And it was even more impressive to witness them transfixed by her beautiful singing voice. (You can watch her singing "Be a Lion" by clicking the song title.)  

Ali sings Be a Lion from The Wiz alongside ASL interpreter Dylan Geil

Gifts and hugs and a bit of chaos followed as Ali and Kirsten autographed books for each child. Books were funded by my friends who supported a DonorsChoose project to ensure that each child gets a copy of the books read during the Broadway Books First Class visits.

It was heartwarming to see the preschool and second grade children sitting together on the rug to read and talk about the story or the illustrations. I heard from one parent the next day who shared that her son wanted her to read the book three times before he went to bed that night!

Ali Stroker and Kirsten Hall singing copies of The Gold Leaf

Farewell is not goodbye.  Ali is interested in setting up some theater classes or a workshop at our school. We are meeting later this month to discuss it.

"And then a mighty roar/Will start the sky/To cryin'/But not even light'ning/Will be frightening my lion/And with no fear inside/No need to run/No need to hide/You're standing strong and tall/You're the bravest of them all"

Ali is a lion!

A Broadway Books First Class Visit From Jonathan Freeman

We rubbed Aladdin's lamp and our wish came true!
We spent a morning with Tony Award nominee (and Disney's Jafar)
Jonathan Freeman

Broadway Books First Class opened Year Three this October with a magical visit from Broadway guest artist Jonathan Freeman. Jonathan has worked steadily on the Broadway stage for the past 43 years and was even nominated for a Tony Award for his role in She Loves Me, but he is perhaps best known for his vocal performances - most notably Jafar in Disney's Aladdin.

Jonathan is also heretofore credited with (unknowingly) guiding Broadway Books First Class through rough waters after some unexpected changes occurred at the close of Year Two.  

Last June, the misguided machinations of the administrative upper echelon almost brought the curtain down on my passion project. Their decision to assign me to teach preschool, instead of my beloved first grade, left me scrambling to figure out how to keep the integrity of the program intact. My vision for the program was for the visits to include my students.  How would a class of 4-year-olds sit for a read aloud and a discussion?

Luckily, I had a very kid-friendly performer waiting in the wings to usher in Year Three.

In addition to Aladdin (on stage and in the movies), Jonathan's resume includes Broadway roles in Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Mary Poppins.

And his voice can be heard in the long-running children's television series Shiny Time Station, Hercules, and Lilo and Stitch: The Series (among others).

Jonathan's artistic oeuvre hinted at his capacity to embrace the wee ones and, in turn, provided an entry point from which to immediately hook a young audience. All of this prompted me to expand the scope of the program to include more students. So, Year Three's premiere saw my energetic preschoolers joined by the darling second graders.

Students introduce themselves to Jonathan Freeman in American Sign Lanuage

I began to prepare for the visits long before Jonathan arrived. This included inviting the second graders to become "Book Buddies" with the younger children. Each morning, four of the second graders would join us to sit and read books in my classroom. This allowed time for everyone to become comfortable with one another and familiar with the environment. It also promoted excitement about literacy. The older children gained confidence in their reading abilities while the younger ones built up happy experiences around shared literacy events.  

The classes worked separately too.

I read children's books about the theater to my preschool class, including Backstage Cat by Harriet Ziefert and Amadina by Sergio Ruzzier. They learned about various aspects of showbiz and the language associated with theater (e.g., scenery, props, etc.).

In both classes we studied Jonathan's work. I brought in artifacts (i.e., Playbills) from the shows he's appeared in and discussed the storylines from several of the musicals. I made connections to other Broadway Books First Class visitors (the program was recommended to Jonathan by Mary Testa and Nathan Lane) and, of course, showed video clips from Aladdin.

Armed with this background knowledge each class brainstormed a list of questions for Jonathan and we selected four to ask during his visit.

I also worked with Jonathan and his lovely, helpful friend Karen to coordinate the visit.

Jonathan suggested an Aladdin Golden Book for the read aloud. He even brought 30 autographed copies and showcards for every student!

This was incredibly kind and exceedingly generous. I knew it would be a spectacular visit. And it was!

The day finally arrived and everyone gathered together in anticipation of Jonathan's arrival. There were cheers when he stepped into my classroom (from the adults and children alike).

I've read that whenever Jonathan meets new fans they always ask him to "Talk like Jafar" and this crowd was no exception. Personally, I wanted to hear him growl, "Prince ABooBoo". He acquiesced and it brought me so much joy!

After introductions, Jonathan settled in to read alongside American Sign Language interpreter Kathleen Taylor.

Jonathan and Kathleen in a dramatic reading of ALADDIN
(One of my favorite interpreting pictures ever!)

It.
Was.
Amazing!

We had a front row seat to exquisite storytelling from Jafar himself! Everyone was engaged and throughout the story children passionately interjected, which was met with good-humored quips from Jonathan.

One student, Joey, could barely contain his excitement and asked several times, "Can I tell you something?" Jonathan, who kept things moving with a smile, responded with, "Can I tell you something?" and continued reading.

After the reading Jonathan laughingly turned to Joey and innocently asked, "Did you want to tell me something?"

Jonathan Freeman reads student-created questions

In the question and answer segment that followed Jonathan stressed the importance of working collaboratively with others throughout the creative process. He noted that it takes about 150 people to make Aladdin run smoothly and that any theater production requires many parts working together.

He shared stories of starting out as Jafar 25 years ago and how his journey with the character allows him meet folks like us. His warmth, patience and humor were very endearing. He spent time with each child and happily chatted with the adults in the room, who loved him as much as the children did.

Students enjoy signed copies of ALADDIN courtesy of Jonathan Freeman

As I walked Jonathan and Karen down to the lobby they said that they would like to try to arrange for the children to see Aladdin on Broadway. This is a HUGE logistical undertaking on both ends but Jonathan is currently working with Disney and the House Manager to figure it all out.

Meanwhile, he sent the class a copy of the beautiful, clothbound book The Road to Broadway and Beyond Disney Aladdin: A Whole New World.

And I sent him a collection of thank you cards created by the children.

As Year Three of Broadway Books First Class continues I am extremely grateful that it began with Mr. Jonathan Freeman.

There are moments when you must listen to the universe and allow the tenets of the words "Follow Your Bliss" to wash over and direct you. This program is influenced by good people.

Jonathan, I thank you!

SiriusXM "On Broadway" Interview

This summer I was interviewed on SiriusXM Satellite Radio by the Amaaaaazing Seth Rudetsky about Broadway Books First Class.

There were some delays getting started and by the time we sat down I was feeling a bit nervous, but Seth is certainly excellent at keeping things lively, interesting and on track.

It was such an honor to share the program with a larger audience and give thanks to the wonderful performers who've so willingly supported it.

The interview was broadcast on Stars (Channel 109), Entertainment Weekly (Channel 105) and On Broadway (Channel 72) in September.

I typed up a transcript of the interview so my friends who are deaf/hard of hearing have equal access and figured I would share it here as well.

Seth: Hi everyone.  This is a special edition of Seth Speaks because we had a technical malfunction and instead of cancelling the show we are continuing with my guest but my audience is literally in a separate room where they can sort of see me through 2 panes of glass, yes, they are waving frantically and they can hear me and I can hear through an ambient microphone their fake laughter – audience let me hear it. (Audience laughs) Just as fake as every week.  Excellent.  And cut!  Alright, for my first guest I have a Dock-ter but he’s not here to talk about that weird lump on my shoulder.  He’s here to talk about his amazing Broadway program for literally first graders. Dr. Gary Wellbock?

Gary: Wellbrock, yes.

Seth:  Still got it.  Not Jewish. Okay, so what exactly is this program?  From what I read about it it sounds amazing but describe it to my audience.

Gary: Sure.  It’s called Broadway Books First Class.

Seth: Already I like it, it has the word Broadway in it.  Keep Going.

Gary: (laughs) Basically at its core it’s a pretty simple idea but the concepts that support it are more complex.  So, what I do is I invite Broadway performers into my classroom to read a book and answer about 3 questions about life in the theater, life as an artist. 

Seth: So you bring like Patti Lupone to read her autobiography “Glenn Close stole my role!” And the first graders literally enjoy it?

Gary: Ahhh, I would love that.  And I’d make sure the children put away their cell phones before she came to the classroom.

Seth: (laughs) Exactly. Da Da Da Da Da Da – Reference! Wait, what kind of books do these Broadway people read?

Gary: The books are high-quality children’s books.

Seth: Oh, they’re children’s books.  I see.

Gary: Yeah, children’s books.  And, they’re read…the kids that I teach are Deaf and hearing and hard of hearing.

Seth: Oh, I didn’t know that part.

Gary: Oh, yeah.  I try to make sure that I have a nice balance of Deaf performers and hearing performers and the performers who are hearing, when they come in there is an interpreter that sits beside them..

Seth (interjects): Wow

Gary: and interprets the book.

Seth: And so, I guess the question is, “Why bring in a Broadway performer just to give my version of the story?”  I used to, for a long time I performed for these AIDS patients in hospitals and it is amazing when I bring Broadway performers but so many non-famous people are amazing and when I would bring in a Broadway performer they’d be like, “You’re good” like it was no different, they wouldn’t care if you were a Broadway star or not.  Aren’t the kids like, “We don’t know who you are Dame Judi Dench”.

Gary: Well, I think that would happen if it was just a one-time event where someone would come into the classroom and read a book but that’s not how it happens.  I really try to reach out beyond the walls of my classroom to have New York…the whole idea is that New York is this great cultural center so I try to take advantage of what’s going on here.  And when I have a performer come in, say Alison Fraser…

Seth: The original Trina in Falsettos, well, March of the Falsettos…go on…

Gary: We’ll talk about her work for a week or two prior…

Seth:  You mean, you and the kids will?

Gary: Yeah, yeah

Seth: And they are like, 6-years-old?

Gary: Yeah, six, seven, seven-years-old.

Seth: Aren’t they like, “What’s Equity?” How do they understand anything?

Gary: Well, we have discussions about that.  I really let them lead the discussion and, you know, I start with Googling Alison Fraser or Bryce Pinkham and we have a discussion about that.  What really helps is if I am really into that performer.

Seth: Of course

Gary: Like Alison Fraser, I love her work so much.

Seth: Yeah, she’s amazing.

Gary: So that I am able to talk about what she did in Romance/Romance or The Secret Garden so one day we just talk about The Secret Garden and all of those things play into what the kids are going to bring into the conversation.

Seth: So, even if they’re musical theater stars and a lot of the kids are hearing impaired it doesn’t matter that they can’t necessarily hear them singing.

Gary: No.  And Elizabeth Ward Land, I don’t know if you know…

Seth: I know Elizabeth Ward

Gary: She came in and she sang a song.  Alison Fraser sang a song. Most of the kids in my class are CODAs, that means they are Children of Deaf Adults so their first language is American Sign Language so the interaction there is that they can obviously hear but I have the support of the interpreter there to make sure that their first language is covered.

Seth: Wait a minute, so the kids are actually hearing. So, what’s the ratio of the kids in your class of hearing vs. not hearing?

Gary: I have 21 kids and 17 of them are CODAs.  That means most of them are children of Deaf adults.

Seth: But they themselves can hear?

Gary: Yes

Seth: And then the other children are Deaf?

Gary: Deaf or hard of hearing, right.

Seth: I see. What an interesting combination. What kind of school is this?

Gary: It’s a dual language school.

Seth: I see.

Gary: We do spoken English and written English and then ASL – American Sign Language.

Seth: Oh, it’s all so creative on so many different levels. So, you have these Broadway performers come in and perform and read these books. What I like about it is I’ve met so many Broadway stars who say it wasn’t until they were 20 that they realize they could have a career as a Broadway…like “We didn’t know you could get paid for being on Broadway” So I love that you are telling these 6-year-olds from the very beginning that you can actually have a job as an actor because a lot of people don’t realize that.

Gary: Yeah, and if anything else it’s an appreciation of the Arts, right?

Seth: Exactly

Gary: They live in NYC so I want not only to build maybe somebody who might be a performer but to build an audience so Broadway keeps going.

Seth:  I know. It drives me crazy that so many people that actually live in NY don’t go to Broadway.  I love that you’re doing this. Who decides on the books?  You do?

Gary: The original idea was that I would have the performers bring up a book that maybe they loved from childhood that was a favorite but that didn’t really go over.

Seth: Why not?

Gary: Nobody really had a big suggestion or they were more hesitant…

Seth: I sure do

Gary: …about bringing something in. Well, I have a book idea for you too.  I want you to come.

Seth: What? I want to bring in my own book!

Gary: Oh, you could do that.  But, I got you this book right here.

Seth: Oh, this is the book. Oh, hold on.  Let me see it then. I’m unwrapping on the air because people love dead air. Okay, so hold on.  It’s so well wrapped.  Did you wrap this yourself?

Gary: Yeah, yeah.

Seth: I am the worst wrapper.  I am super depressed.  Okay, so this is the sound of paper tearing. (Opens present) Audience can you verify that I am unwrapping and it’s not some bad sound effect?  The back is beautiful.  Ahhhh, this would be a good book for me.  Audience look It’s called The Bear and the Piano. 

Gary: Do you know that one?

Seth: No, I don’t know it at all. OMG, it’s so lovely.

Gary: Yeah, it’s a beautiful book.  It’s about learning to play the piano and it’s about going off and following your dreams and coming home again to the people that love you.

Seth: It’s a more sensitive book. Mine that I’m obsessed with is Nosey Mrs. Rat.  Do you know that book?

Gary: No, I don’t.

Seth: It is hilarious. It’s about a Be-yitch of a rat who is really snoopy and she literally has helium balloons so she can float up and look through the windows of her neighbors, she’s such a bitch (laughs).  Anyway, but this one is much more sensitive The Bear and the Piano. It’s so beautiful too.

Gary: No, if you come you can read whatever you want. You know, I would love that.

Seth: I love the illustrations in this.  So, this is…I am trying to think of how people can adapt this.  They don’t always have Broadway performers so how would you adapt this to another city?

Gary: Well, what I…the idea is to take what you have in your community…

Seth:  Ahhh

Gary: …and make the most of it.  So, at the very least teachers can invite parents in to read a book. And it’s about building excitement for literacy.  It’s about kids wanting to come to school. You know, when I was little if there was an event I was more excited to go to school.

Seth: Totally

Gary: And obviously I am someone who loves school in the first place but I remember waking up early and really wanting to come to school and I want to give that to the kids I teach.

Seth: So you build it up. You don’t just say, “They’re coming today” You build it up weeks in advance.

Gary: Yeah, weeks in advance.  And then we talk about it afterwards.  Right now they are very theatrically wise.  Michael Urie was in…

Seth: Ah, he’s so great.

Gary: Yes, he was.  He was fantastic.  He was the last one, the last guest we had this year.  Right before him was Julianne Moore and Nathan Lane…

Seth: NATHAN LANE! Did he scare the kids with a loud voice?

Gary: No, No and I was hoping he would (audience laughs) but he didn’t.  But the kids became very theatrically wise so they went off script because most of the time I ask them to come up with three questions, which we develop and we kinda stick to that but by the time he came they were asking him, “Do you have any Tony Awards?” “Do you know…”

Seth: Oh, so they hurt his feelings. Wonderful. (laughter) He has to say, “No, I don’t” It’s very kind of you. Do not ask me that question if I come because I’ll be literally devastated.  (laughs).

Gary: (laughs) Okay

Seth: So, in conclusion…Okay, this particular program is called

Gary: Broadway Books First Class

Seth: Broadway Books First Class.  Oh, I get it First Class.  And you can develop it in your community and how can people contact you to just say, “How do you actually do it?” Do you have a website or something?

Gary: Yeah, it’s Broadway Books First Class dot com

Seth: Oh, that’s easy

Gary: And there’s a tab where it says “Contact” and you can send me an email and I’ll get that and I’d love to talk to people about it.

Seth: And there’s no apostrophe in Broadway’s books?

Gary: No, no

Seth: Wait, Broadway Books.  I see, Broadway Books Fist Class dot com.  It’s such a great idea.  And get this book it’s so beautiful it’s called The Bear and the Piano or Nosey Mrs. Rat, which is hilarious. Alright, thank you Dr.!

Gary: Thank you so much.  I appreciate it.
Seth: Applause from the audience in the next room.  Excellent fake applause people.