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Published on 08/03/1998 All articles from this issue

Let's Perform Theater takes on Los Altos

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By Scott Fernqvist

Town Crier Editorial Intern

Children throughout the Bay Area are developing a love for performing arts thanks to Let's Perform Theater, a mobile entertainment company based in San Jose that brings scripts for children to perform on site.

Founder Carol Romo said she brings her traveling theater to "any place with children," including birthday parties, daycare centers and elementary schools.

"I want to give kids an opportunity to do something that they would never get to do otherwise ... You never know where it will lead," Romo said.

Each session costs around $150 and includes an acting workshop, story-telling and a selection of roles and costumes. The final product is a 12-15 minute show performed entirely by the kids. "It's like a movie," Romo said. "It's a major production for such a limited amount of time- (The kids) look gorgeous."

Students at Monarch Christian School in Los Altos found their moment to shine on stage last month.

The preschoolers were costumed and starring in a play with a fully orchestrated soundtrack by Tommy Tomasello within an hour-and-a-half after their session had begun.

Romo, who has worked with kids for the past 20 years, launched the company last January. She said it was "an immediate success receiving a lot of positive feedback."

The current script being used is of "The Warrior Prince," a story set in medieval times with kings, queens and peasants galore. The moral message of the show is "whoever is the most humble and kind is really the greatest," Romo said.

There are 35 parts for the play. "Sometimes we have five girls who want to be three princesses, so we pick numbers ... Each part is important and everyone works together," Romo said.

The theater company brings new scripts, costumes and music each time they return to a location. "I'm trying to get as many stories as I can, hopefully six or seven," Romo said.

Each age group, from preschoolers to sixth graders, puts on the same show and uses the same script. However, the shows are notably different with every group of children, Romo said. "The energy changes and dynamics are so different with the older kids," she said.

Let's Perform Theater was scheduled take on the child day care center at Montclaire Elementary school in south Los Altos this month.

"My goal is to do five schools a week. There's a lot of schools out there and a lot of children, too," Romo said.