The kids stay in the picture

For two weeks, I have been teaching acting classes to kids in the evenings. Much to my surprise, I'm having a wonderful time. These kids are more outgoing, courageous, and talented than 99% of the high school students where I work, and I think I figured out why.

Ten-year-olds don't care what they look like. They don't worry about being cool, or looking silly. They have no baggage, which is an unusual trait in actors. Hormones haven't screwed up their heads yet, so they're confortable with who they are. Yesterday was my second class with the beginning group, and I did ninety minutes on subtext, and they did higher quality work than any seventeen-year-old who ever passed through my class.

I wish I could adequately explain how amazingly bizarre and fulfilling it feels to do actual theatre work for the first time in years, even if it's with munchkins.