Finding Joy in Theatre Education

Hey! I’m Nigel (Rowe, if it matters), and I’ve been with ETC since about the end of 2017. I got my start working as a composer for the Main Stage Residency back at McKinley elementary (now Cardinal): Italian Carnevale! I actually discovered ETC quite by accident: I met the director, Francesca, while working with her for another theatre camp in the area and she wasted no time in scooping me up and getting me over to ETC. Now, to be honest, though I have a degree in classical music and had been studying and performing music for well over 10 years by that point, I had never composed anything before, so I wasn’t really sure if I was the right fit. But, thankfully, I was given the chance, and once I got a taste for it, I was absolutely hooked! I was amazed that there was a program for kids, elementary school kids no less, to write a musical from scratch! The creativity! The exploration! The crazy amounts of fun! I couldn’t believe it! I loved it! And now, to this day, whenever I’m able to compose for a residency, it is by far one of my favorite jobs.

Prior to working with ETC, I had only just begun my teaching career teaching English abroad and substitute teaching here and there while I focused on an acting career and led the typical gig-working life: auditioning for shows, landing a few and supporting myself with restaurant work. It was what I thought I wanted to do since high school when I dreamed of singing/performing fulltime. But, as many of my voice teachers did say, being a performer is hard work. And for me, it also proved to be a recipe for anxiety wondering when I’d land another gig, and hoping I’d eventually make enough to not need the restaurant jobs anymore. But as I continued to work with ETC, composing songs and working with the kids, I realized I was loving that just as much as I did being on stage. In fact, a lot of the stage skills I’d learned came in very, very handy for teaching! So, after the pandemic, I decided that I wanted a full time teaching experience–the residencies alone were simply not enough! Now, I’m a full-time music teacher at Ritchie Park Elementary in Montgomery County Public Schools. This unfortunately meant I couldn’t sign on for the Cardinal residencies anymore, as I couldn’t get down to Arlington in time for rehearsals, but thankfully(!) I was, and still am, able to make it down for the musical theatre summer camps!

Now, if you’re really paying attention, you may have clocked that working for MCPS (and living in Montgomery County) and commuting down to Arlington in the summers is quite the schlep. And you’re right! It is quite a schlep! But when I plan out my summers, I’m not sure I could fathom not doing a camp with ETC.

Why, I hear you ask, do I continue to traverse the bedlam that is 495 for summer camps?? Well, obviously, by this point, I’m friends with lots of the staff, and have had some campers that I look forward to seeing every summer, so coming back is a no-brainer, chaotic beltways and all. But also, I keep coming back because I love the freedom of expression it gives the kids. The creative freedom that ETC’s programs promote is also very fulfilling to me! Truthfully, what might keep me coming back is my own inner-child wishing he had a theatre camp like ETC’s to go to back in the day!

That same love of giving kids that freedom actually inspired me to bring the residency program to my own school during the school year. As soon as I was hired at Ritchie Park and met the kids and got to know the community, I was struck by how little theatre arts they had at their disposal in the county itself. These kids were dying for a place for self expression. Sure, they could go to one of the other theatre companies in the area, but those were outside of school and maybe not known or available to my students. And where else could a 4th grader find a program to write a musical!? So in my second year at Ritchie Park, I helped to produce the very first ETC & RPES musical! It was a blast!

Over the past 8-ish years, ETC has become a staple of my time in the DC area, and integral to my career path as an arts educator. It was the gateway to my love of theatre education, and an awakening to my abilities to write music (and, if I do say so myself, I’m pretty good at it! I have churned out more than a few bops for them shows!*hair toss*). ETC has taught me a great deal about planning and running programming, exploring my own professional wants and needs, learning how to get programs off the ground–I even got to try my hand at grant writing! (Though, as suspected, my ability to sit in one spot for extended periods of time was severely lacking…) This company, and all the wonderful people who make it possible, have provided my career with so much direction and provided me with so much confidence, and joy and laughter! I’m not sure I’d be who I am as an educator–or if I’d be an educator at all--if I hadn’t been scooped up all those years ago.

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Think everyone should have the chance to explore their own creativity with Mr. Nigel?  We agree!  Your donations help make scholarships happen, especially for summer camps, so that every student can express themselves just like Nigel says.  Monthly donations help us secure scholarships before camp registration even opens up, providing opportunities for students year-round. Will you give to help students continue find their voice and sing out?