Building community one play at a time

At Toyland on the Square, the November theme for Bentonville's First Friday event, Elizabeth Goodwin-Brown and Marley worked the crowd.

Folks were gathered for the performance, but got some information about Trike Theatre along the way, thanks to the mother-daughter volunteer team. Goodwin-Brown, who has experience in sales, took initiative to greet people, pass out brochures and answer questions, while daughter Marley signed people up in the booth.

"She completed one sheet and said, 'I'm done!' and I said, 'No, here's another sheet," Goodwin-Brown says, recalling the look of disdain and drawn-out cry of "Mom!" But they stuck to it because they're in volunteerism together. "She volunteered for at least four hours, she's a trooper."

They're dedicated to the organization that offers a theater academy, complete with classes, camps and workshops by teaching artists, in part because of Marley's participation, which showed them how theater could spur creativity, courage and build community.

"It's an incredible feeling when you have a kid who gravitates toward the arts," Brown says. "She immediately gravitated toward music and being silly, so we got plugged in right away."

The pair moved to Northwest Arkansas from Kansas City a year ago and had their eyes on Trike Theatre from the start. Marley wanted some creative classes in theater and dance, and Brown wanted a way to get involved and meet others in their new home.

"We had researched months before [moving here] and came across Trike," Brown says. "Within a month of being here I was like 'OK, I need to get involved, I need to meet people.'"

Brown grew up in a family centered on the arts -- her step-father was a musician, and she spent her high school years acting in drama club -- so it was the natural place to contribute. Her time in Kansas City included regular volunteering for The Culture House, another academy of performing arts.

She immediately sought similar opportunities in Benton County.

"Arkansas Public Theatre had something for [children], but it starts closer to age 10," Brown says. "Then we went to a couple of Trike shows and decided to support them in any way we can. I just really like their organization; I think they're really connected to the community."

Brown's enthusiasm for helping Trike Theatre grow has made her a familiar face at First Friday events and other fundraisers. Next in line is Laughter and Libations, a night of food, drinks and laughter inspired by performing act Phunbags Comedy Improv.

"It's a time where you can kick back, enjoy yourself and fundraise," Brown says. "It goes hand in hand with what they do, but more for adults."

It will take place at Avondale Chapel and Gardens on Feb. 26 and feature a framed photograph donated by Brown in the live auction.

The image, taken in Spain, is of a keyhole in the shape of a cross, with a round, circular base large enough for a rifle. Brown says the location was a shooting point meant to help steady those guns peering out.

For Brown, theater is more than just a place for her daughter to go and meet other children. It's an educational tool that lends life skills: confidence, learning how to communicate with others and express herself clearly and creatively.

"She's taken theater and dance at different theater camps, and each place has something unique," Brown says. "Trike has this structure, this kind of class that you feel it's customized to your kids.

"And when you see them perform in a smaller setting, it's [neat to see that] it gives them confidence to talk in front of a crowd."

When public speaking, networking and learning how to be at ease around new people is difficult for many (adults included), Brown says that's a valuable place to learn those lessons.

It becomes a supportive environment where children are confronted with new things: how to deal with rejection when there are simply too many up for a part or someone is more suited to it, and gives parents a window for those conversations about "real life."

"If you go to some of the [other] theaters," they might have a more cut-and-dried process, Brown says. "'This is the script, this is the actor. But Trike fits the person to script."

When Marley auditioned for The Somewhat True Story of Robin Hood and wasn't cast, "I told her that they're going to look for kids who are a right fit for those parts and not just put kids in a space," Brown says. "It was a good lesson for her ... because I don't want her to think everything is handed to her. I want her to work for it."

It's a good addition to those life skills that children might miss in school, where parts are cast more evenly, like taking turns. As a salesperson who hears "no" more often than she likes, Brown values the development of that thick skin. In the meantime, she and Marley will soak up Trike productions and keep lending a helping hand.

At Trike "everybody has a heart for it; they're there because they want to be, not because they have to be," Brown says. "Everybody's just digging in and helping each other set up.

"There's something for everybody."

NAN Profiles on 02/07/2016