Stan Gill, director
IF YOU THINK Sprouts Childrens Theatre is just for kids, think again. I can safely promise that parents won’t be able to wipe the smile off their faces or stop laughing at these fairy tales told so humorously and intelligently by director Stan Gill’s cast of actors and musicians.
The youngest kids sit eagerly on a huge carpet at the lip of the stage, watching in awe as actors perform within arm’s reach. And in keeping with Stan’s formula, there is always a point in the action where the kids get to interact with, respond to, and even participate with the actors. But watch out parents, because you might unexpectedly get called into action, too.
A native of Detroit, Stan has been the founder and artistic director of seven academic and professional theatres in five states. Along the way, he has written 70 plays, including 30 award-winning musicals for children which have been translated into five languages.
A scene from “Goldilocks & the Three Bears”
Stan has been at Creative Spark in Mount Pleasant where he has produced and directed five of his plays over the last year or so. In December you can see Sprouts’ production of “Cinderella” over two weekends at Creative Spark and an additional weekend at the Charleston Acting Studio on James Island.
Besides producing, directing, building sets, holding auditions, and paying bills, Stan writes all the lyrics for these inventive plays and acts in all of them. He told me that his favorite part of the creative process is writing the lyrics, and it’s clear why. But he’s also a fabulous actor who has natural timing and on-stage instincts (that can’t be taught) as well as transparent technique—he never gets in the way of and never overplays his character or scene, which you can’t say about many actors. (Look for him as one of the bad sisters in “Cinderella.”)
Here’s a short interview I taped where Stan talks about how he came to Charleston, how Sprouts started, and some of the things that make this childrens theatre so special for kids and adults:
Stan says that in February we will probably see “Little Red Riding Hood” at Creative Spark and there’s a good chance that Sprouts will be doing “Snow White and The Seven Dwarves” at Piccolo Spoleto next May.
Stan Gill as Mark Twain
Also at Piccolo Spoleto, Stan himself may perform the role of Mark Twain in his one-man show based on the author Samuel Clemens’ final tour around the world. Stan started performing “Mark Twain, The Final Tour” in 1971 and has presented the show in the United States and abroad.
Check our events calendar for the December dates of “Cinderella.”
Learn more at www.SproutsChildrensTheatre.org.
