On a Wednesday after school, 30 third and fourth-graders from six Newhall School District schools stream into the Newhall Family Theater. Their bright green shirts proclaim they are members of the “Walnut Street Players.” Fifth-grade teacher George Chavez engages the first students to arrive with a simple game. When all the students arrived, fourth-grade teacher Denise Sudik led the group in a quick centering activity and explained the day’s first activity.
“Today’s word is going to be imagination,” Sudik begins. The young thespians engage in a mirror activity. Sudik reminds them that as actors, they have to give and take. This exercise helps them tune in to those skills.
This after-school program was conceived in the late 1990s by two Newhall School District parents, Patti Rasmussen (Newhall Elementary) and Sue Solomon (Old Orchard). They, along with several other NSD parents, wanted to bring a comprehensive/repertory theater learning experience to the children of the community. It took 20-plus years to make it happen. The players have been meeting in the NFT since 2022. The first year, Sudik taught alone and only Newhall Elementary students were part of the program. In the years since, Chavez has joined, and students from six NSD schools now participate. Sudik said they did activities to make the group cohesive. “I think bringing in the cultures of more schools has really enhanced (the program).”
Funding is made possible from the Charles and Patricia Rasmussen Family Foundation and the Newhall School District. There is no cost to the students.
The Walnut Street Theatre Players was named for one of the first theaters in America in Pennsylvania, and it helps that Newhall Elementary School is located on Walnut Street.
Sudik is the wife of Jim Sudik, who was honored by the Raising the Curtain Foundation for his contributions to the arts at Newhall Elementary with a plaque with his name in the theater's dressing rooms. When it came time to ask someone to lead this class, it was an easy choice.
The children bubble over with enthusiasm during the hour. “I love acting,” one of the students said. Another said she joined “because we wanted to try something new.” Parents say their children are excited to come to the class. One parent said their child had dabbled in performing, mostly singing, and that this was “the first time trying theater.”
As the students pick items from a box full of costumes, Sudik challenges them to think differently. If the item is a hat, the student must use it as a prop and make it anything BUT a hat. Chavez reminds the students as they gleefully pantomime using the props, “This is a place where you are safe and loved.”
Sudik said her favorite part of working with the Walnut Street Players is “seeing the growth of students through the course of the session.” She said they become more confident and “come into themselves.”
“Watching these students interact with the two teachers is amazing,” said Rasmussen. “This has been a lifelong dream of everyone involved in Theatre Arts for Children, a foundation that was established 20 years ago to restore this building and bring arts to our students. I am beyond thrilled to help make it happen."
The plan is to offer the program across the district and build the program to include partnerships with CalArts, the William S. Hart Union High School District, and the College of the Canyons. The long-term goals include expanding the program to offer technical theater classes in lighting, costuming, sound, set design, graphic arts, and video arts. Ideally, this program would serve as a career pathway for secondary and college students as it opens doors of opportunities.
If you are interested in the Walnut Street Theatre Players, please contact Kate Peattie, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, at (661) 391-4000.
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