Directing children’s theater abroad in Mexico.

As worldschoolers, we know that a sense of place is important to individuals and to cultures. We also know that a sense of place is not always a location; place can be a frame of mind. Wherever we are exploring, with our kids in tow, we are right where we belong.

This original jukebox musical was commissioned by the Family Adventure Summit (FAS), a worldschooling conference for families that took place in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in 2018.

The performance coincided with Day of the Dead so we wove culturally relevant Mexican traditions into a script. HERE. is about looking for our roots, honoring our past, the senses of place that we cultivate, and living in the moment.

Our first experience directing a show abroad with kids, most of whom we had never met, was a welcome challenge that perfectly exemplified the Staging Journeys’ theater + worldschooling combo. Costuming and prop planning had to be minimal since we were packing for a month-long trip in addition to the show. We were fortunate to have a keyboard and drums lent to us by local families in San Miguel. It’s got to be live music for a Staging Journeys show!

Since we had very limited rehearsal time with our intrepid cast members, we sent out songs and scripts a month ahead of travel time. Two of our goals with theater are to be collaborative and to let each kid’s natural talents shine, so we left spots open in the script for kids to add lines that were personal to them.

The show, presented as the culminating event of the summit, featured 40 talented children (including our own, of course) from various countries and schooling backgrounds. There were so much joy and music and dancing that week. Our hearts were full.

Thanks to everyone at FAS for your involvement and enthusiasm! We look forward to future opportunities to collaborate with all kinds of groups internationally.