The musical “It’s Not Mean to be Green” got its Kennett Square debut at the Kennett Square Library Friday. Two dozen youngsters — ranging in age from pre-teen to early teen — performed the musical based on the book by Jamie Kleman.
“The kids really worked hard despite losing a day of rehearsal,” she said. That day was lost because of the July 17 power outage in the borough.
As previously reported, Kleman adapted the book into a play and a musical. The two dozen kids sang, acted, and worked as the stage crew for the production. The performance was the culmination of the camp.
The storyline centers around Michael McDurth who hears his sister tell their mom and dad that she wants to go green, but Michael doesn’t understand. He thinks other colors would be better, like blue or even tie-dye.
“Tie-dye would be cool,” he told the family.
But that night he had a nightmare, similar to the one Scrooge had in Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” but with a twist. Michael dreams of green things like vampires and witches, snakes and alligators. He wakes up screaming but Mom and Dad calm him down, explaining that going green isn’t a mean thing, it’s about taking care of the environment. So, Michael, his family, and monster friends all become part of the green team so that Mother Earth won’t feel blue.
During the week-long camp, the kids learned about theatre and environmental responsibility. Each of the kids led off with what they learned about theatre.
One cast member, Lois Hazelwood, said she learned it was OK to make mistakes.
“I learned about all the theatre, like if you don’t do it right, it’s OK. You can make mistakes,” she said.
But she added that she learned about the environment, too.
“You should recycle a lot.”
Macy Muldoon, who played Momma McDurth, also learned some lessons about theatre.
“I learned that even if there’s a lot of people watching, you should still do your best and try, even if you mess up,” she said.
And, she said, “You should really try to help the environment.”
Ellie Stirling played Papa McDurth and said she learned “Even if there’s a 50-50 chance you could mess up or you could do good, you always have to try your best because if you don’t try your best, you’ll get nowhere.”
Mia Gallante was Michael. She learned a little bit about herself.
“I learned that singing super high is not my best trait,” adding that “Everyone should go green because the Earth is not going to be here forever if we don’t take care of it.”
Klemen, too, learned a few things from the camp.
“I learned that kids are capable of anything and will be the leaders of this planet. They embrace the ideas of going green; they embrace learning about the theatre, and I felt like we had magic happen.”
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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