Having fun in the Playhouse

Mom insisted.

That’s how Gabe Single-Schwall ended up on all fours at the Lake City Playhouse’s Huckleberry Workshop in the role of a sheep.

“I’m supposed to be kind of snooty,” the 11-year-old Woodland Middle School student said. “I’ve been (on the farm) for years. I know what happens every year. Someone dies. Someone gets eaten for Thanksgiving.”

In Rory Tranfo’s case, Dad insisted.

At first, 12-year-old Rory wasn’t too keen on the idea of spending two weeks at acting camp. She thought she’d be one of the youngest and most inexperienced actors in the lot, until she took on the role of Mama Goose in a scene from “Charlotte’s Web.”

There were indeed younger actors – the goslings – and Rory said she found them “a little annoying sometimes.” They just wouldn’t stop fidgeting on stage.

For nearly a decade, the Coeur d’Alene community theater has held acting workshops for children as a way to introduce them to performing arts. Space is still available in two sessions planned for July 21 to Aug. 1 and Aug. 11 through 22.

Playhouse Executive Director Brian Doig said some kids come to the Huckleberry Workshops hunched over, unsure of themselves and even a little scared.

“They get comfortable,” Doig said. “They feel safe. They see the pay-off of what they’re doing.”

Huckleberry Workshops teach kids about everything from acting, singing and dancing to lighting and costumes. Doig said the skills learned benefit the kids for the rest of their lives.

“When they go to school they have to make presentations,” he said. “They learn creative thinking, thinking outside the box. … They’re learning to speak and get a little confidence.”

As the children practiced Tuesday for a presentation for family and friends, Doig offered advice to the young actors.

“I want everybody committed from the go to the end,” he said. “Nobody drop character. Make it as real as possible. … You can sit next to her and pet her, she’s your pig.”

Clare Dumont, an 11-year-old from Kellogg, landed the lead role Wilber the pig.

Though she’s acted before, Dumont said it was her first big role.

“Getting the part for me, because I practiced it a lot, was pretty exciting,” she said. She prepared for the role by watching the movie “Charlotte’s Web.”

Still, she was having a bit of a hard time getting in the character of a talking pig.

“Some of the big lines are difficult to memorize,” she said. “And sitting like a pig is kind of awkward.”