Storytelling Class for Adults at Chanticleers
Theater brings people together. The cast and crew come together to put on a show, and the audience comes together to enjoy it. However, theater can also have a larger impact on the community. Chanticleers Theater is working to give back to the community through its newest adult class.
Chanticleers’ resident actor, director, and playwright, Michael Sally, will facilitate the Theater’s upcoming class, “Our Town’s Stories.” The class will meet on Saturdays from July 20 to September 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The inspiration for “Our Town Stories” came from Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” which features the activities of an American town.
“We both really like the play 'Our Town,' right as we were talking about our town, which is Castro Valley, and you know, so we decided, okay, let's call this little workshop seminar, adult camp, “Our Town Stories,”’ Chanticleers Theater artistic director Christine Plowright told the Forum. “We want to hear about the people of Castro Valley and the stories they have to tell.”
Chanticleers Theater was started in 1951 by a group performing in a chicken coop. These days, Plowright said she focuses on bringing the Castro Valley community together because the theater was created for the people of Castro Valley.
Plowright is a cancer survivor and said that one major thing she learned throughout her recovery was that you can survive while not thriving. Plowright said that one of the main reasons the adult class was created was to connect the community better and allow more opportunities to thrive.
“We need to be moving into 'Thrive' mode, yeah, and the way you do that is through community and through reaching out to people that you care about and, you know, engaging in things that are good for you, and that's what Chanticleers wants to do with our community,” Plowright said.
Chanticleers Theater is for the people in and around Castro Valley but is also heavily run by Castro Valley natives.
Plowright met Sally when she was in middle school, and he was in high school performing in the production of “Our Town” at Castro Valley High School (CVHS). Both were friends with the high school drama teacher at the time, Donna Russell. Russell has since passed, but Plowright said that she and Sally are both inspired to give back to the community because of the work they saw Russell do.
In addition to working with adults, the Chanticleers team is in the middle of its annual Theater Camp, where students learn storytelling and musical theater techniques. Zoe Farago is the dance instructor for the kids' summer camp. Farago graduated from CVHS in 2022 and danced at Castro Valley Performing Arts (CVPA). As a performer, Farago said she feels lucky to have grown up in Castro Valley because of the various arts programs offered.
“It’s my thank you, I guess, to Castro Valley's performing arts that, like, I can come back and take the knowledge that I've learned and the knowledge that I've gained from not only Castro Valley, but like other places, and I can come back and then keep that like legacy going,” Farago said.
The adult class is open to all ages and has six spots available. Registration is still open on the Chanticleers Theater website and can be done over the phone by calling 510-SEDLIVE (733-5483).