Inlet’s Emily Stonecipher in a scene from “What Do You Do With An Idea?” Photo: Stephen Bivens
This past month was definitely one for the books (pun intended). On March 21st, Inlet performed the world-premiere dance theatre adaptation of “What Do You Do With An Idea?” (based on the NY Times Bestseller children’s book) in the Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square. The morning matinee was filled with students from all over the greater Cleveland area and Akron as the first ever audience to see the show. They laughed, they oh’d and awe’d, and they had an absolute blast watching the visuals, hearing the music, and following the story of one brilliant idea (Inlet’s Katie McGaha) and the child (Inlet’s Kevin Parker) who helps to bring it into the world. As the child’s confidence grows, so does the idea itself. Some adults were even moved to tears! Then, the 7:00pm performance was open to the public and the reactions were almost the same. This show brought out the child in all of us, both performers and audience members, and it roared through the theatre. After a rousing standing ovation, several children immediately lined up for the Q&A following the show. After some very honest, and hilarious, questions and observations, the night concluded out in the lobby for a book signing with Author Kobi Yamada. (Yamada authored the 3-part series, “What Do You Do With An Idea?,” “What Do You Do With a Problem?,” and “What Do You Do With a Chance?”). Yamada and his family were flown in from Seattle for the premiere and were just speechless with how the production had evolved since the first sketches were created over 3 years ago. If you unfortunately missed this show, check out this REVIEW written by Melia Krau-har for Broad World Cleveland!
In addition to Yamada and his publishing/gift company, Compendium Inc., Inlet has several others to thank:
- Daniel Hahn–Vice President of Community Engagement & Education of Playhouse Square
- Ian Petroni–Scenic Designer
- Trad Burns–Lighting Designer
- Lindsay Carter–Stage Manager
- Kristin Wade–Costumer
- Dee Perry–Voice Over
- Jeremy Allen–Composer
- Robin Van Lear–Prop Design
- Inlet Board Members & Donors–Prop Assistance
- Libby Koba–Inlet Managing Director
- Stephen Bivens–Photographer
Without the help of these incredible individuals, this production would not have been possible. Inlet is blessed to be surrounded by a community of artists who are willing to dedicate and commit so much time and effort to visions they believe in. This book, and its message, need to be read and heard everywhere–we all have great ideas, and believing in them is how we will change the world (spoiler alert)! People believed in Inlet to premiere this work, and now it’s only a matter of time before it’s performed again. So, stay tuned for where you can see “What Do You Do With An Idea?” next.
Cast of “What Do You Do With An Idea?” with (from far right) Author Kobi Yamada, Inlet Founder & Exec/Artistic Director Bill Wade, Stage Manager Lindsay Carter, Inlet Managing Director Libby Koba (below), Lighting Designer Trad Burns, & Vice President of Community Engagement & Education of Playhouse Square Daniel Hahn.
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