Local high school student Katie Hearne spent four days during the 2023 holiday season as a patient at DC’s Children’s National. And while she was there, her parents discovered a stage off the hospital’s lobby. Hearne, now 15, is a musical theater lover and a student at Encore Stage & Studio in Arlington.
Hearne and her parents inquired about the stage and found out small performances are often held there. “I had already known about the Encore Cares program where they have a student director who does a project and they get to direct a show that also has a community service element,” Hearne says. Encore’s program works to bring live performances to kids and families who may not be able to access theater.
Getting the Show Off the Ground
“Because we knew about the Encore Cares program, we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if I did a show and brought it to Children’s since they have this stage there?’” Hearne says. “A couple years later, I started really looking into it, talking to the executive director of Encore, Sara Duke, and reaching out to Children’s.”
According to Duke, Encore is always looking for ways to give back and bring theatre into the community. “This project truly exemplified Encore’s motto of ‘theatre by kids, for kids,’” Duke says.
Hearne began planning her show last summer, with October 25 as the official performance date. She settled on Disney’s Frozen Kids, a half-hour version of the movie and Broadway show of the same name. Hearne had acted in the show when she was younger, playing Young Elsa, and has always loved the movie. “It holds a special place in my heart,” she says.
Hearne then set to work, “I made a whole rehearsal calendar, and we licensed the show,” she says. “This was my first time directing anything like this, and I never really did anything like that before, so it was a little bit intimidating, but it ended up working out really well.”
Hearne asked her good friend and classmate, Bea Misch, to be her stage manager and sound tech during the show, as well as assist with directing some scenes. The two wrangled the group of 9 to 18-year-olds for a successful show.
Giving Back to Patients
In addition to a crowd watching in the room with the stage and in the lobby, the show was livestreamed and taped for patients who were unable to leave their hospital rooms.
“This experience taught me not only how hard directing is, but it also taught me general skills like public speaking and how to get a room full of people to listen to you,” Hearne says. “I would like to do something like this again. I really like directing.”
Hearne’s advice for current Children’s National patients is to not limit yourself based on your mindset. It’s often easier to have a negative attitude when you’re in a difficult situation.
“It’s easy to have a negative outlook, saying things like ‘What if I don’t get better?’ or ‘I can’t believe this is happening to me,’” Hearne says. “If you’re able to have a more positive outlook — thinking what’s happening right now doesn’t define you and this is not forever — you can look toward something in the future where you might be able to do something like this one day.”
Feature image courtesy Encore Stage & Studio
