Dallas Children's Theater Blog

Astonishing Kids And Families With The Fun of Broadway-Like Plays and A Lot More!

Theater + Math = Robyn Flatt

DSCF2023Sometimes it is easy for us to think that math and theater are two academic disciplines that have nothing to do with each other. But this is not the case, especially at DCT!

Have you ever noticed the name listed above the double doors of DCT’s 390-seat theater inside the Rosewood Center For Family Arts? DCT Executive Artistic Director & Co-Founder Robyn Flatt named the Paul and Kitty Baker Theater after her two parents. Her father Paul Baker was a renowned theater expert, and her mother Kitty Baker is a mathematician. Their incredible legacies live on in Robyn and in the continued success of Dallas Children’s Theater, which is approaching its 30th season of inspiring kids and families through the power of live theater.

As DCT’s current show A Wrinkle In Time is being performed on the Baker Theater stage, Robyn reflects on her upbringing – how the powerful combination of math and theater influenced her life path and why emphasizing strong female heroines like Meg Murry of A Wrinkle In Time is an important aspect of DCT’s mission.

DCT Executive Artistic Director Robyn Flatt, with her sisters Retta & Sally and their mother Kitty Baker.

DCT Executive Artistic Director Robyn Flatt with her sisters Retta & Sally and their mother Kitty Baker.

Q: Your mother is a mathematician, and your father was a renowned theater expert. Tell us how this background in math and the arts affected your upbringing and your life path.

A: Of course, by growing up on the Baylor University campus where our mother taught math and our father was director of the Baylor University’s Drama department and Baylor Theater, higher education was a way of life. The arts were considered by both of our parents to be at the center of developing an engaged, productive individual. Mother, with the help of a neighbor musician friend, started a children’s theater for my sister Retta and me when I was in third grade, and my father agreed to host it at the Baylor Theater. Henceforth, theater was always a dominant part of my life. All of us were encouraged to apply our talents and contribute to our communities, and these concepts have passed along to the next two generations of girls in our family, or so it seems at this time.

Robyn's parents Kitty & Paul Baker both taught at Baylor University when she was growing up with her two sisters.

Robyn’s parents, Kitty & Paul Baker, both taught at Baylor University when she was growing up with her two sisters.

Q: It’s pretty obvious you inherited your father’s theatrical passion and talent. Did you inherit your mother’s knack for numbers, too?

A: Though I’m not always the fastest at adding up a group of numbers, I have an excellent sense of number patterns and relationships that is somehow instinctive. I figured out quickly in high school how to stretch my $2.50/week allowance to ultimately save enough to purchase fabric and then make a blouse or skirt. I oversaw budgets at the Dallas Theater Center during the years I ran their Theater in the Parks program and managed them very well. Numbers for me are symbols. I suppose I gleaned that from our mother who often took numbers and translated them into patterns for quilts and weaving projects. She always told us that numbers and art are really just two sides of the same coin. Mother, now 100 years old, had an amazingly clear grasp of the interrelatedness of math, science and the arts from the education she received at Randolph Macon Women’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia.

In DCT's "A Wrinkle In Time", iconic heroine Meg Murry embarks on a dangerous mission across space & time to rescue her father from another planet. Photo by Karen Almond.

In DCT’s “A Wrinkle In Time,” iconic heroine Meg Murry embarks on a dangerous mission across space and time to rescue her father from another planet. Photo by Karen Almond.

Q: A Wrinkle In Time is arguably the first sci-fi novel to appeal to young girls and feature a strong female heroine. Why do you think it is important for girls in particular to see this show?

A: Girls need as many strong female role models as possible. I was fortunate that my mother, born in 1912, forged ahead into math at a time when very few women sought advanced degrees. She was one of very few female students in her graduate math classes at the University of Chicago. Mother was only three months away from completing a doctorate in math when the Great Depression of the 1930’s made it financially impossible for her to continue. In spite of that, she was a highly respected math teacher until she retired around 1980. My mother was my own in-house role model. There was never a question for me about whether, as a girl, I could pursue whatever I wanted to.

Q: Throughout the years, DCT has produced many shows with strong female leads. Why do you think doing these kinds of shows are important to the mission of DCT?

A: Today’s world still presents many hurdles for women. Therefore, I feel it is very important for Dallas Children’s Theater to help empower young girls by bringing courageous female role models to the stage and thus encourage them to engage in the battle to follow their own, individual dreams. The experience of theater is a powerful one. Following DCT’s performances, many of these young girls feel empowered to face their own challenges, seek ways to overcome their own difficulties and step forward to shape their own dynamic futures. When this happens, we say, “Mission Accomplished.”

From Dallas to Corsicana: “Teen Brain: The Musical”

photo (1)After a very successful run at DCT’s Rosewood Center For Family Arts, the cast & crew of Teen Brain: The Musical recently got to entertain an audience nearly 55 miles away from their Dallas home base in Navarro County’s Corsicana.

“I was very impressed by the flexibility of both the student actors and student technicians. They quickly adapted to the space and did the show that they knew how to do beautifully,” said assistant show director and DCT Production Manager Melissa Cashion.

As part of the DCT Teen Scene Players program, the eight young actors and six student technicians, alongside the professional guidance of DCT staff, rehearsed over several weeks and then performed the show for the public.

The cast - Annabel, Austin, Hunter, Kendyl, Colleen, Froy and Carter - play eight young people who have one unforgettable Friday in "Teen Brain: The Musical".

The cast – Annabel, Austin, Hunter, Kendyl, Colleen, Froy and Carter – play eight young people who have one unforgettable Friday in Teen Brain: The Musical.

The brand-new, high-energy Teen Brain: The Musical explores the lives of eight young people navigating the rough waters of high school. The show was written by DCT resident playwright Linda Daugherty, with songs written and performed live by Nick Martin, a DCT alum and professional musician.

Critics praised the musical as a refreshing and insightful exploration of the challenges currently faced by teens.

teen brain helmutTheaterJones: “The talented cast sings about the stress of school work, relationships, friendships, parents, peer pressure, social media and the like.”

Lake Highlands Today: “The subject matter of peer pressure and teen exposure to alcohol has been covered many times before, but this show presents it in a way that, refreshingly, doesn’t preach, doesn’t play like an after-school special, and doesn’t disappoint.”

Audiences also enjoyed the show, which served as a conversation starter for teens and parents to discuss difficult subjects. DCT Teen Scene Anchor Will talked to the audience on the show’s Opening Night about their reactions to the show:

What did the teen actors themselves think about their experience in Teen Brain: The Musical? The cast told us their thoughts:

Behind the scenes, the student technicians played just as crucial a role as their peers who were performing on stage.

Student technicians Nick, Emmie, Vlad, Chet, Jacob & Kelli Anne were recognized on stage by Production Manager Melissa Cashion before the start of one of the performances of the show.

Student technicians Nick, Emmie, Vlad, Chet, Jacob & Kelli Anne were recognized on stage by Production Manager Melissa Cashion before one of the performances of the show.

“These kids are absolutely amazing!” said DCT Production Manager Melissa Cashion.

Before the start of one of the show’s performances, she brought up each of the young techs to the front of the stage to be recognized by the audience for all of their hard work on the show operating follow spots, light boards, audio & video equipment and serving as deck crew or production assistants.

After several sold out performances at DCT’s Rosewood Center, the popularity of Teen Brain: The Musical earned the cast & crew of the show an invitation to perform at the Palace Theater in Corsicana, a first for the DCT teen shows.

8533197009_d8c4166467“The show looked and sounded beautiful on the stage at the Palace Theater,” said show director and DCT Education Director Nancy Schaeffer. “The audiences loved the show, and it was an experience we will never forget.”