Circle Theatre Builds Bridges, Helps Military Families Find Community
By Becky Brown
It may have looked like they were just building costumes for a play. But these makers and collaborators were building community and resilience.
Finding your people can be a challenge, especially for military families on the move. Each relocation comes with new schools, new jobs, and new routines. It’s a lot to manage.
Circle Theatre in Omaha recognized this community and identified with the desire to connect.
Photography courtesy of Circle Theatre.
And so, the theater intentionally reached out to local military families this year. Thanks to a Creative Forces Community Engagement grant, the performing arts group known for welcoming everyone expanded its reach—and helped members of the military and their families find a new home.
“Theater is the vessel we used to create and build community,” says Courtney Stein Cairncross, co-artistic director of Circle Theatre. “We bring folks together and create this experience that’s positive.”
While Circle Theatre engages people of different abilities, backgrounds, and communities, it had yet to make meaningful inroads into the military community. With Offutt Air Force Base only 30 minutes away, it was an opportunity that had been missed for too long.
Enter Creative Forces, stage right.
Circle Theatre received an emerging project grant for Enchanted Threads: Empowering Through Inclusive Theatre. In partnership with the 55th Force Support Squadron, the theater held a series of workshops where participants designed, created, and built costumes for the April performances of Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition. It was a simple way to engage a new audience and build social connectedness.
“It’s a great way of bridging the gap and providing an accessible entry point,” Courtney says. “It’s a safe way to come learn about us and meet people. You have a project, you feel your hands working, and you can be proud of something you made.”
Reaching out to organizations like the Exceptional Family Member Program, Spouses Club, and Paralyzed Veterans of America, Circle Theatre scheduled three costume-creation sessions. In total, around 100 people actively participated and collaborated. At least half of these makers were from the military community.
The tasks at hand were low stress but full of possibility and wonder. Stations were set up to create costumes for the castle guards or the performers who acted as the yellow brick road. At another table, participants were challenged to turn a PVC pipe into a prop torch.
Photography courtesy of Circle Theatre.
Activities were designed to be accessible, fun, and empowering.
“This was about helping people find a new way to be creative,” says Fran Sillau, executive artistic director of Circle Theatre. “A lot of these folks have skills that haven’t been awoken within them yet. We focus on finding inner joy.”
Active service members, their spouses and children, and veterans were all part of the effort. For some, it was their first introduction to the performing arts. Many people wanted to know what was next. Some even expressed an interest in auditioning for the theater’s next production.
Photography courtesy of Circle Theatre.
While Circle Theatre previously had participants that were veterans, the theater was still looking for a way to make more connections with the military community. Creative Forces made it happen. And moving forward, Fran and Courtney intend to utilize the Enchanted Threads model for future productions.
“It’s so helpful for what we do in bridging these communities and making the creative process more community based,” Courtney says. “We are just facilitators in making these things happen. The art is being created by people in the workshops. Our goal is to expand and reach out to the same communities.”
“Making sure each person has a meaningful experience is so important,” Fran says.
Art can sometimes be presented to the military community as therapy, but Enchanted Threads was about possibility. The project focused on building new relationships, and creating connections. Whether participants met one new friend or are excited to become a Circle Theatre regular, the project was a success.
Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition is all about being where you belong. It’s a message that’s at the core of Circle Theatre’s integrated ensemble model. But this spring’s production of the beloved classic carried an even deeper meaning.
“My favorite thing about theater is just to be part of an ensemble, even if I’m way in the back,” Courtney says. “We’re moving together, in the moment, present at the same time. That’s the feeling we want to give to other people.”
Fran concurs.
“Community is what we are all about,” he says. “We are bigger and better with community.”
The Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA). For more information, visit the Creative Forces National Resource Center.
All photography courtesy of Circle Theatre.