Fifth Avenue Theatre troupe is big hit at La Conner Elementary

Beth Clothier had all the bases covered for La Conner Elementary students when they returned from mid-winter break on Monday.

The La Conner Schools librarian set up a special morning performance by a touring cast from Seattle’s Fifth Avenue Theatre, recognized as one of the leading musical theater companies in the country.

Their local show was a big hit on several levels.

They presented a fast-paced 40-minute rendition of award-winning Seattle author Ken Mochizuki’s “Baseball Saved Us,” based on the true-life story of a Japanese-American teen who struggles to learn the national pastime on the hot dusty fields of a World War II internment camp in the intermountain west.

The high school student’s Seattle family is among the more than 100,000 Japanese-Americans relocated in 1942 as a result of a now infamous executive order signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor.

The family’s many hardships, from leaving behind their home for others to occupy to enduring a regimented life behind barbed wire, are somewhat softened when they line out a baseball field on which to play.

La Conner students, who had been introduced to Mochizuki’s book beforehand, were clearly fans of the Fifth Avenue Theatre program, staying afterward to ask questions of the actors.

“That’s the best play I’ve seen,” a third grader could be heard saying as students filed back to class.

Clothier likes the concept of linking a book that students have read to a live performance with music. She began recruiting the Fifth Avenue Theatre troupe for a La Conner appearance last fall.

“I’m glad it worked out,” Clothier told the Weekly News. “We’re always looking for opportunities for kids to experience theater.”

La Conner Elementary Principal Heather Fakkema agreed.

“She did a great job,” Fakkema said of Clothier. “The students were very prepared by having read the book. Any opportunity to bring live theater to the school is great.”

Clothier and Fakkema noted the cross-curricular nature of the show as it seamlessly melded history, literature, government and the fine arts.

And, of course, baseball.

The name of Yankee icon Joe DiMaggio was invoked in the play’s opening scene. One of main characters later Anglicizes his name to “Teddy,” likely as a tribute to Boston Red Sox star Ted Williams, who interrupted his baseball career to serve as a fighter pilot in both World War II and the Korean War.

Prior to hitting the road for their next gig at Concrete Elementary, the “Baseball Saved Us” cast – most of whom are in their 20s – and veteran stage manager Cori Campbell shared acting tips with members of the La Conner High Drama Club.

All agreed commitment and collaboration are the keys to success on stage.