Saving a family legacy through story and song
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 7, 2026
This month, the community has an opportunity to see Grays Harbor’s up-and-coming theater talent when 7th Street Kids in Hoquiam take the stage for two productions: Imagine a Dragon and Beettlejuice JR.
Friday, July 3, The Daily World visited during an Imagine a Dragon rehearsal that had the kids performing with props for the first time. There are familiar faces behind stage, including A.J. Cooper and Angel Howard, both of whom were with The Diary of Anne Frank, and Ross McCobb, who was in Hello, Dolly! and on-stage, Kieran Church plays one of the bards while also performing in What the Constitution Means to Me.
As the kids ran through their musical numbers before doing a run through, The Daily World chatted with Fernanda Gil, who plays Isobel, and Alexa Amarok and Matt Roland, who are the musical director and assistant director, respectively. What follows is our conversation edited for length and clarity.
The Daily World: Fernanda, how long have you been participating with 7th Street Kids?
Fernanda Gil: Oh my gosh, I think this is my sixth show. I started in 2020, so that was the year of COVID.
TDW: What’s it been like coming up through the program for the past six years?
FG: It’s been so fun to see because it’s changed throughout the years and all the different directors too, being able to experiment and see the different choices that they have made.
TDW: In terms of costumes or stage direction?
FG: How they direct rehearsals and even the dances too; some are more complex, others are more simple.
TDW: What do you gravitate toward more: musicals or acting?
FG: I’d say musicals. I just love singing and being able to express my emotions while singing. I feel like it’s easier instead of just speaking it out.
TDW: As the lead, do you have more responsibilities that you didn’t have in previous years?
FG: Probably just more lines. They mentioned the [younger] kids look up to you, and you have to be a good influence because they follow in your steps.
TDW: Was that the case for you when starting out?
FG: Honestly, yeah for sure.
TDW: Do you act with Driftwood Players or Grays Harbor Collage?
FG: I did Aberdeen High School’s Once Upon a Mattress this year; I was one of the princesses.
TDW: What’s the value of 7th Street Kids and the community supporting the program through donations? How do you benefit by participating?
FG: I actually grew up homeschooled and being able to do theater has helped me grow so much as a person because it’s helped me make friends and be more talkative. And it has grown my confidence in singing and acting and having all these friends who can uplift me while doing that. It’s been so much fun for me. I’m really going to miss it, but I’m glad I have one more year left.
TDW: Alexa, what does being the musical director entail?
Alexa Amarok: I help teach all the kids the songs, so I’m focused more on the vocal and the singing aspects of the show. But I’m helping out in any way that I can, because with this kind of team and the age ranges, we all do everything pretty collaboratively.
TDW: What skills are required to be a musical director?
AA: Professionally, I am a choir teacher; I used to teach at the Aberdeen School District, and right now I’m working with NOVA Middle School in Olympia.
TDW: When working with the kids, do you make sure they all know their lines as they sing?
AA: I focus more on the full group singing, getting a good unified sound. This is an educational program, so I also teach about the differences of musical theater, especially singing in particular.
But with this age range, it’s also just healthy singing: how to make sound and sing out. There’s also a lot of confidence building and team building, so they feel safe to sing out. Voices are very personal, and we want to cultivate that starting at this young age.
TDW: Do some kids naturally gravitate toward singing versus others who have to be coaxed?
AA: Somewhat. When the kids audition for the program, they have to get up and sing and dance on their own so a lot of the kids who are here just naturally are more inclined to that. The audition process can be a little intimidating and that’s the one time that everyone is required to sing on their own. But we support them through that so that they don’t feel too on the spot.
But group singing is a really powerful tool. As they get to know each other and the show, they pretty naturally sing out strongly. Even if they are kind of shy to sing on their own, you can pick out their voice when they’re singing as a group, which is fun.
TDW: What do you get out of it, either professionally or personally, helping to shepherd the next generation of kids?
AA: Musical theater is newer to me but teaching and music, in general, has been a lifelong thing for me. There’s not a lot of community singing opportunities for kids this age in this area, so I really love this program. It has the ability to bring together so many of these kids and give them a place to sing and perform outside of school.
TDW: What is the value that community singing offers? What teamwork is required that people overlook or don’t understand?
AA: It is hugely a team activity. The success of the show overall — it’s a group effort. It’s not one person’s work, be it the director or a student actor. It’s really how all of it comes together. There’s so many people involved and so much goes into the planning and the practices. It takes a lot of planning and a lot of trust with other people.
Singing and dancing is so personal. It’s very expressive and you are able to express emotions in a way that people don’t normally do in conversations. It’s so much more authentic and it takes a lot of trust and safety to be able to.
And it’s really hard at this age range because if they get any kind of negative remark from someone, like their voice sounds funny or they can’t sing, if they get any kind of comment like that, it will stick with them for life. The tone deaf misconception, it’s just not true. It’s a skill that you have to practice over time.
TDW: I would be one of those tone deaf singers, but I’m appreciating the work that goes into acting and singing.
AA: There are so many misconceptions about singing. We’re so hard on ourselves and with music becoming a multi-million-dollar industry, people think that the only time you can do it is if you’re really good and you’re going to be famous. That’s just not true.
When you are singing together, the rhythm of the music and where you take breaths, your breathing and your heart rate can sync up with other people around you, and it is really powerful. When you are all thinking of the song in the same expressive way, it’s really powerful. And that’s something that we’re missing in today’s world a lot. Community singing used to be much more prevalent than it is now.
TDW: Matt, how long have you been involved with 7th Street Kids?
Matt Roland: This is my second year assistant directing; I did 101 Dalmatians last year.
TDW: Did you up come through the program too?
MR: I actually wasn’t a 7th Street kid growing up. I lived out on Ocean Shores, so transportation out here every day was pretty rough, but I did a lot of shows at Stage West. I got in through Taylor [Jones], the director. We worked together at the YMCA, and he said they needed an assistant director last year, pretty close to start of rehearsals. I said I would love to and that’s how I came up through directing.
TDW: What do you prefer: acting or directing?
MR: Because directing’s what I’ve done more often recently, I do enjoy directing a little bit more. I like the process as a director; there’s a sense of pride when you block a scene and the kids get it all right and it’s all coming together.
TDW: As an assistant director, what are your responsibilities?
MR: This year, those of us who are assistant directors got a little bit more responsibility; we were given scenes that are ours to fully block. And we assist Alexa or Ross McCobb, who’s our choreographer, or A.J., our education director. Wherever they need us, we will do what we need to and help.
TDW: What does the blocking process involve?
MR: When it comes to blocking, I’ll read through the scene maybe once or twice. With every line, I see where I want them moving upstage or downstage. If we have a platform, do I want them up there? I’m reading it through as a story and can I make my actors do on stage what I am envisioning.
For this show, they’re all so great with my blocking. For my scene, we get all 45 of the kids on at one point or another on stage. So there’s a lot of we have to clump you guys here, but make sure you’re still popping out.
TDW: How much of the blocking is also built into the dialogue?
MR: I would say like a fair bit. There are stage directions that they give us directors from the company we buy our rights from. They do help just to get a general feel for the scene, but I wouldn’t say we always follow them. We definitely have room to make our own decisions with it.
TDW: If you’ve blocked out a scene and are watching the actors perform, how do you intuit that the blocking isn’t working?
MR: It is kind of like a feeling. This week there’s been a lot of that, where I do run through and the blocking is clunky. It feels like they’re being forced to go on that side of the stage instead of it being a natural thing someone would do.
TDW: How much interaction is there between blocking and the actor being in character as they move around on stage?
MR: I think blocking and the character are very important. For instance, if we told our guards to go walk in this door, walk up onto the platform, walk down, and then just stand there, the guards aren’t going to be a prominent force. I want them staying down on the ground, one at every door like a strong, bold character.
Knowing where you go when you’re supposed to go and doing it well will give you confidence when you are on stage and you say your lines or sing your song. But if your blocking is clunky and it looks silly, on stage, your confidence isn’t there and you can have a bad delivery.
TDW: Are you interested in getting back on the stage?
MR: I’m looking at the winter musical at the Bishop Center and whatever Driftwood’s doing. And I would love to go back to Stage West when they have a show and I can make that commitment time-wise; I love being a part of the whole team.
Upcoming Performances
Imagine a Dragon – 7th Street Kids
The dragon is back in town! Well … not really. That’s the story a ragtag band of innkeepers make up, desperate to draw questing heroes to the struggling Dancing Dragon Inn. Soon the inn is full of unexpected guests, from an army of princesses out to prove their bravery, to a group of overwhelmed heroes trying to hold onto their fame. But what happens if they all discover the innkeepers’ dragon story is made up? Could there be more than one way to save the day? An epic folk-rock score brings magic to this funny, heartfelt fantasy musical.
July 10 and 11 at 7 p.m.
July 12 at 2 p.m.
Tickets available at https://7thstreetkids.org/tickets/ or ticket outlets Tinderbox Coffee Roasters, Harbor Drug, Valu Drug and Mocha Madness.
The 7th Street Theatre is located at 313 7th St., Hoquiam.
The Spongebob Musical – Bishop Center for the Performing Arts
Based on the animated series by Stephen Hillenburg, this is a vibrant, contemporary Broadway musical featuring an eclectic score by legendary pop and rock artists such as Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, David Bowie and so many others. This is a family-friendly show with humor geared toward both children and adults, so bring everyone to come see our local talent bring the bold, imaginative world of Bikini Bottom to life, right here on the Bishop Center stage
July 16-18 at 7:30 p.m.
July 18-19 at 6 and 2 p.m.
Tickets are available at https://www.ghc.edu/bishop.
Beetlejuice JR. – 7th Street Kids
July 30-31, August 1 at 7:30 p.m.
August 2 at 2 p.m.
The ghost-with-the-most comes to the stage in Beetlejuice JR., the frightfully funny musical based on the beloved motion picture turned Broadway phenomenon. Lydia Deetz is a strange and unusual teenager, still grieving the loss of her mother and obsessed with the whole “being dead thing.” Lucky for Lydia, she and her father move to a new house haunted by a recently deceased couple and Beetlejuice, a delightful demon with a real zest for life. When Lydia calls on Beetlejuice to scare away anyone with a pulse, this double-crossing specter shows his true stripes, unleashing a (Nether) world of pandemonium.
Tickets are available at https://7thstreetkids.org/.
Audition Calls
Midsummer Night’s Dream
Auditions are on Thursday, July 16 from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, July 18 from 1 to 4 p.m. at United Christian Church 300 West 1st St., Aberdeen.
The performance will be held during the Renaissance Faire on Sept. 11-13.
The roles to fill are 2 teenage/college age males, 2 teenage/college age females, 9 people of any age (1 female and 1 male at least), 2 males and 1 female over 30.
For questions, email kdemasters@yahoo.com.
Colorado and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change
The Grays Harbor College Fall Drama Colorado will be produced by Plank Island Theatre Company, and The Driftwood Players will produce I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. They will hold combined auditions for both fall shows at Events on Emerson on July 22 at 7 p.m. and July 26 at 4 p.m. You can audition for both shows or just one. Callbacks will be held immediately following the Sunday, July 26 auditions.
For audition specifics, casting breakdowns, and more, visit https://www.ghc.edu/musical-auditions,
Colorado by Pete Sinn Nachtrieb will be performed at The Bishop Center for the Performing Arts on October 30, 31, and November 1, 6, 7, and 8
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, a musical by Joe DiPietro, will be performed at the Driftwood Playhouse on September 26 and October 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, and 18
