PITTSBORO — Wiggins, the sidekick of the famed Detective Sherlock Holmes, is suddenly thrown into the spotlight. He must help his crew uncover clues and solve the mystery of the 1st Baker Street Irregular.
In much the same way, Rue Schnieder feels he too has been thrust into a new position, unsure of what to do next but needing to step up to the plate. It’s part of what makes Wiggins the perfect role for him.
“Wiggins is a leader without really being ready to be or exactly how to be,” Schnieder, 14, said.
Which is, in many ways, where Schnieder finds himself.
The upcoming performance of “Sherlock Holmes and the 1st Baker Street Irregular” by Pittsboro Youth Players on May 6 at The Plant marks the first performance for the new Chatham County youth theater company, and it hopes to be the first of many.
In January, Craig Witter and Tammy Matthews announced they were closing Pittsboro Youth Theater, citing financial hardship. It left many young thespians, like Schnieder, without a theater home in Chatham County.
Amid the shock and pain of losing the beloved community space, Laura Sandvik, a parent of a former PYT performer, knew she had to act. She made calls to her friends in the industry, put out social media blasts and networked with PYT parents.
“If you have the capacity to do something that makes life better for other people, I really think you should do it,” Sandvik said. “I had the time and the bandwidth to be a wrangler for this.”
And when she gathered together a group of more than a dozen parents, she opened the doors to her home as rehearsal space for the show. Then she contacted Tami Schwerin, who donated space at The Plant for the performance. In just 10 weeks, the show has gone from a vision to a reality.
“Even though it was kind of an odd situation to be rehearsing a show at my friend’s house, I think it didn’t feel bad at all because I still had great people supporting me,” Schnieder said. “We’ve been adaptable, and we’ve grown and changed together through this experience.”
Sure, there may not be a stage to practice with, or a proper studio to dance in but there were still the people. And to Sandvik, Schnieder and the rest of the cast that’s what doing theater is all about in the first place.
For Schnieder, theater has been the place where he can let loose, be himself and express the emotions he often keeps inside around his peers at school. As a queer kid at school, he said he often struggled to feel comfortable in his own body. But on the stage, where he could be anyone and do anything he felt at home.
“Being able to kind of escape into these other worlds and be with such a comfortable supporting community meant the world to me,” Schnieder said. “These people had become kind of like a second family.”
He said when PYT first announced it was closing, he felt crushed to be losing both the people and the art form that had come to play such a critical role in his evolving identity. So, when the opportunity emerged from the ashes to get back on the stage with many of those same kids who made theater feel safe, it was a chance to fall in love with the art all over again.
“Our reliable space had been abruptly taken away from us,” Schnieder said. “But we still all had the energy to be there. Just that togetherness and that want to do theater, it brought comfort to me.”
That artistic rebirth for Schnieder and the 15 other cast members is largely because of the efforts Sandvik has made.
The 16 actors, director Samuel Walker Jr., and assistant to the director and Northwood High School senior Mae Conners, have spent the past 10 Saturdays rehearsing in Sandvik’s living room or on her deck. Set and prop pieces were gathered from parents, the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and the PTA Thrift Shop.
“The experience of coming together to support the performers with their families, theater professionals, and local business owners has been heartening,” Sandvik said. “The journey has shown me just how important opportunities like this are for our local youth. All our kids deserve a space outside of their homes where they can find purpose and joy.”
Sandvik said she was adamant about keeping the Chatham youth theater community in any way possible. While there have been sacrifices in this adventure of making “Sherlock” come alive, she said it’s been a beautiful experience.
Part of what has made this experience especially impactful is the energetic perspective of Walker. The freelance arts director has been commuting from Raleigh to Sandvik’s Pittsboro home every Saturday to make this show happen, and the kids have responded with nothing but love for the joy he brings to rehearsals every weekend.
“Fourth grade is when I was personally introduced to theater, and 8th grade is when I knew I could not live without it,” Walker said. “I know first-hand how transformative the arts can be. Through theater, I have been able to be myself and believe in myself, so I could not let the opportunity to join forces with this group of dedicated parents and direct such talented actors pass me by.”
Walker found out about the revival effort through a Facebook post. He reached out to Sandvik, and three days later he was on the way to Pittsboro. Several cast members say he has pushed them to be better actors by creating emotional connections to the roles and being understanding of each actor’s needs.
Conners described Walker as “the perfect Gen-Z director.”
There are 18 youth theaters in counties adjacent to Chatham, each offering shows, camps and workshops. But with the closing of PYT, that left none here. While many public schools offer drama classes or performing arts in some capacity, resources are limited. That’s why Sandvik felt it was important to keep youth theater opportunities alive through the new Pittsboro Youth Players.
“We should be setting up kids to find purpose and to build resiliency,” she said. “Through theater participation, they learn how to work together and find their own voice.”
Even though “Sherlock” hasn’t hit the stage yet, the power of this experience has led Sandvik, along with Walker, to pursue the creation of a nonprofit youth theater under the Pittsboro Youth Players name. The duo is working to register the nonprofit and if all goes according to plan, they’ll have classes and productions ready by the fall.
Reporter Ben Rappaport can be reached at brappaport@chathamnr.com or on Twitter @b_rappaport