‘I want to be an actor!’

Krystal Brimner

A show of hands, please: How many of your children have expressed the desire to become an actor?

OK, now how many of them actually have the talent, skill, work ethic and attitude to make it in this difficult and fickle industry?

To be honest, I don’t remember telling my parents that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, although I did get plenty of support from my mother, family members and friends. I fell into it. That’s the best way I can describe it all.

This was in 1978 with “The King and I,” the first theater production I auditioned for. There have been many more shows since. There were also many children with whom I worked, whether onstage, television or film. I never felt alone. And now, in 2016, more children can actually call themselves professional actors.

There are two musicals now that have children in them: One is “Annie,” now running at Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila. The other is “Fun Home,” now in rehearsal, with our opening night scheduled for Nov. 10 at Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza.

I went to watch “Annie” last Saturday night. Let’s get real, my attachment to the show is an obvious one. In its very first production in Manila in 1980, I got to play the titular role—red wig and all. It was staged again in 1984 (I played Annie again), and it’s been staged in Manila many times over. Many talented children came and went through the revolving door of little girls getting to play that iconic role.

And now, in this new production, there are two girls getting to star in this show: Krystal Brimner and Isabelli Araneta-Elizalde. Krystal starred with John Lloyd Cruz and Meryll Soriano in the film, “Honor Thy Father,” garnering herself a best child performer award at the Metro Manila Film Festival.

Isabelli comes from an entertainment family. She is the great-granddaughter of the late Armando Goyena, a grandniece of Tina Revilla, and niece of actors Lexi and George Schulze. “Annie” is her first professional production.

The Annie I got to see was Krystal. Allow me to say, she is a star. All eyes went to her from the moment she appeared onstage. Vocally strong and stirring, “present” in every scene, and with charm to spare, she perfectly inhabited the role: enough seriousness to reflect depression-era America, but with the right amount of optimism that could lift a somber White House cabinet out of the doldrums.

I see a bright future for this girl, and for all the little girls who performed on that stage. As vast as the Newport stage is, those seven kids—CJ Joven, Ataska Mercado, Precious Galvez, Shanti Gleason, Natalia Escaño and Sofie Wong—were able to fill it.

On our end, in “Fun Home,” we have six children of our own: Katie Bradshaw, Andee Achacoso, Daniel Drilon, Ronan Crisologo, Noel Comia Jr. and Albert Silos. Each of them has a bona fide résumé of theater credits. Noel ended up on my team on the most recent season of “The Voice Kids.”

So without a doubt, these kids know how to fill up a stage with their voices and presence. And we grownups got a glimpse of it when we did our first table read of the play.

The kids have one big production number titled “Come to the Fun Home,” a ’70s-style Jackson Five-ish pop number. Since we had two sets of children playing the Bechdel kids, Bobby Garcia, our director, asked both sets to perform the same song, one after the other. We had no idea what to expect!

Both sets of kids performed full-out, making us all laugh, sing and clap along with them. We were amazed, not only at their talent, but at the hard work they had already put in.

Just because these kids seem to be doing well at what it is they love doesn’t mean it’s a bed of roses. One of our kids told us that, because he’s an actor, he was bullied and teased by other kids at school. The teachers did nothing to stop it. Thankfully, the rest seem to be getting support from their families.

It does make me wonder, what are the parents and teachers of the bullies teaching them? That theater is lame—or gay? That it doesn’t mean anything?

During one rehearsal, Bobby spoke to the kids very seriously. He said, “If you encounter a peer who’s gay, or just different, befriend them. Be kind to them. It may not make you popular, but it’ll make you the kind kids. Don’t forget that.”

I wished at that moment that every child and their parents could hear those words.

So, if your little one expresses a desire to be in theater, let them. They will most probably learn something important, beyond stagecraft, music and acting: They’ll learn empathy. And what a gift that is.