The KID CAM

Looking Back on Another Journey to OZ

Technically it is a Flip Video Camcorder…but I called it the “Kid Cam” and it had three simple rules.

Rule #1: Everyone gets a turn. Share.
Rule #2: Do not disturb those rehearsing, performing, or working.
Rule #3: Return it to me by the end of the night.

All three were clearly printed and labeled right on the camera. Ten minutes after I handed the camera over to one of the kids, I was playing judge in the “Case of the Camera Hogs.” So much for sharing….

Twenty minutes later, I walked out from backstage and found all 48 kids sitting in the house, apparently because they were being too loud, for what I quickly realized was a direct result of the “Kid Cam.”

At least Rule #3 was never broken. I’m thankful for that.

So, my brilliant plan to capture youth theater from the Petite’s point of view was not working out as I had hoped. But, I promised the kids that the “Kid Cam” would reappear, but not until the cast party…not ideal for any of us, but it worked.

While I don’t have enough usable “Kid Cam” footage from rehearsals to work it into my documentary, I have more than enough of the cast party. Everything seemed to work out in the end, because I planned every since pre-production to use video from the cast party beneath the closing credits.


The video ranged from dizzying….



….to thankfully not so dizzying…




…to…well…