Summer theater troupe is ‘unique family’
Cudahy/South Milwaukee group stresses inclusion, values

By Cheri Perkins Mantz
Catholic Herald Staff

CUDAHY — With the dog days of summer come the echoing moans of boredom. Fifteen years ago, people at St. Frederick Parish, now part of Nativity of the Lord Parish, responded to those cries of boredom with the Collaborative Catholic Youth Ministry (CCYM) theater group.

Every summer youth from sixth grade through college can participate in a musical production. They audition, but no one is cut from the show. A group of 45 teens and young adults will perform “Children of Eden” at Cudahy High School Aug. 9-12.

According to Patty Sobolik, co-consulting director of CCYM, the performance almost becomes secondary to the other things the youth gain through the process.

“The focus is to bring youth of different communities together,” said Sobolik. “To give them something positive and creative to focus on for the summer. We try to promote inclusion, not exclusion. We have a couple kids with disabilities and it’s a growing experience and it’s neat to watch them. It’s good for kids to work with kids with disabilities because they’re learning acceptance and to deal with a situation they may not have dealt with before.”

Nativity of the Lord and Divine Mercy in South Milwaukee have supported CCYM since its inception. The group began rehearsing in the St. Frederick basement 15 years ago. When they became too large, Cudahy High School offered use of its auditorium for performances. During the summer, the group rehearses at Divine Mercy. Parishioners help fill the auditorium during performances, said Sobolik.

“Our Sunday afternoon show is probably our biggest because the parish turns out to support the group,” she said. “They give us free rental space for all those rehearsal nights. By going through the parish, we’re able to take advantage of their non-profit tax ID number; they insure us through Catholic Knights. This year, when we needed a little push, they were willing to say, ‘We want to keep this group going,’ and gave us an extra push to get us off and running. They’ve made a strong statement that they want this to continue.”

While CCYM is considered nondenominational, more than half of participants are Catholic. The show’s themes, as well as the group as a whole, strive to maintain a Catholic morality.

“We keep a Christian focus as far as moral values, behaviors, that kind of thing,” she said. “When we pick a production, we try to find something that follows those guidelines. It needs a theme that follows Catholic principles.”

Everyone who auditions is given a job in the production and the youth do not have to pay to participate.

“We don’t charge a fee. So regardless of their financial situation at home, they don’t have to pay anything to be with us. We just ask that they help us out with costumes. They’re finding pieces — black pants and a black shirt. If someone couldn’t pay, we don’t make a big deal about it,” said Sobolik.

Cast members Kenzie Boswell, 19, Anne Fullington, 19, and Nicole Savage, 17, agree that CCYM is different from other theater groups.

“CCYM is different because you get to meet a larger variety of people than just those you see all the time when you perform for school,” said Savage, a student at Cudahy High School who has been in three productions for CCYM.

Boswell, a sophomore at MATC, said she appreciates the relaxed environment among CCYM participants and volunteers.

“The adult staff is open and easy to talk to no matter what you need to talk to them about,” she said. “And the cast, in general, is much closer than you found in high school. We don’t have the cliques and competition that seem to hang over other groups, which tend to cause conflict. In reality, we act more like a very unique family than anything else.”

“Cast and crew alike, we keep coming back because we enjoy what we do for the show,” said Fullington, a parishioner at Divine Mercy, and cast member for five years. “Of course, we all love the feeling of watching all the hard work and dedication every single person puts into a performance, and hopefully this year will be one of the best shows yet because we all know how much work went into this show.”

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