Kidding Around

History

Officially established in the 1999-2000 Academic Year at Emerson College, Kidding Around is A Student Theatre Organization that centers around theatre for all audiences.

​

Kidding Around's history is a long but interesting one. History traces our roots back to sometime between the 1920s-1930s with the establishment of Emerson's Children's Theatre division and the group known as "The Strolling Players".  However, "KA" itself first emerged under the name "Team Players" and was the third current Student Theatre Organization to be established at Emerson. We believe the name is an ode to the children's theatre division that came before. At this time, the organization's goals focused solely on theatre for children, which performed both on campus and at local school environments where process dramas were also built into the experience.

The name "Kidding Around" came to be during the 2002-2003 school year after a shift in leadership. It is unclear why the name change was made. During a brief stint in 2003-2004, the org was known as "Just Kidding Around", however, it shifted back to "Kidding Around" and has been the same ever since.  There is no intention of altering the organization's name in the foreseeable future.

For the next 23 years, KA would be known as Emerson's "Theatre For Young Audiences" organization, performing various productions for both the Emerson community and the Greater Boston community. This would include the production of various well-known works, such as Ahrens and Flaherty's Seussical and Gesner's You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, in addition to playmaking pieces, original TYAs, various cabarets, and many more. It was because of these works, in addition to other factors, that KA would earn two Emerson Organization of the Year awards, one in the 2009-2010 academic year, and the other in the 2016-2017 academic year.

During the 2010s, Kidding Around went through a rebranding phase, adopting new graphics and marketing tools that would be used for the next 8+ years. The graphics featured a colorful geometric background that encompassed both the youthfulness and brightness of Theatre For Young Audiences. Additionally, this was a time when KA would begin theming their seasons to create a more communal feel to the works that were being produced. Some of the themes were "Reimagine: Changing The Story Starts With Us", which included an original folk musical entitled The Mermaid's Tale, J.S. Puller's Women Who Weave, and Timothy Allen-McDonald's The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley, and "Adventure Awaits: Explore the Unseen", which included Simon Stephen's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Willie Reale's A Year With Frog and Toad, a season that was unfortunately canceled due to the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic.

​

After taking a hiatus due to the pandemic, KA returned full force, producing two shows in the Fall 2022 semester, and has done so every semester since. These shows would spark a conversation about what it truly means for shows to be TYA, and how the evolution of that term for KA would ultimately lead to a shift within the organization.

​

The marketing and rebranding that is seen today is a product of a full organization rebranding that started with a discussion about the evolution of TYA in the Fall of 2023. In an effort to encompass as many possible audiences as possible, Executive Board members Jack Whitlow, Savannah Bellon, and Merrit O'Keefe led an organization-wide shift that would redefine the types of shows KA would be producing. Through several thorough and in-depth conversations, the board recognized that KA has begun to shift away from the stereotypical meaning of TYA, and therefore the values, mission, and overall marketing communications of the organization should be reflective of that. It was decided in the Spring of 2024 that Kidding Around would shift to a "Theatre For All Audiences" lens to include as many facets of theatre as possible. Through this lens, KA is committed to producing shows with educational tools, components of social & emotional learning, and that are accessible to all audiences. 

​

Kidding Around is excited to continue to bring theatre to the Emerson community and beyond, and hopes you'll join us for any future events, productions, or celebrations.

​

Liv, Luv, KA! <3