AN INTERGENERATIONAL,
SENSATIONAL THEATRE GROUP

Creative Stage Collective’s annual revue proves
that age is irrelevant when imagination leads

To get to their Sunday rehearsals, the many members of Creative Stage Collective are real troopers, traipsing and trudging through snow falling—and lingering—in unpleasant temperatures dipping below freezing and staying there. After all, these dedicated kids, teens, and adults have their annual Creative Stage Spectacular musical comedy revue coming up on the Upper West Side this Saturday night, February 7.

The old adage “The show must go on” (even when the snow must go on) also implies that weekly rehearsals must happen. No matter that they fell on the day of fast-falling snow that became New York City’s mammoth storm on Sunday, January 25, and again the following Sunday when its aftermath brought a daunting deep freeze and dangerously slippery streets. In compelling contrast, the atmosphere indoors was safe and warm as dozens of performers prepared, practiced, and polished their work with attentive behind-the-scenes staff. Stage and Cinema was invited to observe these busy, bustling hours of getting ready—ready, willing, and able.

The one-night-only, 75-minute presentation takes place at Symphony Space on Broadway at West 95th Street, and it promises a potent potpourri of pep, pizzazz, and parody: comic sketches and songs in a range of styles. Much of the material began in early improvisation sessions that eventually became scripted dialogue for quirky characters, with lyrics set to familiar melodies. One moment it’s Mozart, with grand operatic voices gathered around musical director Seth Weinstein at the piano; the next, the mixed-age ensemble is grooving to R&B, delivering the upbeat message, “You can be a kid all over again.” Along with the live band, guests this year include comedian Jim Conroy (Nickelodeon) and Sarah Salzberg (original Broadway cast member and co-creator of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Marisa Ryan, Andrew Dolan, Todd Faulkner, and singers from the Met Opera Chorus.

The chemistry and camaraderie among eager children, teenagers, and seasoned adult professionals—on and off stage—is a joy to witness. A young boy and a man two or three times his age enter for a shared bit, greeting each other with a high-five. Age is beside the point; they are peers here, bonded by mutual respect. Adults lead by example with projection, character work, and stage presence. Kids (ages eight and up) are remarkably focused, their bright enthusiasm contagious and smile-inducing. The silliness of the humor seems equally relished by the young and the not-so-young. There’s a palpable family feeling—many participants have worked together for years, with a high rate of returnees from CSC’s developmental workshops. (There is no fee for inexperienced kids receiving an introduction to performance and improvisation; adults with professional credits are paid an honorarium. Volunteers, grants, donations, and ticket sales make these programs possible.)

Sketches include a TV crime show with the usual suspects and evidence (“Aha! A half-eaten tuna fish sandwich!”), a restaurant where confusion and complaints are always on the menu (though Cheerios arrive without milk), and a birthday party entertainment gone wrong thanks to a weary clown who may need antidepressants—or at least a new career plan. A mock commercial touts the value of a product that is—literally—“nothing.” Some bits become favorites; CSC clearly has a fondness for the ongoing adventures of a certain iguana. At another point, the company sings robustly in unison to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and even the youngest voices sound as comfortable and in tune as they would with “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”

One scene, revisited repeatedly, grows sharper each time. Its delightfully absurd premise: a family checks into a motel staffed almost entirely by chickens. The actors cluck, squawk, bob their heads, and flap folded arms to suggest wings, establishing a full pecking order of supervisors, bellboys, and desk clerks. When the family orders scrambled eggs, feathers are ruffled. Perhaps the giant “Cluck Cluck Motel” sign should have been a hint. Later in the marathon Sunday rehearsal, costume elements—beaks and feathers—are distributed, cheers erupt, and the “chickens” happily return to cackling. It’s not a full dress rehearsal, but the kind where older actors naturally take the younger ones under their wings. At another point, it’s a bit surprising to hear someone refer to age, asking where “the old people” are. But then it becomes apparent that the reference is to a couple of actors under the age of 12 who are pluckily playing seniors, wearing gray wigs and walking with canes.

Madeline Bender

At the center of all this activity is the devoted, unflappable mother hen of the operation: Madeline Bender, the creator and driving force behind Creative Stage Collective. She directs, encourages, consults with stage managers and choreographers, wrangles children, checks messages, references the script, and gently enforces “library quiet”—which happens instantly. She reminds everyone, mantra-style, “Props are tools—not toys,” and periodically attempts (mostly in vain) to take another bite of the lunch that’s been sitting in front of her since the break. A mother herself and a former opera singer, Bender is used to putting shows together quickly, trusting that her theatre family will make it all come together. And so it does.

It’s all tremendous fun, but the goals are taken seriously: stimulating imagination, inspiring collaboration, honing performance skills, maintaining standards, and delivering a satisfying show worthy of its donors’ support—and everyone’s time and talent—with room to grow.

Learn more about the group, its mission, and sample clips from past shows at Creative Stage Collective, and hear Bender speak about the organization’s philosophy in a video available online.

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Creative Stage Spectacular 2026
Creative Stage Collective
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway @ 95th St
Saturday, February 7, 7:30 pm
75 minutes, no intermission
for tickets, visit Symphony Space

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