KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- A dim, purple haze lights the evening sky. An eerie mist cascades across the graveyard. Between two burial markers, shovel in hand, a young lady stands wearing the darkest of dresses. A single braided ponytail -- even darker than her dress -- draped over one shoulder. Her skin pale, almost ghostly, with ever the faintest touch of color left in her cheeks. Her steel blue eyes hauntingly pierce the soul.
… and her voice. Enchanting. Captivating. Brilliant.
Her name is Kaitlyn Booth, and her performances as Wednesday during the recent "Addams Family Musical" entertained hundreds of theater patrons within the Kaiserslautern Military Community. But Kaitlyn isn't the only one in her family who knows how to enchant and captivate a crowd, because for her -- KMC Onstage is a family affair.
With her father Aaron Booth back stage and on stage with her, her sister Caroline Booth involved in theater as well, and her mother Diann Booth filling the role of biggest cheerleader -- the 16-year-old Ramstein High School student has a lot of support.
"It's not just the four of us who make KMC Onstage a family affair either," said Aaron, who played an ancestor ghost during the recent Addams Family shows.
KMC Onstage is made up of Soldiers and Airman assigned to units in the U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland- Pfalz and Ramstein Air Base areas of operations, he explained. It's teachers, civilian employees who work for military units and agencies here, children, spouses, German friends from the area, and more, said Aaron who is a retired lieutenant colonel and now serves as a strategic planner with the Defense Logistics Agency as a Department of Defense civilian employee.
"We are all volunteers, and we are one big family," said Aaron, who just finished his seventh production with KMC Onstage.
Although he has a good amount of acting experience, his daughter has him beat, said the proud father. Kaitlyn has been performing in theater since she was about 5 years old. She started when the Booth family was stationed in Tampa, Fla. Between children's' theater, other performing opportunities and now KMC Onstage, Kaitlyn has been a part of more than 20 theatrical productions, Aaron said.
"I really love what I do," said Kaitlyn, "to have the opportunity to portray different characters and their emotions -- this is something most people aren't able to do in everyday life. And theater also helps me in real life. People express their emotions in different ways. Theater exposes me to so many of these emotions, and through my work in theater I've learned to empathize with people and their emotions better."
As a dad, Aaron said watching her on stage and back stage assisting and developing younger or less experienced performers, including him, is really something special and an amazing experience.
"It's a great insight that I wouldn't have if I wasn't doing theater myself," said Aaron, who first volunteered and got a part in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" after fulfilling the singular duty of Kaitlyn's personal chauffer to and from rehearsals and performances for years.
"I thought about it and decided if I was going to be there anyway, I'll commit the time as a parent and join in," he said. "It's also a great way to hang out with my daughter and experience theater together. For 'A Midsummers Night's Dream' -- being my first performance -- I was hoping for a small part. Instead, they gave me one of the lead roles, and I had to learn 220 lines of iambic pentameter."
Theater is hard work, said the 23-year Air Force veteran. It's hard work for the whole family. His wife Diann puts in long hours keeping them on time. She's their go-to person for basically anything and everything.
But it's also especially hard for Kaitlyn who puts so much of herself into every performance with dreams of someday being on Broadway, he said.
"It's tough for her. She's an A and B student -- mostly As. During rehearsals, she doesn't get home until after 9 p.m. Every night she comes home and goes right to her school work, working to midnight sometimes. Or she sets her alarm clock for 5 a.m. and gets up extra early to do her homework before school," Aaron said.
Yes, you might say she's become a rising star, Aaron said of Kaitlyn who wants to pursue a theater arts degree in college after high school.
"But more importantly she's become a confident young woman, which really makes me proud."
Kaitlyn is not the only member of the family who makes him proud, the 46-year-old father of two said.
For the upcoming "Shrek The Musical" shows, which begin in December, Kaitlyn will be playing the part of the Ginger Bread Man, Aaron will be Papa Ogre and Papa Bear, and his 11-year-old daughter Caroline will be playing Baby Bear.
"Caroline has done about five productions so far with children's theater, but Shrek will be her first time on the main stage and the first performance where all three of us will be on stage together," said Aaron. "I'm really looking forward to that."
Eric Danzeiser is the KMC Onstage manager and a Kaiserslautern Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation employee. He said the theater brings the community together, especially overseas, and it's certainly a family affair.
"Back in the States, there are theater groups in almost every community, but overseas that's not the case, especially English-speaking theater groups," Danzeiser said. "Here, we're like a big family. We work so closely together -- day in and day out -- and ultimately we create something magical, something special … together. Someone else might do the show later on down the road, but it will never be the same show we did. It's a once in a lifetime event every night."
Now that the "Addams Family Musical" has completed its production run, it's not possible to see Kaitlyn in her darkest of dresses with her darkest of hair belting out hauntingly enchanting solos as part of the show.
Instead, and just in time for the holidays, "Shrek The Musical" arrives and the Booth family and the entire KMC Onstage cast and crew will look to help brighten up the Kaiserslautern Military Community this holiday season.
"Shrek The Musical" runs Dec. 9-11, and again Jan. 6-8. Friday and Saturday shows start at 7 p.m. and are open to children 6 years and older. Sunday shows start at 3 p.m., and everyone may attend. Prices for adults are $10 to $15, depending on seating. Youth younger than 18, senior citizens and service members E-1 to E-4 receive discounted prices ranging from $7 to $12, depending on seating.
KMC Onstage is co-located with Java Café on Kleber Kaserne at the theater building there. For more information on "Shrek The Musical" and KMC Onstage, call 0631-411-6626 or DSN 483-6626.
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