The family that sings together

It’s late, almost 10pm. Rehearsal has just finished. People are beginning to walk out to their cars. Tired, probably. But Roland and Shauna Brown and their seven children are not ready to leave just yet.

With a pair of scissors in her hand, Shauna Brown gingerly trims a piece of black cloth for one cast member to use as a costume. Her oldest daughter, Tikla, 17, is sitting behind the piano coaching her younger brother, Reece, 11, on how to reach that high note in his solo number.

Plopped down in a corner is Roland Brown, patiently watching his wife and children. He is still a tad under the weather but could not miss rehearsal. After all, it’s Tuesday, just three days to go before the Browns take center stage in the Christmas musical Scrooge.

Scrooge is based on Charles Dickens’ novella A Christmas Carol. It’s the story of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, who thinks Christmas is a “humbug” and “a waste of time,” until he is haunted by three spirits who show him the error of his ways and teach him the true value of the holiday.

Roland plays Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s poor but optimistic employee. Shauna and five of the Brown children comprise the Cratchit brood. Shauna also sings alto in the chorus and works on costumes—no small task with a cast of 30 to clothe.

During practice, both parents also keep an eye out to make sure that nine-year-old Jennison and six-year-old twins Starr and Sterling are happy and quiet playing sponge blocks while waiting for their time to go on stage.

“We really want to do this play because this is our last year to be together to spend Christmas as a complete family before Tikla goes to the university next year,” says Shauna. “All our children are home so we want to make this a very memorable Christmas.”

Tikla, who sings soprano, plays the Spirit of Christmas Past. She shows Scrooge scenes from his youth, and reminds him what Christmas meant to him as a child and a young man.

Playing the role of Christmas Past could not be more apt. “It’s so ironic. Now that I am going to the real world, I tend to reminisce a lot,” says Tikla, who wants to major in music and minor in theatre at the Brigham Young University in Hawaii.

“Professionally, I want to be singing rather than acting because acting sort of doesn’t match with what I want about my backstage life,” says Tikla, “I want to be a mommy and bring my children up with love. I am furthering my education so I can teach my family.”

Scrooge is the 14th play that Tikla has participated in. “I was in my first play long before I could talk. I was six months old then. My parents were in Our Town and my mom held me in her arms onstage.”

Years later, Our Town, which is her theatrical debut, will be the very first play she will help direct at Marianas High School.

Theatre buffs and music madness

“Dad started this whole thing. He likes to perform,” says Tikla, whose name is a variation of “Tekla,” which in Swedish means “honor to God.”

“Roland came from a family of singers and musicians. I am just so impressed listening to them that I wanted my own family to be also like them,” Shauna says.

Shauna got what she wished for.

“My children sing all the time. Even at the dinner table. One will start humming and soon everybody is bursting into a song,” Shauna fondly says.

“Yeah, music is pretty big in our family. We have one small car so everybody is kinda squished together. The moment everyone is in the car and has buckled up, someone will start singing,” Tikla adds.

According to 13-year-old Victoria or Tori, the song Love is Spoken Here is “sort of our family song.”

“The lyrics goes: ‘I see my mother kneeling with her family each day. I hear the words she whispers as she bows her head to pray.’ It is sung in two parts—one for boys and the other for girls and has very nice harmony.” Tori plays the Crachit’s oldest daughter Martha.

Among the seven Brown children, none seems more avid to act or has a greater fondness for singing than the family’s youngest daughter—Starr. She seems bent on living up to her name.

“I never don’t want to do a play,” bedimpled Starr curtly says. Lest there be any doubt she tells one of the adult cast members, “I am never going to say ‘no’ to performing on stage.”

Even though her role is not as major as that of older siblings Tikla and Reece, Starr assures that “I like being part of Scrooge because I have a line.”

In fact, every time her brother Reece forgets his line, Starr is there ready to recite some key words for him, much to the amusement of other cast members and her family.

Unlike his twin sister, Sterling is not so gung-ho about being part of the play. “I don’t really like my role [as member of the Cratchit family] because all I have to say is ‘amen.’”

The same goes for Reece, who has the important role of Tiny Tim, but who is (according to his siblings) the most reluctant to perform.

“I wanted to join at first. But then I was missing different kinds of stuff like playing the computer on Saturdays. I am also missing playing with my friends,” explains Reece.

“But it’s okay now because I cannot [play] anymore. I am grounded for one month until Dec. 18. Because I was in the jungle and missed the Math Court,” Reece nonchalantly adds.

Despite his reluctance, Reece sings Miracles Happen at Christmas, which is the finale of Scrooge, like a trouper. In fact, among the 30-member chorus, Reece was the first to have his song memorized by heart, beating even the veteran performers.

“We recorded my song and we just play it at home tons of times,” Reece says.

As for Jennison, 9, he is just too happy to have the chance to play with Reece and Sterling and run within the Marianas High School grounds, and climb Plumeria trees while the rest of the family is rehearsing.

They should not make any noise, though, because big brother Skylar, 16, is there to say, “Behave guys.” Unlike the rest of the Brown offspring, Skylar prefers backstage work.

At home

The Browns arrived on Saipan in August 2005, when Roland, who has a doctor’s degree in education, was hired as principal at Northern Marianas High School. He is now the administrator of Ladera International School of Saipan.

“One reason I brought our family to Saipan was so that they could have some of the rich international experience I enjoyed while growing up,” says Roland, who lived in Brazil, Columbia, Indonesia, Mexico and Nicaragua as a youngster.

After more than a year on the island, the Browns have decided Saipan will be their “permanent home.”

“We moved like about 12 times. We last came from Korea. Saipan is the first tropical island we lived on. It is my favorite place I have ever been,” Tori says. “I hope we don’t move for a while.”

According to Reece, he enjoys being on Saipan because he gets to play outdoors the whole year through. “I and my younger brothers and sister are good climbers. And I don’t wear shoes anymore. I notice my feet got so tough that I can stand on bumpy corals.”

Besides the temperate climate, the Browns find Saipan attractive too because of the many opportunities in community theatre.

Tikla and Tori are simultaneously rehearsing for A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, which the Thespian Society will stage in February next year. [I][B](Jude Marfil-Schwalbach, Special to the Saipan Tribune)