Meet a Mother-and-Son Volunteering Duo

Jennifer Harris wishes it hadn’t taken her and son Jackson so long to check out the Vero Beach Theatre Guild. Once they did, they dove right in. While Jennifer began volunteering backstage, learning technical lighting skills, Jackson signed up for the Theatrical Learning Center’s summer camp. They were bitten by the theater bug, and it didn’t take long before the two found themselves spending more and more time at the guild and loving every minute.

That was two and a half years ago. Since then, Jennifer, whose regular job is working by her husband’s side at Coastal Vision Care in Palm Bay, has mastered the spotlight and light board, served on a couple of committees, and is interested in trying her hand at directing.

“Being on the tech crew is challenging,” she says. “It’s also a big time commitment, as most shows run for two weeks. I work full-time, but I’m fortunate in that I have an amazing staff I’ve trained from the beginning, so it allows me to do things like volunteer here. I also have a very supportive husband who knows how important this is to me.”

Jackson, a student at Indian River Charter High School, has eagerly taken on roles both on the stage and behind the scenes.

“I was 13 when I started, so I played the part of young Scrooge in A Christmas Carol,” he says. “Being on the stage gave me such a spark! I was hooked!”

Jackson’s next role was backstage, working the fly system (a network of ropes and pulleys used to change background scenery), which he was soon handling like a seasoned pro. However, a return to the stage taught him he still had a lot to learn.

“We were doing Beetlejuice,” he explains, “and during the show everything was going great until we got to this place where all of a sudden I forgot my lines—totally drew a blank. That’s where improv, which I learned in one of the classes, comes in, so I improvised and we got through it. Everyone was so supportive and encouraging.”

That’s pretty much the way it goes at the Vero Beach Theatre Guild, a nonprofit community theater founded 68 years ago, where the welcome mat is always out and volunteer opportunities abound.

So, what’s next for the Harris mother-son theater team?

“I’d like to be directing, involved with the entire process from start to finish,” says Jennifer. “Being able to see all the hard work come to life on the stage makes me so happy and proud knowing that I’ve been a part of it.” But when asked if she has ever wanted to perform on stage, she laughs, “Absolutely not!”

Jackson, who is comfortable volunteering wherever needed, whether it’s backstage or in the spotlight, clearly prefers the latter. “There’s something special about the theater,” he says; “you start studying lines, make new friends, and have a giant good time. When you’re on the stage doing what you love, you look out at the audience, see people smiling, and you know you’ve made a difference in their lives.”