Ava Johnson was in kindergarten when she encountered a problem: She couldn’t do a cartwheel. She couldn’t let it go.
Johnson’s mother, Arika Parr, encouraged her to write a list of all the things she could do, instilling a positive mindset within her. That was the inspiration behind Ava + Mommy Publishing. In the pair’s book, “But What Can You Do?” Johnson and Parr’s experience inspires children to celebrate their strengths while giving them examples of self-awareness and perseverance.
The book is being adapted into a play that’s opening this Friday from the Metro Theater Company. The entire cast and crew are St. Louis natives, including Aloha Mischeaux, who stars as Ava in the play.
Initially, Parr kept telling Johnson to keep trying and that she would be able to do a cartwheel one day in the future. But on seeing Ava’s reaction, she realized that a different approach was needed.
“I'm an adult. Her big deal is going to be a big deal to me when she's 4 years old, 5 years old.” Parr said. “So I really wanted to let her know that I saw that she was struggling, and I was there with her.”
Parr had a “cartwheel” of her own before the book was published.
“Her [Parr’s] cartwheel was that she was scared to publish the book because she thought that people wouldn't like the book,” Johnson said. “But I just told her, it doesn't matter what people think about the book. It only matters what you think about it.”
Johnson was eventually able to accomplish her cartwheel. Overcoming that challenge, she said, made her feel good about her abilities because even though she had one small problem, she was still able to do a lot of other things.
“I thought of what I was really good at. My mom helped me with it,” Johnson said. “She said, ‘Oh yeah, you're good at washing your hands, eating your veggies, being a good daughter.’”
Mischeaux said that her “cartwheel” was learning how to Hula-Hoop. She said the chance to play Ava brought a new kind of joy to her life.
“I really think this was written in the stars for us,” Mischeaux said.
“[The play] becomes more meaningful every time I do it. To be an adult woman playing a child is actually a really big blessing, because as adults, you don't really get to tap into your kid-like essence as much as maybe you should.”
To learn more about Ava and Arika’s story and get details about the play, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.
Related Event
What: "But What Can You Do?" opening night
When: 7 p.m. March 28
Where: The Sun Theater (3625 Grandel Square, St. Louis, MO 63108)
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Jada Jones is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
