Outreach
Local Children Learn about Theatre on “The Island of Anyplace”
By Amy Milgrub Marshall
Students in the School of Theatre recently took local schoolchildren on an “island adventure.” Although they did not pick up any beach souvenirs on their journey, the kids did learn a lot—about acting, directing, costumes, sound effects, lighting effects and many other aspects of live theatre.
The “journey” was the School of Theatre’s production
of The Island of Anyplace, a play created especially
for kids by the American Repertory Theatre at
Harvard University and written by Charles Marz. Aimed
at elementary and middle school students, it introduces
various elements of theatre through an innovative and
magical story.“The show appeals to kids with visuals, lights and
sounds,” explains director Karen Durst, associate professor
and coordinator of the B.A. program in the School
of Theatre. “Children use pre-recorded entertainment
regularly, but many have never seen the magic of a live
production. We wanted to introduce them to the unique
thrill of live theatre, and show them how to tap into their
own talents, so they can create the magic on their own.”
Jaclyn DeForge, a senior B.A. theatre student and co-director/choreographer of The Island of Anyplace, says exposing children to live theatre is investing in the future of the art form. “In a society of immediacy, the magic of the theatre sometimes gets lost in the shuffle… Introducing children to the play and fantasy of the stage at an early age is crucial to keeping their support of the arts later in life.”
This spring marked the first of what will become an annual children’s theatre production within the School of Theatre’s regular season. Until this year, the School of Theatre had a small children’s theatre outreach group called Drama Duo that visited area elementary schools during the spring semester. Numerous considerations led to the decision to include children’s theatre as part of the regular season, including costs, potentially dangerous travel conditions during the winter months and the desire to provide a higher-quality production. Also, because participation in the traveling group had been limited, the School of Theatre wanted to be able to involve more theatre students in the children’s production.
According to Natalie McCabe, a sophomore B.A. theatre student who played several roles in The Island of Anyplace, incorporating children’s theatre into the School of Theatre’s regular season will serve as a valuable form of community outreach. “Parents and educators may become interested in attending other Penn State mainstage shows. Those children who enjoyed our shows will develop an early interest in the arts—always a plus—and return to the theatre later.”
The Island of Anyplace ran in the Pavilion Theatre
for five weeks, compared to the average two-week run
of regular School of Theatre performances. “This gave
our students the chance to see how a production may
alter and strengthen over time, in reaction to audience
responses,” notes Durst. “This is a training opportunity
that’s rare, a very special opportunity.”
Following the 50-minute performance and a question/ answer session, children and their teachers had the opportunity to participate in workshops on a variety of theatre topics, ranging from movement to lighting to make-up. The workshops will be an ongoing component of the annual children’s theatre production. “This allows us to provide an entire ‘theatre arts experience’ for the students, and helps justify the money schools need to spend to bring their students to University Park,” says Durst.
According to Durst, both the Penn State students and the children benefit from this new arrangement. Nearly 35 students were involved in The Island of Anyplace, compared to the two or three who participated each year in Drama Duo. Plus, Durst notes, with a dedicated rehearsal and production space, “the overall quality of the production has vastly improved and the young student audiences are being offered a substantially better product.”
Although auditions this year were open, the children’s theatre production is intended primarily for undergraduates. Starting next year, the production will be a laboratory portion of a new senior seminar course designed to bring the B.A. theatre majors back together for one major creative effort before graduation.
When students in the B.A. theatre program graduate, Durst says, they should be able to handle the comprehensive details of production, including script selection, publisher negotiations, assembling the production team, casting, publicity and front-of-house operations. Because the senior seminar course is new, Durst selected the script for this spring. However, after The Island of Anyplace closed in April, a student group began working on selecting the play for next year. In spring 2006, the senior seminar class will hold primary responsibility for not only mounting the 2006 production, but also selecting the material for the following year and doing the preliminary planning, thus establishing a pattern for future productions.
