Theater to the rescue for some anxious children and parents in the midst of the storm.
For over 17 years, Dallas Children’s Theater has been going to public libraries in the summer to present the DCT STORYTIME program. Graduate-level theater students who are interning at the theater give participants a chance to learn about the page-to-stage process. This summer, students will read from three Doreen Cronin books: Diary of a Worm, Diary of a Spider, and Diary of a Fly. Then, they will have a chance to act out a part of the play currently on DCT’s stage. Costume pieces are provided and area librarians look forward to weaving this offering into their already-existing programming each summer. On a particularly unusual Monday morning in June, intern Anna Nguyen had this story to share about her experience at Skillman Southwestern Library.
The debris after the storm on Sunday made the drive Monday morning quite interesting. Limbs were down everywhere and there were quite a few traffic lights out en route. When I got to the library, I realized the power was out, and I was quite surprised to find that the library was still open, and the librarians were working by daylight! Uncertain as to whether anyone would come to the acting workshop, we nevertheless decided to stick around and make preparations. The auditorium we were scheduled to be in was quite dark, so we relocated to a sunny spot of the library near a window in the children’s section. McKenna and I rearranged some chairs and tables and voila, we had a stage as we had created many times in various locations. Now, all we needed were some willing actors and audience members. We waited in anticipation and after a few minutes, a couple children accompanied by their mothers drifted in. We began our workshop, giving some backstory on the characters in the scene we were about to perform. As we spoke and sang, a couple more children joined in. A couple excited children volunteered to act in the play. Some giggled at the costumes and had a hard time keeping still; some were overwhelmed by the attention and found it hard to find a voice; and some were eager to act every line they had. With narration from my intern partner, McKenna, and encouragement from me, our actors performed well and delighted the audience with the story. During the final song, I realized the joy of the day had less to do with the number of children we gave the workshop to, but rather the chance we gave those in attendance to release some energy that stressful day. Seeing the grin on their faces as they gave a final bow, I knew the drive over had been worth it.
The power of theater…in every circumstance.
DCT’s super summer interns will be at these locations on the following dates and times:
Tuesday, June 18, 11:00-12:00
Highland Hills Library
6200 Bonnie View Rd. 75241
214-670-0987
LaTressa Milburn
Tuesday, June 18, 1:00-2:00
Bachman Lake Library
9480 Webb Chapel Rd. 75220
214-670-6376
Sarah Boeglin
Wednesday, June 19, 11:00-12:00
Dallas West Library
2332 Singleton Blvd. 75212
214-670-6445
Brittany Snider
Wednesday, June 19, 1:00-2:00
Skyline Library
6006 Everglade Rd. 75227
214-670-0938
Tracy Warning
Thursday, June 20, 2:00-3:00
Renner Frankford Library
6400 Frankford Rd. 75252
214-670-6100
Mary Morgan
Friday, June 21, 1:30-2:30
Arcadia Park Library
1402 N. Justin Ave. 75211
214-670-6446
Mary Jones
Tuesday, June 25, 10:30-11:30
White Rock Hills Library
9150 Ferguson Rd. 75228
214-670-8443
Sharon McCollins
Tuesday, June 25, 1:30-2:30
Forest Green Library
9015 Forest Ln. 75243
214-670-1335
Cassidy Mayfield
Wednesday, June 26, 11:00-12:00
Mountain Creek Library
6102 Mountain Creek Pkwy 75249
214-670-6704
Haley Kral
Thursday, June 27, 11:00-12:00
North Oak Cliff Library
302 W. 10th St. 75208
214-670-7555
Jessica Watts
Thursday, June 27, 1:30-2:30
Preston Royal Library
5626 Royal Ln. 75229
214-670-7133
Sharon Neicheril
Photos by: DCT staff