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April 28, 2000

Child's Play Touring Theatre to perform local students' works

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Child's Play Touring Theatre Company will perform for Lafayette-area elementary school students and members of the community May 10-12 at Loeb Playhouse in Stewart Center on the Purdue University campus.

The performances are the culmination of a year-long millennium arts education project called "Bridging the Centuries" spearheaded by Purdue Convocations.

More than 3,500 Lafayette-area students from 16 schools participated in November in creative writing projects focusing on life in the Tippecanoe County area over the past 100 years. Inspired by the stories of senior citizen volunteers, parents, grandparents and neighbors, the children wrote stories about that topic. Selected writings were sent to Child's Play, and the winning stories and poems that will be performed have been announced:

  • "History of Flight" by G. Erickson's third-grade class, James Cole Elementary School, Lafayette . (Accompanying illustrations were incorporated into the scenery.)

  • "Then and Now" by Mr. Webber's third-grade class, Wea Ridge Elementary School, Lafayette.

  • "Couch Potato" by Alyssa Geswein, Grade 4, Mintonye Elementary School, West Point .

  • "The Robot" by Eric Brodell, Grade 2, Hershey Elementary School, Lafayette.

  • "Hair" by Dustin Query, Grade 5, Burnett Creek Elementary School, West Lafayette .

  • "The Smith Family Vacation" by Holly Bennett and Gabrielle Broughton, Grade 5, Otterbein Elementary School.

  • "When Do I Start to Grow Up" by Stephanie Spence, Grade 6, Otterbein Elementary School.

  • "Interview With Grandparents" by Corrine Wert, Grade 4, Otterbein Elementary.

  • "I Don't Agree" (song) by Brandon Clawson and Anthony Vredenburg, Grade 5, Attica Elementary School.

  • "Grandma's Road to the Millennium" by Mikael Greenwood-Hickman, Grade 5, Hershey.

  • "Timeline" (backdrop) by Johnson Yang, Grade 5, Mayflower Mill Elementary School, Lafayette.

  • "Celebration" (artwork) by Sage Harrington, Grade 5, Mayflower Mill.

In addition, numerous students earned honorable mention and will be honored with certificates of achievement at the performances. All children attending the performances will receive a special lanyard badge in recognition of their participation in the project.

Four of the five scheduled performances are matinees for school groups. A 7 p.m. performance on Thursday, May 11, is open to the public and will give families of student participants and others involved or interested in the project a chance to see the show. Tickets are $5 and are available at campus box offices or by phone at (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW.

As part of its ongoing arts education and outreach programming, Purdue Convocations has brought Child's Play Touring Theatre to Greater Lafayette for three consecutive years. This project, however, represents the largest number of schools and students to participate and the first time their work here has been tied to a theme: the new millennium and the end of the century.

Child's Play is nationally recognized for motivating elementary school students to read and write through developing and staging original plays based on children's poems, stories and essays. Based in Chicago, the company has toured over 32 states, performing and educating more than 3 million students in its 19-year history. The company's goal is to help children understand the value and significance of writing and reading in their lives.

Organizations such as Tippecanoe Storytellers Guild, American Association of Retired Persons, Purdue University Retirees, Wabash Area Life-long Learning Association and Westminster Village provided volunteers and are officially supporting the project. Donations from individuals and corporations made the project possible. Major underwriting partners include Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union; Friends of Convocations; Rea Magnet Wire Co.; Eli Lilly and Co. Tippecanoe Labs; Heartland Arts Fund; and University Inn Conference Center and Suites.

Source: Todd Wetzel, Convos director, (765) 494-9712, tewetzel@purdue.edu

Writer: Sue Stevens, Convocations publicist, (765) 494-5045, snsteven@purdue.edu

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