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Children's Theatre Workshop is a
class offered in the Department of Communication, Media and
Theatre designed to cover all aspects of production culminating
in performances for elementary and middle school students.
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Fall 2009
Nov 9-Dec 9, 2009
Señora Tortuga
by Roxanne Schroeder-Arce
Directed by Ann Hartdegen
In Señora Tortuga playwright Roxanne Schroeder-Arce uses characters and archetypes from Mexican and Hispanic folktales and legends to tell the story of a contemporary immigrant family.
In this enchanting bilingual play (English/ Spanish), young Pedro and his family make their home in a barn on the Mexican border. Pedro complains of having nothing and brings his mother many headaches.
To teach him a lesson, Pedro’s mother invites a hungry woman to share the family dinner once. But, this Señora returns time and again to eat and tell fantastical stories of the Enchanted Serpent and Cucuy of Mexican legend. Surprisingly, Pedro is learning from these wisdom tales, but his mother is suspicious of the Señora until it is revealed that Señora Tortuga is a Shapeshifter that holds the thread that ties their past dreams to their future (Anchorage Press Plays, Inc).
There must be something very seductive to us about the idea of a human being who is able to take the form of another person or an animal. Every culture, from prehistory to the present, has tales of Shapeshifters, people who can, at will, transform themselves into something else. This was a favorite trick of Zeus in Greek mythology, and the first century Roman poet Ovid devoted an entire book to such tales (Metamorphoses). African, European, Native American, South American, Chinese and Indian folklore all include tales of Shapeshifters. Even today the popular Transformer robot toys and many books and films such as Twilight, Harry Potter and X-Men exploit this intriguing idea.
For more than 20 years The Children's Theatre Workshop has produced two plays every year for local grade schools by way of NEIU’s Children’s Theatre Workshop Class CMT 351. Keeping in theme with its dual language presentation, The Children’s Theatre Workshop performance not only entertains but it gives back. November 9 to December 9 Monday, Wednesday and Friday kid’s grades 3-6 will walk and bus from local Chicago school’s to be entertained and learn valuable life lessons while watching Señora Tortuga.
Due to the huge success of last year's bilingual production ¡BOCÓN! Director Ann Hartdegen chose to perform another bilingual play.
Under Ann’s direction, NEIU’s Children’s Theatre Workshop students will produce, perform and assistant direct Señora Tortuga.
¡BOCÓN!
cast and crew (L to R standing – Lisa Cantwell (Assistant Director),
Veronica Molina (Assistant Director), Diane Arunrung (Business
Manager), Connie Schneider (Costumer), Shakaria Jones, Adrienne Grant,
Solomon Britt (Assistant Stage Manager), Julio Padilla, Eric Senne
(Lights), Sean Kelly (Backstage Assistant), Aaron Olbur, Norris Narsa,
Bev Gronek (Stage Manager); L to R sitting - Lisa Torres, David
Mitchell, Rasa Aliukonyte)
¡BOCÓN! is a bi-lingual play by Lisa Loomer, set in an unspecified Central American country in the recent past. It tells the story of a young boy whose voice flies away in fear when his parents are “disappeared” by soldiers. In his attempt to find his voice and to make his way to freedom in the United States he encounters an unlikely ally – La Llorona, the “Weeping Woman” of Latin American folklore. (Like Medea, she killed her own children, and now wanders the world by night, scaring children out after dark.) The play examines the issues of the bravery required to speak up, to find one’s voice, and of remembering and honouring the past.
Post show discussions have focused on immigrants and refugees from Central America and from around the world. The class starts by reviewing where they or their parents were born – Brazil, Iraq, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Thailand.
Nov 9-Dec 9, 2009
Señora Tortuga
by Roxanne Schroeder-Arce
Directed by Ann Hartdegen
Children’s Theatre Workshop
*Director’s Notes*
*Director’s Notes*
In Señora Tortuga playwright Roxanne Schroeder-Arce uses characters and archetypes from Mexican and Hispanic folktales and legends to tell the story of a contemporary immigrant family.
In this enchanting bilingual play (English/ Spanish), young Pedro and his family make their home in a barn on the Mexican border. Pedro complains of having nothing and brings his mother many headaches.
To teach him a lesson, Pedro’s mother invites a hungry woman to share the family dinner once. But, this Señora returns time and again to eat and tell fantastical stories of the Enchanted Serpent and Cucuy of Mexican legend. Surprisingly, Pedro is learning from these wisdom tales, but his mother is suspicious of the Señora until it is revealed that Señora Tortuga is a Shapeshifter that holds the thread that ties their past dreams to their future (Anchorage Press Plays, Inc).
There must be something very seductive to us about the idea of a human being who is able to take the form of another person or an animal. Every culture, from prehistory to the present, has tales of Shapeshifters, people who can, at will, transform themselves into something else. This was a favorite trick of Zeus in Greek mythology, and the first century Roman poet Ovid devoted an entire book to such tales (Metamorphoses). African, European, Native American, South American, Chinese and Indian folklore all include tales of Shapeshifters. Even today the popular Transformer robot toys and many books and films such as Twilight, Harry Potter and X-Men exploit this intriguing idea.
For more than 20 years The Children's Theatre Workshop has produced two plays every year for local grade schools by way of NEIU’s Children’s Theatre Workshop Class CMT 351. Keeping in theme with its dual language presentation, The Children’s Theatre Workshop performance not only entertains but it gives back. November 9 to December 9 Monday, Wednesday and Friday kid’s grades 3-6 will walk and bus from local Chicago school’s to be entertained and learn valuable life lessons while watching Señora Tortuga.
Due to the huge success of last year's bilingual production ¡BOCÓN! Director Ann Hartdegen chose to perform another bilingual play.
Under Ann’s direction, NEIU’s Children’s Theatre Workshop students will produce, perform and assistant direct Señora Tortuga.
Spring 2010
March 29-April 30, 2010
Totally Red
by Dinah Toups and Barbara Walker
March 29-April 30, 2010
Totally Red
by Dinah Toups and Barbara Walker
Totally Red is an innovative and
hilarious reimagining of the Little Red Riding Hood story. This
lively and humorous play tells the familiar tale using six different
dramatic styles - storybook theatre, melodrama, Elizabethan, hip-hop,
avant garde and musical theatre. Suitable for all ages,
Totally Red is as entertaining as it is educational. Join Red,
Wolf, Granny and a host of other wonderful characters in this
delightful romp through the woods. (Spring 2010)
¡BOCÓN! by Lisa Loomer
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| Miguel is
stopped at the US border (L to R - Julio Padilla, Adrienne Grant,
Norris Narsa, Rasa Aliukonyte; kneeling - David Mitchell) |
Miguel (a
bocón or loud mouth) in the plaza, teasing his cousin Rosita (L
to R - Julio Padilla, Aaron Olbur, David Mitchell, Shakaria Jones,
Adrienne Grant) |
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| Kiki La Loca, the mysterious Quetzal, performs the forbidden Dance of Freedom in the plaza (Rasa Aliukonyte) |
Miguel’s
father tells him a Marxist version of the story of Adam (L to R - Julio
Padilla, Rasa Aliukonyte, Aaron Olbur; standing - Norris Narsa) |
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| Miguel’s
parents are arrested for talking too much, and Miguel becomes mute (L
to R - Norris Narsa, Connie Schneider, Aaron Olbur, Adrienne Grant,
David Mitchell, Shakaria Jones, Julio Padilla) |
Miguel, deep
in the forest running from the soldiers, is robbed by a Duende or
trickster (L to R - Rasa Aliukonyte, David Mitchell) |
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| The appearance of the terrifying La Llorona, who drowned her own children. |
Miguel stands up to La Llorona (L to R – Lisa Torres, David Mitchell) |
 |
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| La Llorona is revealed as a noisy, but helpful 500 year old ghost (L to R – Lisa Torres, David Mitchell) |
Searching
for his voice, Miguel braves a visit to the Voice Keeper, a civil
servant / soldier who keeps all the dissident voices of the country
locked up in a box (L to R - Julio Padilla, Aaron Olbur, David
Mitchell, Rasa Aliukonyte, Adrienne Grant, Norris Narsa) |
 |
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| Miguel
travels to the edge of the sea to find the Voice Picker, who collects
the frightened voices which hide in shells (L to R – David Mitchell,
Shakaria Jones) |
La Llorona encourages Miguel to search for his voice in his dreams (sitting – Lisa Torres; lying - David Mitchell) |
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| In his dream Miguel confronts La Calavera – Death in army boots (Aaron Olbur standing, David Mitchell on the ground) |
Having
reclaimed his voice and crossed the border into the US, Miguel is
joined by the full cast in encouraging the audience to tell his story,
and the stories of all immigrants (L to R - Connie Schneider, David
Mitchell, Lisa Torres, Julio Padilla, Shakaria Jones, Adrienne Grant,
Norris Narsa, Aaron Olbur, Rasa Aliukonyte) |
Pictures by Ann Hartdegen
¡BOCÓN! was performed from 3 November to 3 December 2008
by the
Children’s Theatre Workshop
CMT Department class, to about 900 area school children in grades 4 through 8.
CMT Department class, to about 900 area school children in grades 4 through 8.
¡BOCÓN! is a bi-lingual play by Lisa Loomer, set in an unspecified Central American country in the recent past. It tells the story of a young boy whose voice flies away in fear when his parents are “disappeared” by soldiers. In his attempt to find his voice and to make his way to freedom in the United States he encounters an unlikely ally – La Llorona, the “Weeping Woman” of Latin American folklore. (Like Medea, she killed her own children, and now wanders the world by night, scaring children out after dark.) The play examines the issues of the bravery required to speak up, to find one’s voice, and of remembering and honouring the past.
Post show discussions have focused on immigrants and refugees from Central America and from around the world. The class starts by reviewing where they or their parents were born – Brazil, Iraq, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Thailand.
Fall 2007 Semester Presentation
| From 5 November to 5 December the Children’s Theatre
Workshop, a CMT Department class, gave 12 performances of WILEY AND THE
HAIRY MAN to almost 900 area school children in grades 2 through 8. WILEY AND THE HAIRY MAN tells the story of a young boy haunted by nightmares - or perhaps a real monster ?! – and how he comes to terms with his fears and learns to stand on his own. Based on an African American folk tale, playwright Susan Zeder combines rhythm and rhyme to create a magical world. (Photographs by Ann Hartdegen) |
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| Chorus in the swamp - "when the Hairy Man gets mad, that's bad!" (left to right: Amanda Rzany, Cicely Teal, Veronica Molina, Colleen McCready, Wendy Silva, Sarah Rubinson, Mariya Pashova, Maryam Mirko, Patricia Atwan) | |
 |
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| Wiley climbs a tree to escape the Hairy Man (left to
right: Colleen McCready, Amanda Rzany, Bridgid Pulliam, Cicely Teal,
Veronica Molina [obscured], Wendy Silva, Sarah Rubinson, Mariya
Pashova, Maryam Mirko, Patricia Atwan, Hugo Rosado) |
Hairy Man and Dog fight (Hugo Rosado and Lisa Cantwell, [Sarah Rubinson sitting upstage]) |
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| Wiley and Hairy Man fight (Bridgid Pulliam and Hugo Rosado) | Wiley and Mammy at home - Mammy and chorus conjuring a spell (left to right: Cicely Teal, Amanda Rzany, Bridgid Pulliam, Wendy Silva [back to camera], Veronica Molina [obscured], Sarah Rubinson, Sarah Sherron, Mariya Pashova [obscured], Maryam Mirko, Patricia Atwan, Colleen McCready [back to camera]) |
 |
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| Wiley in the swamp - "I shakes, I shakes, that tree’s full of snakes!" (left to right: Amanda Rzany, Bridgid Pulliam, Cicely Teal, Wendy Silva, Maryam Mirko, Patricia Atwan, Hugo Rosado; obscured Veronica Molina, Colleen McCready, Sarah Rubinson, Mariya Pashova,) | Wiley plays with his Dog (left to right upstage: Amanda
Rzany, Cicely Teal, Veronica Molina, Colleen McCready, Wendy Silva,
Sarah Rubinson, Mariya Pashova, Maryam Mirko, Patricia Atwan;
downstage: Bridgid Pulliam, Lisa Cantwell) |
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| Mammy protects Wiley from the Hairy Man (left to right: Cicely Teal, Bridgid Pulliam, Sarah Sherron, part of Hugo Rosado) |
Chorus I (Amanda Rzany, Cicely Teal) |
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| Chorus II (Colleen McCready, Wendy Silva, Veronica Molina) |
Chorus III (Sarah Rubinson, Mariya Pashova) |
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| Chorus IV (Maryam Mirko, Patricia Atwan) | WILEY cast and crew (L to R, front row / on ground –
Sarah Sherron, Colleen McCready, Wendy Silva, Veronica Molina, Sarah
Rubinson, Patricia Atwan, Maryam Mirko; sitting or standing / back row
– Marilyn Adler, Amanda Rzany, Lisa Cantwell, Cicely Teal, Bridgid
Pulliam, Hugo Rosado, Nina Pingul, Eric Senne, Dennis Tate, Rowan
Hanson, Mariya Pashova) |
The Fall 2006 and Spring 2007 semester included:
Directed by Dan Wirth
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