The elementary school students waited patiently on buses outside the PAC, peeking outside the windows through the raindrops to try to get a glimpse of the school. Theater teacher Mr. Jeremy Ferman ushered the students through the doors as they came running in with their large coats and hoods barely staying on.
Children from Cora Spencer Elementary school were invited to watch the theater production class put on ‘Storybook Theater’ on Wednesday Nov. 8.
One student jumped from the top stair of the bus and ran toward the door.
On the way he yelled to no one in particular, “I’m training for UFC.”
Once the students made their way in the school, some of them caught a glimpse of theater teacher Ms. Heather Alverson’s class. Their faces lit up in amazement when they passed by. When the students settled in their seats, Mr. Jeremy Ferman walked on-stage to introduce the show.
“Good morning everyone,’ Mr. Ferman said, and the students screamed their response.
He went on to explain what exactly the students were about to see– a show based on four children’s books written by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crumbell. After the announcement, the students gasped and all started talking to their neighbors in anticipation of what’s to come.
The stage went dark, and the whispering kids stopped talking and stared at the stage wide-eyed. A group of students in the front caught a glimpse of one of the characters backstage and immediately started pointing and getting out of their seats.
A group of characters walked onto a stage with nothing on it but a black box in the center and a projection on the back wall, portraying the book. For the first story, each cast member came out in large fur coats, depicting dogs like in the book.
Toward the end of the first story, the students mouthed the words in their seats and once junior Katy Thomas started saying, “Hip-hip hooray!” All the students joined in, loudly repeating the phrase over and over.
During the next story, a coyote, played by sophomore Logan Chapman said to Thomas’ character with horns on her head, “Can I touch your horns?”
In response Thomas fell on the floor, crying, “Someone help me,” Thomas said.
The students all gasped and fell silent. Ones in the back strained to see the stage better and teachers warned them to stay in their seats. At the end of the story, Thomas and senior Christian Hachat joined hands and the kids giggled and gasped, and wiggling in their seats while some shushed the ones talking.
In between books, students made comments about the show to one another.
“I know the next story we are doing,” one said.
“I liked the dog,” explained another.
“Aw, this is the last story, oh and I know this one,” another said.
A teacher then leaned over the students and said, “Second grade, shh. Be a good audience. Respect.”
During the last storybook, cast members used puppets shaped as different school supplies to tell the story.
After the show, the Cora Spencer students made their way to the front of the stage to meet the cast, each saying which story held their attention and some shyly passing by. On the way out, students chattered amongst themselves about the show.
“I came to Legacy [for] basketball camp. They have a good basketball team,” one student repeated to every adult he passed.
