For many TYA companies, universities, and local arts organizations, touring theatrical productions are one of the most crucial parts of yearly programming. Theatre that travels to public schools, libraries, and local arts venues provides young and multigenerational audiences with exciting and powerful storytelling outside the theatre experiences normally found in their communities. Theatre companies and performers who go on tour also get to enjoy the incredible rush of showing their work to a wide audience and conversing with people across time and space.
I, and many of my ADTY classmates, were lucky to experience one such tour recently when Manual Cinema’s Leonardo: A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster came to the Ypsilanti Freighthouse. (If you are interested in learning more about the work of Manual Cinema, visit their website here.) This production, adapted from two of Mo Willems’ iconic books, featured “hundreds of illustrated paper puppets, book pages, two-dimensional props, furry monster puppets, and songs to bring Mo Willems' books to life.” The experience of watching the cutting-edge, multi-media show was one of unbridled joy - I couldn’t stop smiling! I had the opportunity to usher the show for a school performance, which means that I witnessed the show being performed for its target audience: kids. The audience was permitted to laugh, question, dance, and even scream at the scary monsters. They were fully engaged, and their giddy excitement leaving the theatre was palpable.
The value of this performance being shown in our local community was immeasurable because it granted a level of access to outstanding artwork that is frequently gatekept from young audiences, due to obstacles such as travel, cost, time commitment, and even grown-ups’ evaluation of performances as “educational” or “worth seeing.” The nature of touring productions helps to eliminate many of those barriers, especially when theatre organizations work with local schools to coordinate performances.
This begins to explain why the ADTY program asks graduate students to participate in the EMU Theatre for the Young Tour - not only do we get meaningful experience in a major area of Theatre for Young Audiences, but we get to be a part of taking down those barriers and taking plays to schools and libraries across Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. On top of that, EMU’s tour often includes performers of many different majors and disciplines, so we get to connect with people and programs across campus and show young students that there doesn’t ever need to be a choice between being an artist and pursuing other careers.
This semester, EMU’s Theatre for the Young Tour is re-mounting Hare and Tortoise, which was also the touring production in the Winter of 2023. I am grateful to be the Assistant Director of this semester’s production! This show, which handles themes of patience, friendship, the passage of time, and the uncertainty of life, is suited for students in kindergarten through second grade. Hare and Tortoise brings as much joy to all of us working on the show as I felt watching Leonardo! We will be going on the road starting this week! Between October 27th and December 8th, we will perform at 9 elementary schools, 1 library, and at our university. Similar to what Manual Cinema offered at the conclusion of their show, we always leave time after our performances to have a talkback with our audience and answer pressing questions. As our opening day approaches, I get more and more excited to share a story of hope and kindness that is full of the everyday magic we often take for granted.
Olivia Allen
Second Year MFA
Get tickets to the public performance of Hare and Tortoise here!