Yeah, we know. There’s a ton of research proving reader’s theater is a powerful resource for building fluency. But that doesn’t mean directing a full-blown theater production is easy. Quite the opposite, in fact. Teaching is a tough gig on its own, so it’s no surprise few teachers want to take on a challenge like theater arts. Since retiring, the stage at my school has gone dark. It seems more likely to become a storage room than a theater hub. Cobwebs are already growing over the sound console. Moths are chewing through the curtains. Okay, maybe I’m laying it on a bit thick, but you know how things go in schools: when something isn’t getting used regularly, it tends to get scavenged or it disappears altogether. The idea that the stage might become a black hole is one of many reasons I’m attempting to put together an after-school drama club for our elementary kids.

But I need your help.  We need funds for supervision, set building materials, and costuming supplies. Our goal is to raise $1500, so I’m asking you to consider kicking five or ten bucks our way via our GoFundMe campaign. Our PTO has agreed to match donations, so your support will have double the impact toward our musical production of Toad’s Wild Ride, a madcap slapstick play resembling the Disneyland ride as much as Kenneth Graham’s Wind in the Willows classic novel. But it will also give us reason to dust off the soundboard, replace lighting, and claw back our on-stage territory, thus establishing the foundation for continuing the program in future years.   

You can click on the Performances tab to see the kind of productions we’ve pulled off in the past: The Newsies, Br’er Rabbit, A Christmas Carol, The Pied Piper, among many others. With a bit of love from all of you, you’ll be able to see Toad’s Wild Ride there this spring. If you’re able to contribute to our GoFundMe, click here. I realize many of you may be begging for funds for your own production, so whether or not a full blown show is in our future or on your own to do list, I encourage you to nonetheless remain committed to using readers theater. Even a simple class reading of scripts like Toad will be immensely rewarding.

Thanks, and happy directing!