Children’s Theater captivates elementary students

At least that’s the version of the classic tale students at La Sierra University told when they wrote and acted their skit for a Children’s Theater on Thurs., Dec. 3. Their modernized and humorous adaptation of “Cinderella,” which ended with the prince and Cinderella following each other on Instagram, was one of six plays their drama appreciation class developed for an audience of 4^th graders from Stokoe Elementary School in Riverside. The program served as a service-learning project for the university students, and an opportunity for the elementary students to experience live theater.

The plays consisted of adapted portions of children’s stories directed, acted and narrated by the university students including “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Goldilocks and the Three Little Bears,” “Green Eggs and Ham,” “A Boy and His Apple,” and “Corduroy.” La Sierra Artistic Director of Drama Marilynn Loveless directed the production.

Nico Macias, age 9, liked the La Sierra students’ version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” the best. When asked which part of the play he enjoyed most, Macias responded, “Probably when he gave back all the presents.”

“I liked Goldilocks and the bear. The little bear was funny when they came back,” said Mauricio Michua, also age 9. In the students’ rendition of the story, the three bears pretended to ride down the center aisle of the theater on a bike.

Sammy Andrade, who said she is almost 10, also liked the Goldilocks play. “Liked how she picked whatever she liked and it was always the little one,” she said, referring to the Goldilocks character’s antics.

The program was held in Matheson Hall, a quaint, former chapel. A brightly painted backdrop of flowers, mushrooms, animals and whimsical creatures lent beauty and charm to the theatrical production as did rows of stuffed animals and colorful props. Iris Landa, La Sierra’s former director of academic advising and orientation, designed and painted the set over the Thanksgiving break with help from several volunteers including Loveless. Landa paints murals in bright greens, yellows, oranges and other vivid colors to create Happy Rooms in hospitals, schools, outreach centers and other facilities in countries around the world including India, China, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Guatemala, and Romania. She has also painted Happy Room projects for outreach facilities in Riverside.

In between plays, university students removed and set up props while others led the 4^th graders in a paper-hat-making contest using the ledger-sized programs they had been given upon entering the chapel. In the end, all the students received a new book as a prize. The drama appreciation class raised money to purchase the books for the elementary students.

The university requires undergraduate students to perform 14 hours per student per quarter of community service through service-learning opportunities with various classes. Loveless previously ran a Children’s Theater program for six years while drama director at Walla Walla University. She started the La Sierra service-learning Children’s Theater program to provide students with no theater experience “an opportunity to understand the work that goes into even a simple children's theater event,” she said.

The 4^th graders also derived benefit from the experience. “Attending live theater helps increase empathy, the ability to work well with others and other important life skills,” Loveless said. According to research reported in the journal Education Next, “Students who see live theater become more knowledgeable of the plot and vocabulary of the plays, more tolerant, and better able to read the emotions of others.”

La Sierra sophomore Javier Orduna played the role of Sam I am in an adaptation of the beloved Dr. Seuss story, “Green Eggs and Ham.” After weeks of preparation, he saw the elementary youngsters for the first time as they filed in for the performance. Meeting the energetic students made the service-learning experience “realistic. This is a whole new experience for them. [Their excitement] is just contagious,” he said.