The “Theater for Young Audiences” course will be offered in the fall semester — bridging Lafayette College theater with Easton elementary school students through a new partnership.
“It made me realize how fun theater can be,” Ronnie Ward ‘25 said about the class, which she took in her sophomore year.
During the course, which was first offered in 2007, students perform a play targeted toward a young audience of elementary school students.
“We partner with area schools and bring those students in, and they come and see the show during a regular school day at Lafayette,” said theater department head Mary Jo Lodge, who runs the program.
Lodge said that, in conjunction with the Bicentennial, she launched a formal partnership with the Easton Area School District for the first time, allowing for every third grader in the district’s seven elementary schools to see the play.
“It barely even felt like going to class because it was having fun with my friends and creating games for young children,” Marisa Carroll ‘25, who also took the course when it was last taught, said.
“There were a lot of times where things went wrong and kids do or say something crazy, and it was kind of like rounding them up,” Ward said of the young audience.
The elementary school students are paired with college students, who are trained throughout the semester in leading drama workshops.
Next semester, Lodge’s class will perform “Stuart Little.” Lodge also plans to continue a tradition in which photos of the production are converted into coloring book pages for the kids.
“We have a lot of underserved kids in the community that don’t have access to many arts experiences and many of them will have never seen a play yet,” Lodge said. “For some students, it’s the first time they visit a college, and they get to see and meet college students.”
“One of the things we talk about in the workshop is what you do at college and what going to college can do for you, and that may plant the seed,” she continued.
Ward also feels that this course can make a positive impact on kids in the Easton community.
“I think it’s really cool that college students can work with the local kids in the community, especially kids of color, a lot of them who are telling you they have never been to a college,” Ward said.
Students will get background checks to work with the elementary school students.
“We’re trying to do our little part,” Lodge said. “I can’t think of a better way to carry on the legacy of the college than by formalizing this connection with the area’s elementary schools.”