Over the past several months, I have been a part of a touring children's theatre show with Teatro Copaza. Theatro Copaza is an organization whose mission is to promote prevention, safety, and peace in the canton of Aguirre.
Our goal is to inspire students to read. Reading
is not a habit in this culture, although the literacy rate is high. The play is
about the importance of reading. I play
a character who has traveled long and far to find the "villa de las
metaforas" where stories are abundant, but instead I stumble upon a
graveyard where the last books are being buried as they are no longer being
read.
We travel to various schools and hold workshops about reading and the
importance of stories. This performance took place at a school so rural that there is only one teacher and all of the grades learn in one room together.
It filled me with pride when one of the parents told me that this was the first piece of theatre they all had ever seen. I still remember the first plays I saw at that mall in Tucson and how seeing those plays sparked my interest in the dramatic arts.
It was so interesting because since the kids had never seen anything like this, they didn't know what to expect. They sat there in awe, not really interacting or laughing at first. I think they just thought we were going to come out and talk to them or something. They warmed up, though and we had a great time eating lunch with them and passing out Christmas gifts that the theatre had collected.
What a joy to present theater to kids for the first time and see their faces of amazement and wonder.
ReplyDeleteJust like you experienced when you were their age.