Pop Up Theatre Update #3
Dear Community,
Here is the update for our Pop Up Kids Theatre for June 2018. Since partnering with the New Hope Development Center, I have been able to reach the target audience and bring this new type of theater as part of their summer program. They have made it easier for me and my team of volunteers to reach this audience and work through some of the logistics such as Media permission forms that have already been signed by each child that attends the summer camp; an existing web site in which we can showcase our productions; a place to store and keep our materials; and an area inside the center that we can perform the plays so we don’t have to be outside in the elements. We are very excited about this!
We have a schedule starting June 15 running from 12:30-3:30pm for our first production, which will be the book, Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown. Shows June 22, July 13 and July 20th are still being worked on. We want to tailor the production in line with each weeks subjects defined by the New Hope Center. Which are as follows:
- Week 1 June 15th – forgiveness/respect (football)
- Week 2 June 22nd – wisdom (football)
- Week 3 July 13th – generosity/self-discipline (baseball)
- Week 4 July 20th – gratitude (gymnastics/ballet)
The production of Runaway Bunny will present the topic of respect for your Mom. If you have ever read the book it is about a little bunny that wants to run away from home and explore the world but every time he tries his Mom will always be by his side, so he decides in the end to stay in her loving arms until he becomes a rabbit.
I am still working on getting AOC film warriors to video tape the show. They will probably be there for the last show.
I have collected boxes from Brown’s furniture store and have already built a boat for the first show. Carey Hamburg, a local set designer, has donated pre-built sets such as a tree stump that we can use for our backdrops. He also has donated boxes and other materials that he has collected over the years. I am very grateful for his generosity.
I am working on finishing the script for the first show. It will not be an exact wording from the book but an adaptation. I am spending some of the $2000 on paint, brushes, scissors, paper, glue, tape, sheets and refreshments, which will include cheese, fruit and 100% fruit juice. I am purchasing these items at Dollar stores to keep the costs down.
I have 3 volunteers for our first show: Michael LeBlanc, Connie Horton and Allie Rosen. I working on recruiting more people as we go along. I am working with everyone’s summer vacation schedules. This is has been a real learning experience for me. I have had some difficulties in recruiting volunteers and I hope in the future I can get a strong list of people that will want to help out. Also working on my own has been a challenge. I want to succeed at this and need to reach out to the right people!
Thank you,
Danielle Moroux (Team Leader)
Pop Up Theatre Update #2
Dear Community,
I am pleased to present this update for Pop-Up Kids Theater, a theatrical program for at-risk children ages 6-12 in the Lafayette area. The Facebook page is created, published and now active under the name PopUp Kids Theater. After some consideration, I decided to table the website for now and just concentrate on social media outlets such as Facebook and Instagram.
We will have forms available for Media Permission from all children that will be represented in the project. The AOC team will be video-taping some of the shows for TV viewing.
I have been in negotiations with Melissa Dalcour from Girard Park. Our original plan was to utilize Girard Park as a starting place for the project. After discussion with the park, the cost of a room for one morning from 9am-12pm would be $400 (which is at a discounted rate). I have decided that is way too much money for our budget right now.
That said, I decided to explore other options. I met with Kristine Newman, a founder of New Hope Development Center of Acadiana (http://newhopelafayette.org/ )on January 19, 2018. Along with her husband John, they have created a tutoring center for at risk children. They also have a summer program beginning in June for 6 weeks. After touring the Center and meeting with Kristine, I have decided to introduce the PopUp Kids Theater to the summer program starting this June 2018. We will meet every Friday from 9am-12pm as part of their summer program. This is a good fit for our project and the New Hope Center. This will keep our cost down and be able to concentrate on the project itself, bringing the arts to kids! We are excited about this partnership and I think this will help with both of our successes.
Huge thanks to Butch Roussel for the introduction to New Hope! I continue to be in contact with the volunteers and plan a meeting in early March to discuss our progress. If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to reach out through our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Popupkidstheater/.
Thank you,
Danielle Moroux (Team Leader)
Pop Up Theatre Update #1
Dear Community,
As you may recall, I am the team leader for the Pop-Up Kids Theater, a theatrical program for at-risk children ages 6-12 in the Lafayette area. Things for this project are moving along despite my teammate, Shannon Miller, who has moved out of the area. The good news though is that he is continuing to help with promoting the program within the theater community in the Lafayette through social media outlets.
I have created a Facebook page for Pop-up Kids theater and acquired the domain name for a website. It is in the early stages of development. The website will legitimize our program when we begin community outreach. In an effort to secure a location, I have contacted Girard Park and am working with Melissa Dalcour and Ronnie Chaisson. We are working on getting several options to lower the cost of an indoor space at either Girard Park, Domingue Recreation Center or the George Dupuis Centers. Our projected completion date remains February 1, 2018.
I also attended the Create Summit that was held in August 2017, and shared the idea with attendees in hopes to recruit volunteers. I made contacts with the following people, who are interested in volunteering and promoting the program:
Daniel Ladmirault from Cite des Art
Sarah Mikayla Brown, founder of Silverbacks Improv
Bree Sargent, Education Director of ACA
Cece Cole, artist and educator
Dennis and Kerrie Skerrett, local teachers
Dayna Haynie, artist and art therapist
Blaze Petersen (volunteer)
Rona Landry and daughter Cainwyn Landry (volunteer)
Julia D. Moroux (volunteer)
Trudy Heflin (volunteer)
And lastly, I have partnered with AOC and their field reporters will be taping the program for all 6 events and promoting the show on AOC’s Community message board. It will be broadcasted thru AOC TV channels. We’ve already begun collecting boxes, containers, paints and other items for costume and set design, and we’re about to begin writing the first script in mid-November 2017. Thanks for following my project, and huge thanks (again!) to all the backers that have supported us along the way. I have much more work to be done, and will keep the community updates as we make progress.
Thanks,
Danielle Moroux (Team Leader)