Hey kids! Sum Theatre wants youth to tell their stories for summer show
https://www.facebook.com/SumTheatreSaskatoon/videos/530103747871669/
If there’s one thing that Sum Theatre has learned over the years, it’s how to stay flexible. From performing in outdoor pools to walking trails, small bars to local community parks the artistic team knows how to adapt when entertaining families. Now, because of the pandemic, Sum is shifting gears to fill the gap that all this physical distancing has created in our community. The artists have to re-imagine its flagship program turning Theatre in the Park into the Sum Creation studio and they need your kids’ help.
“Kids need a positive experience during this very stressful time. We want to give them something fun and community orientated. Something that will create lasting memories for them.”
“One of the biggest things that’s driving us is knowing that kids need a positive experience during this very stressful time,” says artistic producer Heather Morrison. “We want to give them something fun and community orientated. Something that will create lasting memories for them.”
Sum Theatre will take the stories, plays, poems and artwork created by kids and incorporate it into a show this summer.
The idea is simple. Every week for the next five (May 18 – June 22), Sum will post a theme on its social media for kids to respond to by creating art. A painting, short story, poem or play are just a few of the ways kids are invited to respond to the week’s theme. Caregivers can capture the art on video or take a picture and send it in. Themes will include things like bravery, healing, adventure and invention.
“These topics are the antidote to what we are feeling right now,” says Morrison. “We feel scared so what makes us courageous? We feel lonely so what makes us feel connected. We want to shift the narrative during this pandemic to a more positive way of thinking for kids.”
Sum will share submissions on social media and a few lucky creators will have their art included in the full production later this summer.
“Our creative team is so excited to start brainstorming and using the pieces our community’s children send. It’s a launching point for our performance,” says Morrison. “We believe in our mission to build community through creating performances. We are committed to performing them this summer in the safest and most fun way possible.”
Although there are no guarantees right now on what the finished performance will look like, the Sum artistic team is excited to collaborate with the community, especially our children.
“We want our community to know that we are still here,” says Morrison. “We support you and your families and hope to have some fun along the way this summer.”
