ECU students collaborate on Nov. 1 performance
pictured left to right are ECU students Dylan Ritch, director of the showcase, and mask creator Jordan Brown. (Contributed photos)
Twenty-one East Carolina University students have teamed up to present “Stories from Afar,” a Theatre for Youth Showcase, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 1 at the Turnage Theatre in Washington.
The performance begins at 2 p.m. followed by a theater workshop for children at 3 p.m. Children will create their own tale and act it out.
Dylan Ritch, an ECU junior and theater arts major from Asheville, directs the performance aimed at entertaining while teaching children life lessons such as dealing with a bully and helping friends in need.
Stories are incorporated from cultures all over the world.
Senior Jordan Brown, a fine arts major concentrating in sculpture from Snow Camp, created nine African masks for the performance.
“I wanted to use these masks to communicate a form of theatre that originated from Africa and to expose children to multiple types of theatrical drama,” Ritch said.
Masks created by an ECU senior will be part of a performance this weekend in Washington.
“It is also my strong desire to inspire in children a love for theatre,” Ritch said. “I know seeing a play for the first time for me was a life changing experience. I wish to recreate that experience for other children who might be getting their first taste of theatre.”
Ritch also hopes the performance will introduce the community to ECU’s Theatre for Youth concentration, part of the theatre arts program in the School of Theatre and Dance. The concentration prepares graduates to work in professional theatre for children and youth. Students also participate in the Global Classroom Initiative, partnering with universities in such countries as Peru and Russia to extend their understanding and exposure to children’s theatre and cultures around the world.
Tickets to the performance are $8.54 (tax included). For more information or to purchase tickets, call 252-946-2504.