ETC to hold workshop for local elementary students

Children from Emporia and the surrounding towns have been invited to participate in the first Educational Theatre Company (ETC) Workshop from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Roosevelt Hall this Saturday.

“We have talked about doing this event many times before but there was never enough time,” said Susan Samuelson, music faculty and co-coordinator of ETC. “As we were going through old scripts we found a write-up with basically an outline of how to do the event that a past group has written. We took it to the different boards to get it approved and now it’s finally happening. We are excited and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

The event is open to third through sixth graders and will be broken into two sessions. The first session will take place from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and is open to third and fourth graders. The second session is from 1 to 5 p.m. and is open to fifth and sixth graders. The entry fee for each child is 10 dollars, which covers the supplies that the children will be using during the workshop.

“There is a lot more to theater than just acting and we want to show these children what theater involves,” said T.J. Erickson, junior theater major and co-coordinator of the ETC. “We are going to split the children into 45 minute sessions and in each session they will learn a different element to theater production. These elements include scenery design, props, costume, makeup and a little acting.”

The ETC is a non-profit organization that puts on different productions in the community and on campus to educate individuals and create awareness about certain topics.

“[It’s] cool that the theater company is doing this for kids,” said Trevor Wehner, freshman business management major. “It’s a good idea to get kids interested in theater so that school isn’t so serious. It’s important that they know the different elements of liberal arts and of to the main ones is entertainment through the arts.”

The company has put on over 30 gigs over these last two semesters, including going to public schools and doing a production of Dr. Seuss and at businesses where they might put on plays about sexual harassment in the workplace. Anyone from the community can call and set up a gig. ETC meets as a one credit hour class twice a week, and the group decides which gigs to accept at these meetings.

“Being in the Educational Theatre Company presents tons of benefits,” Samuelson said. “You get the opportunity to do some directing, costume design, set design and we even practice writing our own scripts. As a director you need to be an efficient organizer and by learning all of these different elements of theatre and working with your peers you learn how to organize very well.”

To be in the company students must audition every semester and must have taken acting I to ensure that participants have had some experience with acting. This semester the group has 15 members.