Tweet

In a few weeks, elementary school students from around Des Moines will be packing into Viking Theatre.

GV has been hosting elementary school students on campus for 11 years. The new Views Forward project makes this year’s invitation special. Children and now parents and guests in the community are allowed to attend this theater event for free.

Part of the Views Forward project deals with bringing campus and the community together. The project encompasses a number of initiatives designed to bring hope to the neighborhood around GV in a sustainable way.

Over 20 Grand View students have been prepping for weeks to act out the popular children’s book “Miss Nelson is Missing” by Harry Allard. The story teaches kids valuable life lessons while also showing how important the performing arts are. Theater can help any student in leadership, life and learning skills, Associate Professor of Speech and Theatre, Kristin Larson, said.

Larson said that this performance could be the only theater experience these students get all year. She said theater can be very beneficial at this age. All the theater majors will have to work with children at some point she said. Most theater involves the creative skills you learn while working with children.

According to Larson, “Miss Nelson is Missing” is taught within the curriculum in a lot of schools. She puts together pre- and post-show activities that teachers can include in their lesson plans to get them thinking about the play.

Lauren Bailey, secondary education major, plays the role of Kimberly who is described as a perfect, popular girl with great hair.

One of her favorite things about acting this part is she gets to become a kid again.

“I think it is incredibly fun and wacky and filled with so much magic for the audience,” Bailey said.

Larson said children can sniff out a lie, so the quality of the play needs to be high. It also requires actors to have high energy.

Rachel Trimble, a studio arts major, is the stage manager for the play. Although it is her first time stage managing, Trimble has a lot of experience behind the scenes in the theater.

Trimble has been involved in almost every children’s play since coming to GV.

“It’s for the kids more than anything,” she said. “I love it.”

Children’s plays are an important part of theatre. Trimble said it is giving back to the community and makes the GV theater department stand out.

The play runs the week of November 12 with shows open to the public at 7 p.m. on November 17, 10 a.m. on November 18 and 2 p.m. on November 19.