LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — Ohio State Lima is celebrating 30 years of inspiring young imaginations through live theater.
Before this year’s performance of “Mariposa,” the Department of Theatre, Film and Media Arts paused to honor three decades of shows created specifically for elementary-age children. Over that time, faculty estimate they have entertained roughly 60,000 local students. While the performances provide younger audiences with an opportunity to experience the magic of live theater, they also give Ohio State Lima students valuable experience as they juggle coursework and multiple shows each day.
“It's a task for professional actors and professional theaters, and they manage. Sometimes it's their first time on stage, and yet they're able to play two shows a day and for the whole week. And they come very early. They come here, like 7:30am and they play two shows, and then they go and take classes, so it's incredible challenge for our students, but I've been very proud of them,” says Dr. Maria Ignatieva, Ohio State Lima theater professor.
Former Dean Violet Meek approved the launch of the children’s theater tradition in 1995 and continues to champion its impact.
“Because everybody deserves to have a little magic in their lives, not the bad kind. The kind when you can look at people, who can bring your books alive, and maybe after you see your books brought to life, you might just possibly want to read them. And then we got them because readers are what universities want and need,” says Dr. Violet Meek, former Dean of Ohio State Lima.
Faculty hope the productions will continue enriching young audiences for another 30 years.
To help mark the milestone, the Farmer Family Gallery created an anniversary exhibition featuring costumes, puppets, and props used in past productions such as “The Snow Queen” and “The Ugly Duckling.”
“What I did was I found the things that I thought that I could pull out and were still sort of functional, and figured out how to play with them. I guess there wasn't really a plan until we brought everything into the space. And being a theater for young audiences, just sort of like tried to inhabit that realm again,” says Ian Breidenbach, Farmer Family Gallery.
The anniversary exhibit will remain on display in Ohio State Lima’s Farmer Family Gallery through Nov. 26.
