The gym at Lindley Elementary in Greensboro is full of excitement as kindergarten students meet the famous Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. They laugh, clap, and even warn Pooh there are bees right behind him.
It’s of course all fantasy – but UNC Greensboro School of Theatre students are making it real for children across North Carolina this spring. UNCG’s North Carolina Theatre for Young People (NCTYP) is touring a production of “Winnie-the-Pooh” at nearly two dozen schools in the state.
“Just seeing their joy and seeing how much they get into the play, it’s so nice and sweet,” says senior Chase Fontaine, who is playing Christopher Robin.
Since 1962, NCTYP has performed live theater for more than two million children.
“Touring shows to our collaborators where they live is one of the most important things that UNCG and the School of Theatre does,” says Rachel Briley, the artistic director of the NCTYP. Briley is also the head of the master of fine arts (MFA) program in Theatre for Youth – one of only six theatre for youth programs in the United States.
BRINGING POOH TO LIFE
In 2022, the characters from the 1926 “Winnie-the-Pooh” novel entered the public domain. UNCG’s “Winnie-the-Pooh” was adapted by professor Janet Allard from the 1926 book. The Walt Disney Company still owns the rights to “Winnie-the-Pooh” works after 1926, which includes the character Tigger.
Disney also still owns their interpretations of the characters, so you won’t see the well-known red shirt on the famous yellow bear.
“In speaking with the costume designer, I was working off of the aesthetic of E.H. Shepard’s original illustrations which are anthropomorphized animals that were sketched,” says Briley, who is directing the production. “We decided to take the production to the land of sophistication with 1920s silhouettes for the costumes.”
Briley says she believes in keeping the sophistication of theater when adapting a story for young audiences.
“Children are much more viscerally responsive to what happens in the space. They’re gonna let you know immediately if they like something or if they don’t like something,” says Briley. “And all of that comes down to me as a director, crafting a world where we can suggest something and trust the audience to finish that suggestion with their imaginations.”
REIGNITING A PASSION
Fontaine, a bachelor of arts in drama major, makes his UNCG stage debut as Christopher Robin in the production and says performing for young audiences can be “chaotic,” with all of the energy they bring, but it’s also rewarding.
“After the show, when we’re talking to the kids and they actually believe we are the characters, it’s so cute and it just makes my heart happy,” he says.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Fontaine lost a lot of motivation for theater, but after “Winnie-the-Pooh,” he’s considering jumping into another theatre for youth production.
“This has reignited my passion for theater,” he says. “I really do have to thank the touring aspect for the wholesomeness and realness of seeing people heart to heart and interacting with these kids. It really hit me emotionally.”
The play has helped him find his place at UNCG and in the School of Theatre. For him, the cast and crew have become family: “I’ve never had a more personal experience with a show before and I think it really is because we’re doing this for the kids.”
TO A SCHOOL NEAR YOU
The students also have to be close physically when they pile into a small bus with their entire set to tour the state every Tuesday and Thursday until April 25. Designing a set that would fit in the bus was a challenge for scenic designer Stella Vatnsdal, a second year MFA design student.
“The set must be fleshed out enough to fit the needs of the story, but it has to be able to pack up and fit into the bus with all the actors, the bus driver, and the costumes and props too. So you have limitations on what pieces you can use.”
Even though Vatnsdal is working behind the scenes, producing the show for children in the community helped form her artistic choices.
“When designing this show, I was thinking about what I would have liked to have come to my school and be able to see,” Vatsndal says.
It all comes back to performing for the children and giving them a unique experience.
“It’s an acknowledgment that not everyone can come to the theater. So we’re making live theater accessible to all children everywhere. No matter where they live,” says Briley.
But it’s also a chance for UNCG students to be involved in their community and make an impact with their education – something Fontaine greatly values.
“I really hope when these kids get older, they think back to ‘Winnie the Pooh’ and say ‘That was pretty solid when I was in elementary school, I want to do acting’.”
Story by Avery Craine Powell, University Communications
Photography and videography by David Lee Row, University Communications
REIGNITE YOUR PASSION FOR THEATER
