By RYAN SKAITH
The students of Alpha Psi Omega (APO), Northwest Missouri State University’s theatre honor society, are preparing for their winter tour to perform “The Day the Crayons Quit: An Unofficial Adaptation” at area elementary schools.
The play, which is based on the book by Drew Daywalt and adapted by Patt Collings, is about a girl who discovers her beloved crayons have gone on strike, airing their grievances through colorful letters.
The core message of the performance is about communication and empathy. Mara Mondt, a sophomore speech and theatre education major and the play’s lead actress, explained the theme: “The show is about listening to and compromising with the people you love. Duncan loves all of her crayons, but the way she shows her love isn’t really working for the crayons. She listens to them and their complaints and finds a way to compromise that works for everyone.”
The APO cast will first perform the play for the public at 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 14th, in the Studio Theater at the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts. Admission is free. As a charitable effort, APO will be accepting donations of canned food from the audience to give to local food pantries.
Following the public show, the cast will take the production on the road from December 14th through the 19th. Their tour includes performances for elementary schools in Maryville and St. Joseph in Missouri, as well as Council Bluffs, Iowa. Director Madi Richter, a junior speech and theatre education major, highly encourages the community to attend the public showing: “Not only do you help support our actors in a completely different and unique role, but you also provide to the community. We encourage people to bring canned goods, so we can donate them to local shelters.”
T he APO tour schedule includes performances on several days between December 15th and 19th. On Monday, December 15th, the cast will have two performances: one at 10 a.m. at Hopewell Elementary and a second at 3 p.m. at Hawthorn Elementary, both located in Kansas City within the Park Hill School District. The tour continues on Wednesday, December 17th, with a 9 a.m. performance at Northeast Nodaway in Ravenwood, which is part of the Northeast Nodaway R-V School District.
On Thursday, December 18th, the group will perform at 9:30 a.m. at Pershing Elementary in the St. Joseph School District. The tour concludes on Friday, December 19th, with an 8 a.m. performance at Helena Elementary in the Savannah R-III School District.
