Prime Time Players wrap up storytelling tour

The Prime Time Players wrapped up their storytelling tour in Loudon County and Monroe County schools last week.

During the tour, the Prime Time Players performed Mon., Sept. 9 through Fri., Sept. 13, primarily in the Loudon County Area.

In total they performed around 19 productions between Lenoir City Middle School, Lenoir City Elementary, Highland Park, Eaton Elementary, Greenback School and Philadelphia Elementary School the first week of the tour.

In the tour’s second week they primarily focused on schools in Monroe County, with a couple of exceptions.The second week’s schools included: Loudon Elementary, Vonore Elementary, Madisonville Intermediate, Steekee Elementary, Sweetwater Elementary and Tellico Plains Elementary.

The Players have performed for about 1,580 3rd and 4th graders throughout the tour.

Of course this unique tour would not be possible without the multiple volunteers that give their time and talent.

“We have talked to teachers whose classes have been in the performances, who just say the kids just absolutely love it.” Gail Link, PTP logistical director, said.

According to Link, one teacher who works with children who don’t speak English as their primary language, mentioned that she is using the Players’ school productions to teach. The teacher said students came back so excited that she is developing her lesson plans on writing a question and statement around what they saw in the shows and storytelling.

With the performance being in the forefront of the students’ minds, it allows for a new, creative way to integrate learning English.

It takes a Village

The storytelling tour requires a lot of people to make it a reality and a successful, positive experience for the students.

“(We want to give) a big thanks to our volunteers, because we have two casts of nine people each…one in Loudon County and one in Monroe County,” Link said. “So we have almost a double cast all the way. I think we have one or two people doing both weeks. We have a total number of volunteers working on this. If I were to make a guess…I would say it was about between 23 and 25 people who have worked on this.”

According to Link, not only are volunteers acting, they are also writing the stories, adapting them for the storytelling, choosing which stories are being performed, gathering props and costumes and taking pictures during performances.

“It’s been a great group this year.” Link said.

While the story telling tour has ended, the Prime Time Players aren’t done yet.

“First and foremost, we definitely, definitely plan to do it again next year,” Link said. “It would probably be these middle two weeks of September. We’ve never even considered not doing it again next year.”

Next year the Players hope to work closer with teachers.

“We are going to take a look at how to assist teachers in using the storytelling in the classroom so that they can build on it, and do that without getting in their way,” Link said. “We want to be able to assist as opposed to replace.

“The children seem to enjoy this so much, and we found out they remember the stories from last year, it’s phenomenal,” she added. “We want to know how we can take what obviously has an impression on them, and then build on that with some classroom activities.”