John Jay Acting Students Bring Storybooks To Life On Elementary Stages

CROSS RIVER, NY — All it takes to enter the world of storybooks is a little imagination, but the talents of John Jay acting students help to set the stage.

From the Katonah-Lewisboro School District.

"I know this book." "I have this book." "I wish this could go on forever."

Some of the whispers overheard at the world premiere of the 2024 PARP Theater at Increase Miller Elementary, on March 1.

The annual production of favorite children’s books is created each year by the juniors and seniors in John Jay High School Advanced Acting class. The students choose the books, write the scripts, design the costumes, determine the staging, cast and direct each play, as well as star in the stories.

The production has three shows, this year at Increase Miller Elementary on March 1, Meadow Pond Elementary on March 8 and Katonah Elementary on March 11. The annual event has been a March "Pick a Reading Partner" (PARP) tradition for over ten years.

The show has no set and uses a minimal number of props—cat ears, a yellow blanket and ball, a red wagon. It turns on the students’ expressive voices and body language. This year’s characters include a rapidly waddling duck, a giant goldfish, and kittens with British accents.

"These actors are as good as anything I've seen in professional children's theater," said John Jay High School's acting teacher Bill Friedman, who has a background in children's theater.

After the performance, Friedman moderated a Q&A with the actors. The elementary students asked thoughtful questions about staging decisions, named their favorite characters, and guessed all the books the performances were based on.