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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (Nov. 15, 2013) — Milligan College’s Theatre for Young Audiences will perform an original, company-written play, “Pirate Pete and the Pirates of Politeness,” on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 11 a.m. in Milligan’s McGlothlin-Street Theatre, located in the Gregory Center for the Liberal Arts. The performance is free and open to the public.
The fast-paced, energy-filled production finds innovative ways of teaching elementary school children the lifelong benefits of manners and politeness.
“In an age when common courtesy and good manners seem to have fallen by the wayside, this play reminds the viewer of the simple things people can do to make others feel needed, respected and appreciated,” said Richard Major, professor of theater and the founder of Milligan’s Theatre for Young Audiences.
The story centers on a comical, menacing pirate named Pirate Pete who must learn proper manners in order to woo a stranded princess on a faraway island. Throughout the play, he is taught good manners by a clever young woman, Crackerjack Cathy, who is relentless in her desire to make Pirate Pete a more respectable, polite and compassionate man. The tale serves as a reminder of how easy it is to be polite to others.
Each year, Milligan’s Theatre for Young Audiences travels to elementary schools throughout the region to perform an original play with an educational message. This year the troupe will travel to eight schools, including upcoming performances at North Side Elementary (Johnson City, Tenn.) on Nov. 19, Fairmont Elementary (Johnson City) on Nov. 21; West Side Elementary (Elizabethton, Tenn.) on Dec. 3; and Cloudland Elementary (Roan Mountain, Tenn.) on Dec. 5.
The Dec. 12 performance at Milligan is an opportunity for homeschool families to enjoy the same production that more than 2,000 East Tennessee school children already have seen at their respective schools.
This year’s Theatre for Young Audience company is comprised of nine students: Brianna Florian of Charlotte, N.C.; Tori Giblin of Avon, Ind.; Shawnee Hardin of Windsor, Ill.; Christopher Heldman of Indianapolis, Ind.; Corinne Kaisand of Williamsburg, Va.; Jessica Lemley Fayetteville, Tenn.; Danielle Moore of Unicoi, Tenn.; Kim Norton of Atlanta; and Nolan Tankersley of Erwin, Tenn.
For more information about arts events at Milligan, visit www.milligan.edu/arts.