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General News: Free to Be... You and Me at COHES
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| Two babies discuss whether they are a boy or a girl in the first act. |
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| Boys do housework along with girls in this production. |
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| Principal Ken Schmidt re-assures this boy that it is ok to cry. |
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| The actors address weighty issues in a playful way. |
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| The narrator tells the audience the significance of each upcoming piece. |
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| The students' artwork decorates the lobby entry. |
March 11, 2010
Students in the Cornwall-on-Hudson Elemtary School drama club are having fun with this year’s production of a play that explores traditional roles in modern society. “Free to Be…You and Me” was written in 1974 by actress Marlo Thomas, who wanted to break through some of the stereotypes found in many children’s books. In a series of playful vignettes, the young actors talk and sing about ideas like whether boys can play with dolls or cry and if girls can decide not to marry or decide to become athletes.
Play director Lisa Schrem says that she choose the piece because she wanted to do an ensemble production in which any child who wanted to could get a singing part and because she liked the message of the skits in it. The production design is classic 1970s, with the actors and actresses dressed in old blue jeans adorned with peace symbols. Each group within the production wears a different solid color t-shirt. As an added local feature, original poems written by students at COHES are read between some of the scenes.
Sexual Stereotypes Explored
Parents and friends of the students who attend this weekend’s performances on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon will be reminded of issues that we still grapple with today, 36 years after the play was first staged. Is housework a woman’s responsibility? Why do ads for household products always target women? What’s the difference between a boy and a girl? Is it OK for a boy to cry? What makes a good friend?
In one of the early scenes, two fourth graders are dressed liked infants in the hospital nursery, where they have an imaginary conversation about which one is a boy and which one is a girl. In another scene, a princess runs away when her father, the king, orders her to marry someone whom she just wants to be her friend. COH elementary school principal Ken Schmidt plays a role in the scene “It’s OK to Cry,” which was song by the football player Rosie Grier in the original production.
How Much Has Changed in 36 Years?
The title song "Free To Be…You And Me” promises a world where children are free of the constraints that tied their parents into place. For the parents in the audience who were children when the songs were first published, it may give them a chance to compare how their own lives are different from those of their parents or how, in fact, they may still be the same.
Regardless of the message, the young actors and actresses seem to enjoy every moment of the show. They sing boldly, dance strongly and follow the cues of a dedicated group of parents who have helped stage this year’s PTO Kid’s Klub production, “Free to Be … You and Me.”
Click here for performance times.
Comments:
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What time is the performance on Saturday?
posted by NIna Swankie on 03/11/10 at 1:56 PM
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The Saturday curtain is at 3:00pm
posted by Pamela Hawks on 03/11/10 at 7:42 PM
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I regret that I am in California and will miss
this show. But, I truly
appeciate this fine coverage.Makes me feel right at home.
posted by KEVIN KIRK on 03/12/10 at 1:47 AM
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"Break a leg,K.O!!"
posted by KEVIN KIRK on 03/12/10 at 1:49 AM
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thanks to all the cast and crew for the hard work and dedication to produce such a fun show - and the band was great!!
posted by Kate Benson on 03/18/10 at 10:50 PM
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