EMU Today

YPSILANTI – The Eastern Michigan University Drama and Theatre for the Young has launched a virtual Storybook Series that brings popular kids picture books to life through performances by students from the EMU School of Communication, Media, and Theatre Arts.

The group launched the first performance on its Drama and Theatre for the Young at EMU YouTube page on Friday, March 12, with plans to publish additional performances on the channel every Friday through April 9.

The schedule of video launches is outlined below:

3/12: A Bad Case of Stripes, written by David Shannon

3/19: Corduroy Takes a Bow, written by Viola Davis

3/26: Zero Dad’s Club, written by Angel Adeyoha

4/2: Don’t Hug Doug, written by Carrie Finison

4/9: Old Turtle and the Broken Truth, written by Douglas Wood

“The Storybook Series is part of our Alterna-Tour—which is essentially our virtual way of sharing our love for performing with others while the pandemic keeps us from performing in-person,” said EMU Drama and Theatre for the Young business manager, Heather Utsler-Smith. “We’re excited about this series and hope that it brings some fun into classrooms and homes this spring.”

Each performance will be accompanied by lesson plans that can be downloaded through the series’ homepage. Lesson plans will include activity descriptions, intended grades (for classroom use), additional applications and relevant content descriptions.

For more information, visit the Storybook Series homepage.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 16,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.