Clinton County Youth Theatre to Host Workshop Featuring Banned, Challenged Books

Article Courtesy of the Frankfort Community Public Library

The Clinton County Youth Theatre announces a Young Actors Creative Workshop that will focus on the stories of banned and challenged books and the freedom to read.

The free workshop is open students in grade 6 through grade 12 and will meet on Wednesdays from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., Sept. 4 through Sept. 25, with a final performance in the Skanta Theatre on Friday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. The performance is free and open to the public.

Participants will learn about “reader’s theatre” while exploring the freedom to read and creating their own performance. Sessions will include information on theatre history and creative storytelling. John Hinton of the Indiana Poetry Society will be a guest speaker as well as various songwriters and actors. Participants will also select one free book from the following once or currently banned or challenged book list to read for inspiration: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.

The workshop is in celebration of the American Libraries Banned Books Campaign, running September 22–28. The theme is “Freed Between the Lines,” which emphasizes the idea that “we can find freedom in the pages of a book, but book bans and censorship threaten that freedom, along with many other rights and institutions” (ala.org). It is made possible, in part, thanks to a grant from the Freedom to Read Foundation.

This event is free, but space is limited, and registration is required. Sign up by visiting myfcpl.org/calendar or by calling 765-654-8746.

SHARE US