Hundreds of northern Utah students to perform in Twisted Fairy Tale Festival
Students at Taylor Canyon Elementary School performed fractured fairy tales for their school last fall. They'll perform again — along with three other schools — in the Twisted Fairy Tale Festival on March 1 and 2 at Ogden High School.
Students at Taylor Canyon Elementary perform their fractured fairy tales for their school last fall. They will perform with three other elementary schools in the Twisted Fairy Tale Festival at Ogden High School March 1 and 2.
OGDEN — Hundreds of students from four northern Utah elementary schools are taking the stage at Ogden High School, where they’ll perform original fairy tales written by local theater teachers.
The Twisted Fairy Tale Festival featuring students from Wasatch, Polk, Shadow Valley and Taylor Canyon elementary schools will take place at 6 p.m. March 1 and 2 in the high school’s auditorium. The program is part of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program and has given students the chance to learn about theater.
Each of the fairy tales, written by theater teachers Leslie Hamilton and Cassie Burton, will be performed in separate acts.
WHAT: Twisted Fairy Tale Festival
WHEN: 6 p.m. March 1-2
WHERE: Ogden High School's auditorium, 2828 Harrison Blvd., Ogden
ADMISSION: Free
The students auditioned for their roles, but Hamilton said they tried to find a spot for everyone who auditioned. She worked with students at Shadow Valley and Taylor Canyon, while Burton worked with students at Polk and Wasatch. Hamilton also worked with the Utah Opera and Symphony to get an original song composed for the production.
Hamilton said the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Art Program pays for 80 percent of the two teachers’ salaries. Ogden School District spokesman Zac Williams said the Ogden School Foundation, school district, parents and community members have funded for the rest of the program.
“It is exciting students have the opportunity to work with dedicated theater teachers to create a performance like ‘Twisted Tales.’ As a district, we recognize the value of the arts as a way to excite kids about learning, while also teaching important skills that enrich life and build a foundation for success in higher education,” Williams said.
Maridee Harrison is the principal at Polk Elementary and said the program has greatly enhanced language arts learning at her school. She said her students have loved every minute of it.
“They are putting language arts into action,” Harrison said. “I have been amazed to see some students who I didn’t think would do it just love getting on stage and doing it.”
This is the second year for the program, but this is the first year for the schools to combine for one performance.
“We wanted to get these kids together because they are going to go to junior high and high school together,” Harrison said. “Plus, how often do kids get a chance to perform in a place on a stage like what is at Ogden High School? It’s the real thing for these kids.”
Hamilton said that the students having this experience is critical to their development.
“Through the arts, students learn interpersonal skills, critical thinking, confidence, teamwork, responsibility, coordination and countless other priceless skills that they will carry into junior high, high school, college and their future careers. Theater is especially valuable as a language arts resource,” Hamilton said.
Harrison has seen that spark in her students as they have done the program. Every student goes to theater once a week and works on his or her own grade’s show, and the older students in third through sixth grade got to try out for the fractured fairy tale, which entails practice during the school day, as well as after-school practices.
Hamilton said 180 kids will participate in the Twisted Fairy Tale Festival. Plus, students from Taylor Canyon’s Advanced Learning Academy Choir will be performing, adding another 50 to 100 students.
“These students have been working so hard on these productions. It would really be the ultimate reward for them to have a large, supportive audience come and see the results of all of their hard work,” Hamilton said. “Plus it’s free. This isn’t an event to miss.”