Health & Fitness
Banned Camp
In honor of Banned Books Week, the Theatre of Western Springs is looking at past productions based on banned books, and they aren't the shows you might expect!
Since this is banned book week, I took the opportunity to look through the lists of books that have been pulled from library shelves over the years and see which of those stories have been brought to our stage at the Theatre of Western Springs. There were some titles that I wasn't surprised to find (like Slaughterhouse Five). However, I was very surprised to discover that the Children's Theatre of Western Springs appears to have produced far more shows based on banned books than the grown ups have.
I should stop here to say that we're pretty careful about the material we pick for our students. We want to choose shows that are age appropriate for our actors and our audiences. So, as you might imagine, the list of titles we've produced based on banned books includes a lot of stories that most parents and teachers would deem more than age appropriate: Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, Harriet the Spy, James and the Giant Peach, and The Wizard of Oz to name a few.
So what gives? Over the years, why have folks banned titles that seem relatively innocuous?
I think it comes down to the fact that many adults underestimate kids. People worry that kids aren't good at figuring out the difference between right and wrong. Grownups sometimes think kids need guidance at every turn to figure out how to be good people.
The truth is that most of the time kids are great at knowing what's right and what's wrong--especially when they see so many great role models in both life and literature. In almost every book that was banned because it "set a bad example for kids," the right path and the wrong path are really clearly defined: the stepmother is wicked in Cinderella; Harriet wasn't kind to her friends in Harriet the Spy; the aunts are mean in James and the Giant Peach; and The Wizard of Oz reminds us that there's no place like home. Knowing which way is the best way is ultimately pretty obvious in these tales.
Banned book week gives us a chance to think about how the arts and literature can contribute to bringing up strong individuals who will be able to make positive choices. I'm glad we're able to share some of the great childhood stories with our students and audiences. We strive not to underestimate our young actors, and they always rise to the occasion.
To find out more about lots of age-appropriate shows, visit the Children's Theatre of Western Springs online at www.theatreofwesternsprings.com
And don't forget to visit your local library to check out some great books!
