Celebrate the natural world with GreenMan Theatre Storytellers’ ‘Growing Stories’ event
Those who enjoy stories about growing things, gardening and the natural world should love GreenMan Theatre Storytellers’ “Growing Stories” event on Tuesday, May 19.
This event, which will include folktales, myths, personal stories and songs. will be held at 7 p.m. in Elmhurst Public Library’s large meeting room, 125 S. Prospect Ave.
Performers will be Cassy Beach, Lily Brtva, Melanie Concklin, Marilyn Connolly, Debbie Proska, Victoria Rebeck, Mary-Carol Ries, Carolyn Thomas-Davidoff and Larry Vietzky. Beach will also serve as music director.
“There will be a wide variety of ‘Growing Stories’ — funny stories, heartwarming stories and historical stories,” Thomas-Davidoff said. “We humans are hard-wired to gather meaning and delight from stories. That’s how information was passed down in ages past.”
Connolly will tell the story of a woman angered by two young troublemakers who ruined the flowers in a neighbor’s yard. She asks the pair to help her plant a garden; soon other children want to pitch in, and the number of youthful gardeners grows to 20.
“The woman’s idea elicits a positive response and raises the neighborhood ethos,” Thomas-Davidoff said.
In “Iduna and the Magic Apples,” Proska will share the myth of Iduna, the Nordic Goddess of Fertility, who grows wonderful apples in her garden that keep the Nordic gods living longer than the normal human life span. Iduna is betrayed and misused by the Nordic god Loki, who uses her to try to get himself out of trouble. This backfires and upsets the whole natural order.
GreenMan Theatre’s “Growing Stories” is a free program suitable for adults and children, age 10 or older.
This will be a hybrid presentation, both live and online (by registration through the library). Those seeing the online version must register in advance.
Registration for the in-person showing is strongly encouraged — as registration helps determine the size of the room being used. There are 70 in-person seats available and 197 online seats. Register at elmhurstpubliclibrary.org.
In its 22nd season, GreenMan Theatre Troupe is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to provide a source of cultural enrichment and pride for the community by presenting diverse, quality productions and providing opportunities for personal growth
in the theatrical arts. GreenMan has been presenting plays in Elmhurst since being founded in 2003. Past productions include “Dracula,” “Pride and Prejudice” and “Doubtful Abbey.” GreenMan also offers classes and workshops for members and the community and welcomes new members and participants in all aspects of theater production. GreenMan programs are partially supported by Explore Elmhurst, as well as other individual and corporate donations.