Kids see trial of ‘A. Wolf’
The Vindicator ( Youngstown)
A. Wolf takes the stand during “Guilty or Not Guilty” as performed by the Youngstown Playhouse Youth Theatre at the Boardman Library on Glenwood Avenue. Wednesday’s play was part of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County’s annual summer reading program.
BOARDMAN
More than 100 children watched the trial of a missing grandmother Wednesday afternoon.
The defendant, A. Wolf, was accused of disposing of Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother “in the most wolfish way possible,” but when the grandmother appeared, all charges were dismissed — sending the audience into applause.
The Youngstown Playhouse Youth Theatre performed “Guilty or Not Guilty” as part of the summer reading program at the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County. The summer reading program, “One World, Many Stories,” officially kicked off last week with performances from the Cincinnati-based Madcap Puppet Theatre.
More than 3,200 area children already have registered for summer reading, a 4 percent increase from this time last year, said Janet Loew, communications and public- relations director for the library system.
Haily Rusnak, 5, said her favorite character in “Guilty or Not Guilty” was Little Red Riding Hood, although she said she usually reads princess stories. Haily and her sister, Emma, 3, attend programs at the library every week, said their mom, Kristin Rusnak of Boardman.
“It’s something different to do, and I’m all about trying to sneak in education with our fun,” said Rusnak.
Brittany Cellers, 7, and her sister, Brooklyn, 5, both of Boardman said they enjoyed the play. Their mom, Rachel Cellers, said she appreciates the educational value of summer reading, especially as children are expected to be able to read by the middle of kindergarten.
“I feel pressure to get them prepared,” she said. “Reading is an extra activity that they look forward to every day.”
Josephine Nolfi, manager of children’s services, said plays such as “Guilty or Not Guilty” help children learn how to structure stories, which benefits their reading comprehension.
Loew added that summer programing has increased this year, in part because of voter approval of a 1.8-mill new library levy last fall.
“With the economic downturn the past several years, we had to scale back and had fewer programs. Now that the voters supported the library levy in November, we’re able to enhance our summer reading and give people more reasons to come into the library,” Loew said.