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July 2, 2004

ULM Paper Moon Summer Theatre Initiates New Community Projects

The University of Louisiana at Monroe's Division of Theatre and Dance and its production arm TheatreWorks have revived the recently inactive Paper Moon Summer Theatre with the successful four-day run of the family musical "Big". The production was part of a cooperative effort with the Masur Museum, the Children's Museum and Delta Filmworks to present family-oriented summer arts activities.

In conjunction with Hospice Care of Louisiana and CASA volunteers, free tickets were given to area children represented by CASA. Hospice Care of Louisiana purchased tickets for CASA children. Sally Teagle, Hospice Care representative, commented "Hospice Care was pleased to be afforded an opportunity to give back to the community in such a positive way."
Another pilot program initiated this summer involved toy donations collected at the theatre box office and donated to the Glenwood Hospital Pediatric Unit. Since the show and the other summer activities were about toys, each person attending the performance could receive a ticket discount by donating a toy. "The community response was overwhelming", states Jerri White, Production Costumer for ULM and coordinator of the programs. "I am new to Louisiana, and can't say enough about how wonderful the community has been this year."
Jennifer Hensley, ULM theatre student, and Jerri White delivered the toys to Pam Chappell at Glenwood Hospital and toys were distributed to children patients. Pam stated, "The children were thrilled. Anything that can lighten their day is greatly appreciated" John Kelly, Director of the Division of Theatre and Dance said, "TheatreWorks will continue to explore additional opportunities for community partnerships and service opportunities. We are looking for new partners and ways to expand our involvement with the community."

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