Everyone has an ideal vision of Spring Break. For some, it's spending a relaxing week at home, while for others it's all about fun in the sun. For Traveling Treasure Trunk, however, it is something else entirely - instead of spending a week in Europe or lounging on the sandy beaches of Cancun, Tufts' children's theater troupe will take its act on the road, making stops at its very own East Coast elementary schools.
This is not the first time Trunk has embarked on such a trip. According to Jennifer Dickson, the current president, Colin Durrant, Trunk's vice president during the 1997-1998 school year, came up with the idea and made it his personal mission to organize the first Spring Break tour ever.
"We seniors had such a good time that we wanted to make the trip happen again before we graduated," Dickson said.
According to Vice President Ariana Wohl, this Spring Break tour is just a part of the greater purpose of Traveling Treasure Trunk.
"Contributing to the community is a big part of Trunk's mission, and I am glad to extend that contribution to my hometown," she said.
Several members of Trunk who live on the East Coast were responsible for contacting their former schools. The locations they will be performing at include Claypit Hill School and Jackson Street School in Massachusetts, School 2 near Albany, NY, The Perelman Jewish Day School in Philadelphia, Vanderbilt Elementary on Long Island, and the New Canaan YMCA in Connecticut.
Usually, hosts are asked to contribute to a children's organization being sponsored by Trunk. This semester, the group is sponsoring Just-A-Start House in Somerville, a transitional home for teenage mothers and their children. This time, however, the group will be performing for free at each of the elementary schools in attempt to give back to their hometowns.
"The schools see it as a great way to promote the arts and creativity in education. The schools also recognize the importance of bringing in role models that come from the same background as the students," said Dickson.
Trunk members are just as excited as the schools, if not more so. The New Canaan YMCA is one of Dickson's old haunts - she has worked there for the last three summers.
"Many of the children that I worked with at camp attend the day care program," she said. "I am really excited to share Trunk with them. I think they're really going to enjoy the show and all of the crazy costumes. The director of the program is really pumped for the show as well... she's been running around making flyers to get the kids excited."
Like Dickson, Wohl is also very enthusiastic about bringing Trunk to her old elementary school. "Jackson Street is the only non-Boston area host site ever to get two performances! We were a big hit last in '98, and I'm sure we'll all have a lot of fun this year as well," she said.
A Traveling Treasure Trunk show consists of three plays as well as a series of fun songs and segues in between. The Spring Break repertoire will be a combination of four current plays as well as a revival of three old favorites: "Abiyoyo," a Pete Seeger story, "Where the Wild Things Are," based on Maurice Sendak's children's book, and "Princess Priscilla Bossy Boots," a play adapted by Trunk member Preetha Mani.
Trunk typically performs for an audience of children ranging in age from kindergarten to fifth grade. Over the course of the Spring Break tour, however, the group will perform for a wide range of ages. The performance at the Jackson Street School, for example, is a family night event.
Traveling Treasure Trunk isn't headed for any exotic locales this Spring Break, but they will travel together to bring laughter and smiles to their old neighborhoods.
