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Editor
Avery
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How Do They Pick Their Plays?
All their plays are based on books. Toba wanted kids who like to read to also see what it feels like to be in the middle of live drama. And she wanted kids who don’t like to read to still learn about great books. For example, most of you know of Dr. Seuss books. Well, they did the play Seussical, which is based on those books. Another example is the The Diary of Anne Frank, a play which is based on the book by the same name. You can see this play coming up in March and April.
Special Facts about Toby’s
•Ed Norton (the Hulk) performed there when he was a kid growing up in Columbia! (In addition to his role as the Hulk, Ed Norton has acted in many movies, is a writer and director and has been nominated for lots of acting awards.)
Ed Norton (the Hulk) performed there when he was a kid growing up in Columbia! (In addition to his role as the Hulk, Ed Norton has acted in many movies, is a writer and director and has been nominated for lots of acting awards.)•They have a live band and there is no background recorded music like most theatres.
They have a live band and there is no background recorded music like most theatres.•All actors are professionals and highly talented. One time Ben Carson’s mom said that the actor playing her son acted more like Ben than Ben did himself! And they have won lots of awards.
All actors are professionals and highly talented. One time Ben Carson’s mom said that the actor playing her son acted more like Ben than Ben did himself! And they have won lots of awards.•It has a unique design with a circular stage and several balconies. The stage is in the middle of the theatre with seats set up all around the actors. This is known as “theatre in the round” and gives viewers much more connection with the actors than if the stage was in the front of long rows of seats.
It has a unique design with a circular stage and several balconies. The stage is in the middle of the theatre with seats set up all around the actors. This is known as “theatre in the round” and gives viewers much more connection with the actors than if the stage was in the front of long rows of seats. •They write some of their own plays. The current play, Ben Carson, was commissioned by Toby’s after Toba read Carson’s book, “Gifted Hands”. This is a great play about how a young man with bad grades and an even worse temper grew up to be a world famous brain surgeon right here in Baltimore at Johns Hopkins Hospital. To read more about this play see our review on the “Bookworm’s Bite” page.
They write some of their own plays. The current play, Ben Carson, was commissioned by Toby’s after Toba read Carson’s book, “Gifted Hands”. This is a great play about how a young man with bad grades and an even worse temper grew up to be a world famous brain surgeon right here in Baltimore at Johns Hopkins Hospital. To read more about this play see our review on the “Bookworm’s Bite” page.How Can You go to Toby’s Youth Theatre?
Unlike Toby’s Dinner Theatre where plays are performed in the evening, Toby's Youth Theatre has performances only during the day. Generally kids go to the Youth Theatre as part of a school group, but anyone can go if you find a performance time that doesn't conflict with school. Most schools have money for field trips, so show your teacher this article and send him or her to the following website:
point out how educational and uplifting these plays are and then say "Pleeeaaassseee". You won't regret it!
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Toby had a BIG IDEA! Then Toba had a BIG IDEA!
I bet you’re wondering, ‘Now who areToby and Toba and what are these big ideas I'm talking about?
Thirty years ago when Columbia was a new city, Toby Orenstein's BIG IDEA was to create Toby's Dinner Theatre on the edge of Symphony Woods. She has been the owner and artistic director ever since. Toby, her plays and her actors have been nominated for many distinguished honors and awards.
Twenty years ago Toba Barth had a job planning performing arts for children here in Columbia. She was also a mom who wanted a place to take her kids to see live theatre. Since Toby’s Dinner Theater only had plays in the evening, she thought, ‘What if we had plays during the day for kids?’ Schools could take kids on field trips to see plays. That way kids could get the experience of live theatre, the theatre would be used more often and actors could get more work. It would be a win-win-win situation. Toby and Toba developed the idea and now lots of schools take their students to the Youth Theatre every month. They have all kinds of plays – fun musicals, biographies, comedies and much more. Toba is now the Education Director of Toby's Youth Theatre.
Toba Barth and Prince Havely, who played Dr. Carson, after the KidzPost kids saw the production of Ben Carson M.D.
Article by Avery
Pictures by Carly
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