KENT, Conn.—The Kent Center School was the fortunate recipient Wednesday, April 1, of a premiere performance through Merryall Center’s new initiative, Educating Through Storytelling: Creative Learning for Children in Our Community.
The pilot program, which was presented to all grades at the school, was supported in part by the Kent Lions Club and featured professional New York storyteller David Gonzalez who enthralled his young audience with age-appropriate stories delivered with animated expressions, perfect timing and dynamic narrations.
As he progressed, Gonzalez drew the children physically into the stories, inviting them to “row” with the greedy fisherman, to describe the funniest things their pets have ever done and the like. There was no fidgeting, no squirming in the ranks of his young listeners as the stories unfolded. The students leaned forward, eager for the narrative to continue.
It was an apparent validation of the reasoning behind Merryall’s new program: that the art of storytelling supports creativity, literacy and social-emotional learning.
The new program is the brainchild of two Kent residents who serve on the board of directors for Merryall Center, Paul Rajeckas and Ellen Corsell.
“We have talked for a year about focusing on working with community nonprofits to bring programming to the different schools,” said Corsell, who now serves on Merryall’s Ambassador Committee. “Storytelling has been so successful at Merryall that we decided it would be a good way to it.”
The initiative expands Merryall’s work beyond its stage by bringing professional artists directly into local classrooms.
Rajeckas, a performer, educator, choreographer and composer with more than 40 years of experience in physical theater and storytelling, said, “Merryall brings in so many artists, and we want to share that. My career has been in arts and education, so I know many artists, and Ellen is a person who can get things going. We’re going to bring in big shots—professionals—for our programs. We have so many ambitious ideas.”
Among them is a future residency at KCS by Paris, Maine-based dancer, choreographer and the innovator of “mimedance,” Karen Montanaro, who will do a residency with the children.
“Storytelling is a large container,” Rajeckas continued, explaining that it can contain many different artforms, from narratives to dance, to music and art. “We hope to present two residencies a year—one storytelling and the other ‘full body engaged,’” he said.
It is hoped that the program can grow and eventually include all the region’s public schools. As private school enrollments increase, the duo believe it is imperative that public school students have access to the same kinds of high-quality enrichment opportunities that prep school students enjoy.
“This pilot underscores the profound impact of the arts in making education more engaging, inclusive and meaningful,” Rajeckas says. “We want to ensure financial barriers do not limit student participation.”
Corsell noted that the new initiative is being undertaken in the same year that Merryall celebrates its 75th anniversary. The little-75-seats arts center, located at 8 Chapel Hill Road in New Milford, was founded in 1951 by local residents and weekenders to promote social and cultural exchange.
It is renowned for its quaint charm and high-profile performances, including such legends as Fredric March, Marian Anderson, Skitch Henderson, Eartha Kitt, Margaret Mead, Chris Brubeck, Isaac Stern and Jeffrey Toobin.
She sees the new school program not only as a way to enrich the lives of local public school children, but also as a way of cultivating a next generation of patrons for Merryall Center, thereby strengthening its role as a community resource.
The new program will need infusions of money through grants for what Rajeckas terms the “arts exposure immersions,” but he is confident. “It is happening and we’ll make it work,” he said ebulliently.
