Students at Mineral Springs, Brunson and Diggs-Latham Elementary Schools See the Musical "Honk!" at Wake Forest

On Thursday, Nov. 10, 300 first-, second- and third-graders from Mineral Springs, Brunson and Diggs-Latham elementary schools headed to the campus of Wake Forest University to see a production of Honk! – a musical adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen story “The Ugly Duckling.”

“We invited the kids because we were doing a children's play, which we rarely do, and we wanted to make sure lots of children got to see it!” said Wake Forest professor Cindy Gendrich, who is the director of the Interdisciplinary Performance and the Liberal Arts Center.

“But we also thought that messages of diversity and inclusion, which are the focus of the play, were good ones for kids. And the play is also about resilience, courage in the face of adversity, loyalty, kindness, the ability to grow, transform, and forgive. These are great things for all of us to think about and remember, but maybe especially children who are building their value systems and (hopefully) learning not to bully, and to be good to one another.

“We also gave the kids copies of the book, The Ugly Duckling, which the cast and crew signed, along with small rubber ducks for every person who came to the show. We hoped this would help them remember the experience and feel valued.” 

The program was a collaboration between the Department of Theatre & Dance and the Department of Education at Wake Forest University.

The students thoroughly enjoyed the experience, teachers said. ​

Erin Harman, who teaches second grade at Mineral Springs, said, “We are so incredibly thankful to be chosen to come for the performance. Our entire second grade was in attendance. Oftentimes, our students do not have the opportunity to see a real live play.

“The Wake Forest Theatre Department provided them with a form of art they may potentially never be exposed to otherwise.  The performers did a wonderful job teaching our students about diversity and inclusion. The cast was amazing! Our kids loved being able to interact with them before the performance. We had the best time and look forward to possible future children's plays!” 

Emily Fedel, who teaches first grade at Brunson, said, “Thank you so much! It was such an amazing experience for our students to be able to see a play because many of them have not or will not have that experience again. The topic was absolutely perfect and fit into our Habits of Character we have been teaching this year.

“We have been able to have class conversations about empathy and how to appreciate and be a friend to someone who is different than you based on what the students saw during "Honk!" This was such a special event for us and we really appreciate all of the hard work that every department involved put into this day. 

“They were so surprised and absolutely loved the books and duckies! They all brought their rubber duckies to recess to play with them. Thank you for contributing to their home library and encouraging reading with such a thoughtful and fun gift!”