TD Childrens book week at Factory 163

I entered ‘Factory 163’ not knowing what to expect. Upon entering I saw kids in costume rehearsing their lines. I asked a lady if this was the place for the childrens book week and she said yes and ushered me in.

The crowd was sparse in the first room. They showcased their material via bristel board, pictures and information. I engaged the lady at the theatre booth and she quickly informed me that there was two rooms; one for the booths and another for the stage. Ah i thought, now the kids rehearsing made sense.

I went into the other room and saw the well lit stage hearing the laughter of the crowd. I was off to the side, seeing the actors were in full shakespearean garbe. There was a man who wore a flimsy mushroom hat and read from piece of paper. It took me awhile but I slowly understood they were doing excerpts from ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

The children acted as the man narrated the scenes. A lady rang a bell and the child actors would jump ahead to another scene. There were plenty of awkward moments which intern made for good theatre.

I looked around at a few other booths and decided i had had my fill and exited the building, but
right before i left i saw a lady from the ‘Stratford PUblic Library’ reading to a couple of kids. The parents looked
on and laughed as their kids were engaged in the story. That’s what it’s all about i thought, reading to kids and
having fun.