Olympic Theatre Arts sponsors youth poetry competition

By Sequim Gazette Staff • July 17, 2019 1:30 am
Grayce Houle, a second-year actor with Olympic Theatre Arts Children’s Theatre studies a script during auditions last year for the Phantom Tollbooth. Houle landed the role of the poetry-loving dragon in this year’s summer production of “The Reluctant Dragon.” Photo courtesy of Olympic Theatre Arts
Grayce Houle, a second-year actor with Olympic Theatre Arts Children’s Theatre studies a script during auditions last year for the Phantom Tollbooth. Houle landed the role of the poetry-loving dragon in this year’s summer production of “The Reluctant Dragon.” Photo courtesy of Olympic Theatre Arts

A special poetry contest for youths and teens 18 years and younger will see the winning piece earn a special role in the Olympic Theatre Arts Children’s Theatre production of “The Reluctant Dragon.”

The title character in the OTA production set for August is a special dragon who enjoys poetry. To honor this particular artistic dragon and his new-found friendships, OTA is sponsoring the poetry contest with the theme “Friendships.”

Entrants are encouraged to express how friendships have affected them with an original poem. Judging will be held for each of three age groups (13-18, 8-12 and 7 years old and younger) as well as a special category for Haiku poems, in which adults may enter.

Participants are asked to mail one entry per sheet of paper to: Olympic Theatre Arts/Poem, PO Box 1474, Sequim WA 98382; the back side of each entry must have the entrants name, age group or category, telephone number and email address. Deadline for entries is postmark of Saturday, Aug. 10.

Poems will be judged by a panel consisting of a dragon, a kid, at least one administrator, a bean counter, a mystery reader and two poetry lovers.

Winners will be announced by Fred (the dragon) on Aug. 17 at the Sequim Farmers Market. Two winners will be selected in each category and will receive two tickets each to any performance of “The Reluctant Dragon” which runs from Aug. 23 through Sept. 1.

All poems entered will be mounted on the walls of the Olympic Theatre Arts Gathering Hall during the run of” The Reluctant Dragon”; the OTA hall will be open to the public Monday-Friday 1-5 p.m. as well as during each performance.

Also, during each of the seven performances one of the winning poems will be read aloud to the theatre audience recognizing the winner.

This marks the fifth Children’s Theater Summer production staged by the troupe. The play, directed by Bonne Smith, is about a dragon and how he suffers the isolation of being different. It is only through a new friendship that he summons the courage to embrace his differences and helps a community come to terms with its fears as well.