BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Children in the Laura Donovan School, Stonehurst Boulevard, were recently treated to an exciting program that blended acting, mime, humor and audience participation.
"Poetry in Motion" was presented by David Zucker, a professional mime, actor and director who is also a teaching artist with Young Audiences of New Jersey. The organization provides arts programs for young people.
Zucker is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild. In 1996 he was honored as the National Young Audiences Artist of the Year. He uses an old steamer trunk brimming with props and puppets in order to introduce a cast of characters drawn form the best children’s poetry.
"The kids were just in awe," said Diana Wojtowicz, the mother of a third-grader and a member of the PTO. She could not praise the program and Zucker enough.
"He was full of energy and the age-appropriate poetry he recited was amazing. My third-grader was not looking forward to hearing poetry, but when she came home she had a totally different outlook. She said he was funny and the poetry was crazy," Wojtowicz said.
Wojtowicz, who was at the school for the performance, said Zucker held her daughter’s interest and she could see the other children were enthralled.
"I saw the performance for the kindergarten pupils and first-graders. The teachers were even into it. He was telling stories and had all of us on the edge of our seats," she said.
According to Wojtowicz, Zucker had a different program for the older grades. For the young children he did Winnie the Pooh and for the older children he performed Shakespeare.
"He was remarkable and opened a lot of kids’ eyes. He explained what poetry was all about and used props and music," she said.
Young Audiences of New Jersey, based in Princeton, is dedicated to bringing the arts to the state’s children in order to enhance their formal education with dance, music, theater, literature and visual arts.
"David Zucker is incredible. He brings the rhythm and language of poetry to life for children in a way they will not soon forget," said Kristin Gold Wenger, executive director of Young Audiences of New Jersey.
She said that each year more than 500,000 children in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade get a chance to experience artists’ performances, demonstrations and workshops.
Community arts programs and professional development for teachers are also provided by Young Audiences’ professional staff.
The more than 4,000 programs provided annually are fully or partially funded with support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State; The Robert Wood Johnson Jr. Charitable Trust; the Prudential Foundation; Merck and Co. Inc.; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; Merrill Lynch and Co. Foundation Inc.; The J. Seward Johnson Sr. Charitable Trust; and The Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation.