a world premiere by Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin
September 2024-May 2025
Twelfth Annual Free Elementary School Tour serving students in grades 4-6 statewide
Created specifically for grades 4-6, EllaMental centers on Ella, a Black, twelve-year-old sixth-grader struggling to make sense of her Big Feelings from the pandemic—grief, loss, fear, and anger—in a post-pandemic world.
EllaMental engages students in an accessible, real-time, comforting conversation, one as barrier-free as possible, one that instantly invites students to live inside the play rather than searching for a way in.
Instructive without feeling preachy, EllaMental provides a much more chill experience than students in grades 4-6 might expect: one that is natural, aspirational, and even inspirational.
Read on for details on Core Standards and Intended Learning Outcomes, how to bring EllaMental to your school, and public performances.
CAST & CREATIVE
Playwright: Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin
Actors: Noelani Brown, Talia Heiss, Mak Milord, and Taylor Wallace
Director: Jerry Rapier
Designer: Arika Schockmel
Education Coordinator: Sharah Meservy
Education Liaison: Penelope Caywood
Tour Manager: Kallie Filanda
CORE STANDARDS & SEL OUTCOMES
Core Standards in English Language Arts, Health Education, Theatre Arts, and Visual Arts are integrated into the script and study guide, alongside Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Outcomes: Manage Your Emotions, Feel & Show Empathy for Others, Establish & Maintain Positive Relationships, and Self-Advocate.
INTENDED LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After experiencing EllaMental and its accompanying study guide, students will:
- understand and empathize with peers who are coping with stress and change.
- discuss and reflect upon current events and their impact on individual lives.
- gain awareness of mental health and related stigma.
- develop skills for coping with difficult emotions.
- understand dramatic texts, including character development and plot.
- use theatre and interactive activities to explore and express emotions.
BRING 'EllaMental' TO YOUR SCHOOL AT NO COST
Please click the Schedule In-Person Performance or the Schedule Virtual Performance button below beginning May 1. And don't miss the Study Guide button!
PUBLIC PERFORMANCES
FREE, NON-TICKETED
Wednesday, September 25, 4pm
Day-Riverside Branch
Salt Lake City Public Library
1575 W 1000 N, SLC
ASL-Interpreted
Facility fully ADA accessible
Come early for a Kids Café snack!
Friday, September 27, 2:30pm
Kearns Branch
Salt Lake County Library
4275 W 5345 S, Kearns
ASL-Interpreted
Facility fully ADA accessible
Come early for a Kids Café snack!
“Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable.” – David Augsburger
"I wanted to give voice to children with 'behavior issues' who often aren’t asked what they think or feel about the world around them. Iwas lucky enough to find teachers (or did they find me?) who were able to see me and all of my heartache and offer me a life raft, aplace to put all that was bottled up inside of me." – Playwright Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin
