A Behind The Scenes Look At The Color Factory
On April 9th, CCE hosted our annual fundraiser, A Colorful Evening To Remember. The theme for this vibrant night came from CCE board member and children’s book author Eric Telchin’s latest book, The Color Factory. In The Color Factory, factory workers are giving a tour when they accidentally create an unapproved color. They have to figure out how to get rid of the new color or they might have to shut down the factory forever!
Connections between the book and the event could be seen throughout the evening, in everything from the layout of the Sallie and Berton Korman Art Gallery to the parting gifts for guests. But the highlight came when the third grade class from The Foundations School took to the stage and performed their own adaptation of The Color Factory.
What did it take to bring this story to life? It started with a CCE teaching artist, who took Telchin’s book and transformed it into a seven-minute long script perfect for our third grade class. After that, it was up to the students.
“We had to practice,” Avery, who played Professor Eric Telchin, said after the show. “And follow our scripts.”
The students spent weeks staying late at school, perfecting their lines, staging, and dance moves. The main characters included Mo, an eccentric factory worker who is always trying to tell knock-knock jokes, and Professor Eric Telchin.
“He is cranky*, and he is smart,” Avery said. “He knows how to make colors. And he acts like Mo is kind of, a little out of control.”
Ultimately, the students performed their final dress rehearsal for their parents before taking the stage for the main event on Saturday, April 9th. After performing for their parents, students reflected on the process and thanked the teachers and staff for all their support. Without them, none of this would have been possible.
If you want to read more about CCE’s successful annual fundraiser, click here.
*This is in no way reflective of the real Eric Telchin, who is cheerful and kind
