Kids’ theatre groups usually put on plays like “The Music Man,” “Oklahoma” or “Hair Spray,” but young actors and actresses in a central Iowa town are tackling a much tougher subject — cancer. Katie Short, at the Webster City Community Theater, is directing a cast of 16 children in a dramatic production of “Zink,” opening in a few weeks.
“The play’s about Becky, a young girl who is struggling with leukemia,” Short says. “She goes through rough times but she has a guardian angel herd of zebras who help her and talk about the message of tolerance and acceptance of others no matter what we’re going through. They also talk about treating others with cancer as an equal.” She says it’s a difficult subject but the young cast is handling it like professionals.
“It’s a very tear-jerking kind of message,” Short says. “The profits we raise from this are going to the Children’s Cancer Connection which sends children with cancer in Iowa to camp.” The camp is located near Boone. “Zink” will run September 1-3 at the Webster City Community Theater.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Another benefit for the Children’s Cancer Connection is planned for September 11th in Des Moines, the Flapjack 5K and 10K.
Learn more at: www.childrenscancerconnection.org
By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City