Background

 

BACKGROUND:

The Riverside Drama Company for Kids started in 1999 as an after-school program for the Children's Enrichment Workshop (CEW).  Since that time, we've mounted 30 productions.  The purpose of the Riverside Drama Company is to provide theater arts educational opportunities to K-12 aged children in Jacksonville, Florida.

All productions have been directed by Suzanne Hess, an English professor who has graduate hours in theatre for children.  Suzanne creates a supportive rehearsal environment that teaches kids the importance of creative expression, working together, following directions, learning lines, and understanding basic stage training.   Through instruction in rudimentary blocking, stage movement, vocal inflection, and basic acting, students not only learn an appreciation for theater, they gain self-confidence, improved communication skills, and stage presence in a supportive atmosphere.

Our playwright, Jeff Hess, is an academic dean who has been writing on the side since 1990, when he wrote his first children's script for a playwriting class at Eastern Illinois University. That play, Rapunzel, the Girl with the Curls, was the first production of the RDC. The rest are the history you see in the photos on this website.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Mrs. Suzanne Hess, at shess@riversidedrama.org

Dr. Jeff Hess at jhess@riversidedrama.org