PERIWINKLE THEATRE FOR YOUTH



Sunna Rasch, Founder
Sunna Rasch founded Periwinkle Theatre for Youth in 1963, a vital time for arts-in-education. In the early 1960’s the state and federal governments were finally recognizing the importance of the arts in American life with the founding of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and state arts councils. One of the main goals of the National Endowment for the Arts was to encourage imaginative arts programs in the field of education.

Sunna Rasch, an Equity actress, theatre producer, and former school teacher rode this wave of public enthusiasm for the arts and founded a professional theatre company that combined her greatest loves: theatre, education, and children. With very little money but plenty of drive and imagination, Rasch set out to bring the classroom onto the stage and theatre into the classroom. As a natural outgrowth of her spirit, Periwinkle came to be known for its intelligence and high entertainment value. “What a way to learn!” Rasch said. “Educational theatre – where original scripts connect with kids’ hearts and make learning exciting – and FUN!”

Periwinkle’s early plays strove to revitalize kids’ love for literature. The company’s first dramatic work, The Mad Poet Strikes - Again!, brought classic and contemporary poems to life in a fun-filled poetry revue that inspired kids to cheer the spoken word. From the start, Rasch recognized the need for pre- and post-performance workshops to further the impact of her plays. So, Periwinkle actors entered the classroom and used dynamic creative drama and writing activities to help students delve deeper into her plays’ themes and issues.

By the end of the 1960’s, Periwinkle had become a leading member of both the professional children’s theatre and the arts-in-education communities. The company’s innovative programming gained notice from such theatre-in-education luminaries as Nellie McCaslin and Vera Roberts who both joined the board when Periwinkle achieved not-for-profit status in 1971. That same year, the New York State Council on the Arts started giving Periwinkle sustained support for the quality of its arts-in-education programs. The company collaborated with the leading children’s theatre companies of the day to found the Producer’s Association for Children’s Theatre (PACT). In harmony with the educational community, it became an active member of The Children’s Theatre Conference (CTC) which later evolved into the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE). In 1978 the Periwinkle won the American Theatre Association’s (ATA) prestigious Jennie Heiden Award for “…excellence in children’s theatre.”

The 1970’s saw the company’s dramatic repertoire expanding to include contemporary social issues such as alienation, peer pressure, and single parent households. In 1983, Periwinkle created its most enduring work, Halfway There, a play dealing with the pain of teenage drug abuse. The play’s relevancy remains untarnished and it still tours annually throughout the United States. Growth continued and, in 1999, Periwinkle opened an educational division in New York City. Currently, its team of teaching artists provides students with top quality drama residencies in over thirty-five New York City schools each year.

Periwinkle Theatre for Youth continues evolving to meet the needs of today’s young people. Recent plays address bullying (Rooftop), stranger danger (Little Red Riding Hood Finds the Safety Zone!), social skills (The Birthday Party That Almost Wasn’t), and immigration (Carnival Café). Yet the company’s ideals remain the same as when Rasch founded Periwinkle with the words:
“To unlock a mind, you must first open a heart.”