Summer reading fun at the library

To kick off its summer reading program, the Cape Girardeau Public Library will play host to Activated Storytellers, a national touring theatrical group.

In past years, the library has held an outdoor carnival to open the festival, but youth services coordinator Sharon Anderson said "this year we decided to try something a little different."

Anderson said she had heard good things about Activated Storytellers from other librarians who had seen the troupe perform.

The troupe consists of husband and wife Dennis and Kimberly Goza, and their son Zephyr Goza.

Dennis and Kimberly Goza decided to start their own theater company in 1988.

"We were actors first and we just happened to get jobs performing for kids and decided we really liked it," Dennis Goza said. "Kids are a great audience."

The troupe's 45-minute productions center around a series of stories that Dennis Goza has adapted from folk tales from various time periods and cultures.

The Gozas act out the stories, which sometimes call for audience participation. There is also a 6-foot storybook that contains five or six pages that illustrate some parts of the stories.

Each year the troupe follows a different theme for its productions. This year the theme is "Under Your Nose: Exploring the Obvious" and will include four stories taken from folk tales as diverse as "The Ice Cream Cone," a story about how the ice cream cone was supposedly invented and "The Egyptian Cinderella," the original version of the classic fairy tale.

Dennis Goza said this year's theme is meant to teach children to notice things more closely and not take anything for granted.

The theme for this year's reading program at the Cape Girardeau Public Library is "Discover New Trails @ Your Library."

kalfisi@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182