In The Arkansaw Bear, ten-year-old Tish wants to tell her grandfather that she has seen a poster for a circus that is coming to town, but Grandfather is gravely ill. Young Tish is aware that her dear grandfather is dying. Her mother and aunt are unable to comfort her due to their own grief, so Tish runs to her favorite place, her tree, where she wishes on the first star that her grandfather might live forever.

Because this play is intended for young audiences, we are excited to offer two school-day performances of The Arkansaw Bear plus a special presentation by children’s author and illustrator, Jerald Pope. Pope is known for his book Fetch, a simple story about an old man taking his dog out for a game of fetch for the last time.

The school day performances are Wednesday, Feb. 20 and Thursday, Feb. 21 at 10:30 a.m. The program (the play and the author presentation) will run approximately 90 minutes.

The ticket price for this special presentation is $2 per student. Tickets for teachers and chaperones are free. Schools that reserve their tickets by February 8 will receive a teacher resource packet via e-mail by February 12.

While on Fairmont State University’s campus, you may want to make the most of your visit.  If you are interested in having lunch on campus, please contact Cathy Basagic in Dining Services at 304-367-4090. If you are interested in a campus tour, please contact Brittany Stout in the Office of Recruitment and Admissions at 304-367-4010.

Community performances will also be 7:30 p.m. on Feb.21, 22, and 23 as well as 2 p.m. on Feb. 24.

Tickets for school day and community performances can be purchased by calling the box office at 304-367-4240.