Akron Life July 2023

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Holly Barkdoll and Dennis O’Connell

counties — a whopping quarter of the state. And Barkdoll constructs study guides that include the play’s themes, setting, vocabulary words and more. “It’s not just seeing a play,” she says. “It starts with reading the book. They discuss it, they come to the show, we have a question-and answer session … where the kids can ask the actors questions.” An especially memorable moment for O’Connell and Barkdoll was hearing about a fourth grader who was moved by “The Amazing Lemonade Girl,” which is about a child with cancer who raises money for cancer research through lemonade stands. The couple explained, eyes watering, that the boy found the play so inspiring that he decided to do his own lemonade stands and fundraisers for cancer research. That powerful impact is what the pair hope for, and they also help kids be kids by feeding their imaginations with magical shows like “The BFG.” The production featured a 12-foot-tall larger-than-life Big Friendly Giant puppet made by Magical Theatre’s creature maker Mark Jenks and worn by an actor. It caused kids to ooh and aah when it appeared onstage, O’Connell says. “If you’ve got a fantastical story, then the creatures ought to be fantastical as well,” he says. “Because that’s what they’re looking for — they’re looking to be taken to a different world.” 565 W. Tuscarawas Ave., Barberton, magicaltheatre.org

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akronlife.com | JULY 2023