The Hattiloo Theatre began operations in 2006 and is one of only 20 black repertory groups in the country. The challenge to the Library and Hattiloo was to provide a live theater experience to young children in six diverse Memphis neighborhood library branches. The play, adapted by Hattiloo, was Red’s Riding While Cookin’ Show which was loosely based on Little Red Riding Hood. Many children had never seen a live performance.

The key elements included programming for children, theater production, set building, and the opportunity for audience interaction. The young people learned about acting, costuming, and set design, enjoying the production with their parents or caregivers. The Library provides many levels of learning experiences to all ages – and all are free and open to the public. The programs were so successful that Hattiloo has included productions for next year in their budget. The Library is very honored to collaborate with Hattiloo Theatre.

The program resulted in large audiences and participation with a finale headcount of 150 held at the Central branch. The first 50 children received a book from the Library at the finale. One of the branches has a large Hispanic population, and for that particular program, the script was translated into Spanish. Many of the children had never seen any form of live theater, and they were overjoyed by the experience.