Main Street Theater Hosts Read Across America Day

This March, Main Street Theater (MST) will be out in the community to help encourage a love of reading as part of the NEA's Read Across America initiative. READ (Read Across America Day), as it is affectionately known, is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of beloved children's author Dr. Seuss. Main Street Theater is volunteering its services, sending their own Cat in the Hat to 3 schools across the Greater Houston Area to read "his" book and interact with the students on March 1 (since March 2 itself is a Saturday). "We love literacy at Main Street - the majority of our professional Theater for Youth productions are based on books," says Vivienne M. St. John, MST Theater for Youth Producing Director. "So it's right in step with our mission to celebrate and encourage reading and participate in Read Across America. This is our 3rd year to offer our Cat in the Hat to schools, and it's extremely rewarding each time."

Main Street will be at Promise Charter School (Baker Ripley), Pink Elementary (in Richmond, TX), and House of Tiny Treasures (SEARCH homeless project). MST favorite, actor Jonathan Teverbaugh, plays the Cat in the Hat for the day.

In May 1997, a small reading task force at NEA came up with a big idea. "Let's create a day to celebrate reading," the group decided. "We hold pep rallies to get kids excited about football. We assemble to remember that Character Counts. Why don't we do something to get kids excited about reading? We'll call it 'NEA's Read Across America' and we'll celebrate it on Dr. Seuss's birthday." And so was born on March 2, 1998, the largest celebration of reading this country has ever seen.

Now in its 43rd season, Main Street Theater provides theater experiences for all ages. The MainStage produces professional, intimate, literary plays for adults and operates under an Actors' Equity Association union contract; the Theater for Youth produces professional, engaging productions based on children's literature for families and school groups, both in-house and on tour around Texas; and we offer Education and Outreach programs on-site and at satellite locations around the Greater Houston area for youth aged 4 - high school. We work out of 2 facilities: our Rice Village home on Times. Blvd., and as part of the MATCH (Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston) on Main Street.

Main Street Theater is a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization for not-for-profit theaters, of Theatre for Young Audiences/USA (formerly ASSITEJ), the world theatre network of theatre for children and young people, and a founding member of Houston Arts Partners. Main Street Theater is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

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