Blue Mountain College students put on performance written by BMC professor for area Kindergartners

Tippah County Kindergarten students were treated to a performance by Blue Mountain college students on Wednesday.

Students from Blue Mountain, Ripley, Pine Grove, Falkner, Walnut and Chalybeate took to campus as part of a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) field trip that culminated in them watching a performance titled The Lunch Box Lady.

SEE THE PHOTO ALBUM HERE

The The Lunch Box Lady was written by BMC Assistant Professor of Speech and Theatre Christi Mitchell.

During Blue Mountain College’s Literacy on the Lawn this year, the Creative Dramatics & Children’s Theatre class presented The Lunch Box Lady, written by Mitchell.

Mitchell wrote the children’s book and musical version about ten years ago and condensed the story to work with the time frame for Literacy on the Lawn. She had her students and a few members of the Drama Team, IMPACT, join in the fun.

The cast of the performance is as follows:

The Lunch Box Lady, Mable, was played by Kylie Fink. Mean Ms. Crunchterton was played by Caley Sims. Ms. Munch was played by Destiny Ozbirn. The Narrator, JJ Dynamo, was played by Eli Parks. The Blue Bird was played by Chandler Wall, and the theme music was written by Ms. Cruncherton’s back up dancer, Chloe Crider Harris. 

Mitchell described the background of the story as follows:

“While living in the Deep South of Mississippi a few years ago, I was asked to create a lesson plan as a teaching artist for the Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education, so I enlisted the best storytellers I know who also happen to be my sisters—Anita Mehus and Annette Marsico. Together we collaborated on “The Lunch Box Lady,” which is a story that celebrates creativity, kindness and nutrition.”

Mitchell also gave a brief summary of the story, which you can read for yourself at The Lunch Box Lady Book – Christi Mitchell (wordpress.com)

Mable, the Lunch Box Lady, designs lunch boxes for a living while encouraging children to eat healthy. Her boss, Mrs. Cruncherton, puts the kibosh on Mable’s creativity due to her own insecurities with change and choices. When Mr. Munch, the owner of the Lunch Box Factory, finds out what Mrs. Cruncherton has done, he stands up for Mable’s creativity. In response to Mrs. Cruncherton’s meanness, Mable embraces the golden rule and gives her a heart-shaped lunch box filled with Mrs. Cruncherton’s favorites—water, onion soup, and crunchy carrots.