Another Interview!

The next two people that I interviewed were Mollie Divet and Terri Mastrobuono.

Terri worked at the Fulton Theater for 25 years. She was an English major and theater minor. She went to different schools and hosted theater programs for young kids. She also created a children’s theater at Elizabethtown College. Now, at Elizabethtown College, Terri teaches two classes and directs plays.

Mollie worked for four years in Human Services and three and a half years specifically supporting residential adults with severe mental illness. She also studied psychology at Millersville University. I know Mollie from the “Access to Opportunities” after school program, a non-profit in Lancaster that she has been at for one and a half years. Mollie has a great background and spends a lot of time with kids, so I knew that she would be a great resource! I asked her if she has ever seen a child be helped through music and she said that she has seen children getting excited about learning instruments at school, especially a child who learned the violin and that outlet is proving to be very beneficial to him. There is also a student who sing-talks when she is in a good mood!

I asked the same question to Terri about seeing a student be helped by theater and she said absolutely! Terri said that she has seen confidence grow and one time, she did a 10-20 day residence in a middle school in Ephrata, doing workshops and other theater related things. There was a student who Terri was not sure about but only one week in, this student totally flipped a switch and came alive in a class on creativity. This student eventually wrote and published a book and went on a speaking tour!

I also asked Terri about budget cuts in school and she said that that was so misguided. Theater teaches so much and one time at another residency, she taught a lot about storytelling and the next semester, the reading scores all shot up for those students. Critical thinking and reading skills are learned from theater! Terri has even taught math through theater games and says “children learn best from experience” and says that is priceless.

Mollie has also helped people through music by using it as a studying tool and she said that many residents in residential mental health places use music as a coping skill.

Terri told me that she is passionate about theater because of the connection with the audience and characters. Especially when the audience gasps and is silent when they have a realization. She says it is like touching a wave when you’re paddling and then fully catching the wave and you are surfing! Terri has met some profound people and she loves that theater gives you a vacation from your world and gives you relief in another reality. Even just going to theater provides a “time out”. Improv kept her laughing during a divorce and helped her get through everything. Terri ended with talking about how special it is to get a hug from the audience and when they say thank you for making a difference and thank her for the show.

That is so special and I was very lucky to be able to talk to both Terri and Mollie!