Hospital Plays
Clean Squad performance at New Orleans Children’s Hospital July 24, 2019
More than just clowning around
In addition to healthcare clowning, workshops, and community health talks, Prescription Joy writes and produces theatrical productions that travel to hospitals and shelters for children. The productions are written under the guidance of Child Life Departments of the hospitals we partner with, and always provide a lesson and message for the patients being served. The plays showcase local artists at their best, playing for kids, staff, and families in hospitals and shelters.
Prescription Joy also holds public performances to the community at large. Other than being able to give the public a glimpse of the work that goes on in hospitals, the plays allow theatre to be accessible to all children regardless of their circumstances. The hope is that when kids in the community say they have seen live theatre, a child in a hospital or shelter can say "Me too."
Clean Squad: An Antiseptic Adventure
Our first foray in to Hospital Plays!
Clean Squad: An Antiseptic Adventure, is the organization’s first original scripted work. This play was brought to Children’s Hospital, Ochsner’s Hospital for Children, and the New Orleans Women and Children’s Shelter free of charge. Public performances were held at Trinity Episcopal School (1315 Jackson Ave) on July 19th (7pm) and 20th (2pm).
This show is a “Panto” style play. It incorporates many features of traditional British panto tropes, such as well-known songs with silly re-written lyrics (plus call and response choruses!) audience interactions (“Look behind you!”) and lots (LOTS) of boo-ing the villians and cheering the heroes. In the end, the crowd even helps to banish the evil Malcontentous Nastiopolous (spoiler.) Kids and adults alike seem to get quite a kick out of our performer’s antics, and the story is just silly enough to have something for everyone!
Our first iteration of Clean Squad: An Antiseptic Adventure featured an intrepid team of cleaning supplies: the savvy Spray Bottle (Zondra Howard), a grouchy but wizened Uncle Sponge(Philip Yiannopoulos) and the mighty Detergent (Leland Ensminger), as they battle against the Evil Germ Malcontentous Nastiopolous (Helen Jaksch)! Will our heroes be able to stop the spread of the malevolent microbe? Will we ever be able to shake hands, bump fists, or High-Five again without risking doom and ‘germification’? You can only find out by seeing (and being a part of!) the squeaky-clean Antiseptic Adventures of the Clean Squad!
