POPLARVILLE – Pearl River Community College brought a Broadway musical to area elementary students through a grant from the Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation.
The $6,000 grant allowed PRCC to bring A Year with Frog and Toad to Poplarville on Oct. 4 for students in Pearl River and Hancock counties.
“Through the Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation, we have been able to offer area elementary students educational programming at little to no cost to each student,” said Dr. Kyle Hill, Brownstone Center director and chairman of the PRCC Department of Fine Arts and Communication. “The grant has allowed these students access to national touring performances that are not available to them at any other location.”
A touring company from Casa Manana performed the musical, which was nominated for three Tony Awards. The show tells how best friends, cheerful Frog and grumpy Toad, celebrate and rejoice in their differences.
“Whether you believe that life imitates art or art imitates life, there is no dispute about the interdependence of the two on each other,” said Clyde Dease, president of the Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation. “This program is an excellent use of the arts to teach life lessons to both children and adults through an entertainment medium. The foundation is happy to provide the support to the PRCC Brownstone Center for the Arts in bringing this popular Broadway production to our community.”
Dr. Kyle Hill, center, accepts a grant from Clyde Dease, president of the Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation for A Year with Frog and Toad program for elementary school students. With them is Dr. William Lewis, PRCC president.
