“I didn’t know what award-winning work looked like,” says Turner, “I just do!”

Compiling notebooks and creating study guides

Dramaturgy is a loosely defined field – its main goal, in any setting, is to provide informative direction for the members of a theatrical production to create the highest quality performance possible.

For “Frog and Toad,” a children’s theater piece based on the adventures of a sour toad and an upbeat frog, Turner’s dramaturgy work took the form of extensive animal and author research, compiled into notebooks for each cast member.

One cast member had never seen a toad before, “so when doing movement exercises where they embodied their animal, he was at a loss,” Turner says. To add authenticity to the play, he had the actor watch videos of toads to emulate their motions.

Additionally, Turner compiled a study guide for approximately 600 elementary and middle school students who attended performances.

“He also generated accessible and useful details about previous productions of the script “autobiographical insights on author Arnold Lobel, and hints on how best to connect with children based on the work of educational theorists,” says EMU professor .

“Frog and Toad stories are a wonderful way to teach empathy to children,” says Turner. “I wanted to stay true to that.”

Working closely with each cast and design team member, Turner helped shape the production to its Shenandoah Valley locale. A farmer mouse, an electrician red-spotted newt, and a turtle with a washboard belly were aesthetic and cultural choices to give the play a home in Rockingham County.

In Turner’s words, that is another role of the dramaturg – to “keep it grounded” – by being aware of context and giving critical feedback.

A change of heart

“I’ve always had this love-hate relationship with the theater,” explains Turner, who got his first taste of the drama department when asked to operate the lighting system for the spring 2014 performance of “Into the Woods.” From there, he says, “my soul slowly but surely got sold to the theater,” culminating in an independent study in dramaturgy with Vogel.

Turner’s performance in “” in the fall of 2015 earned a nomination to the KCACTF’s regional festival in West Chester, Pennsylvania, yet he held no visions of grandeur when submitting his “Frog and Toad” portfolio for the dramaturgy competition. In fact, he left before the award ceremony with others carpooling back to EMU. Vogel texted him to inform him of his accolade.

“Shut the front door!” Turner responded. “It was almost like being struck by lightning.”

National participation pending

Vogel puts Turner’s win in perspective: “Derrick, representing KCACTF Region 2, is now one of eight student dramaturgs from across the country eligible to present their work at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. He bested student dramaturgs from all over Northern Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, southern New York state, and eastern Ohio.”

In March, Turner will find out if he is one of four students invited to compete at the national level at the Kennedy Center’s April 2016 festival.

While his vocational dream, as a , was to curate at a Smithsonian museum, Turner now sees career opportunities in dramaturgy. He is currently involved with a campus production of “Distant Witness,” and is applying for a summer fellowship with the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington, and was recently contacted by the Dramaturgy National Coordinator for KCACTF to discuss Turner’s interest in the profession of dramaturgy.

“Doors are opening; I just have to continue walking,” he said with characteristic understatement. While Turner prefers to “fly under the radar,” the acclaim his dramaturgy has garnered speaks for itself.

The Tony-nominated Broadway musical “A Year with Frog and Toad” is based on author/illustrator Arnold Lobel’s “Frog and Toad” children’s book series. The musical, directed by professor opens Nov. 20. Additional performances are Nov. 21 and Dec. 3, 4 and 5 at 7:30 p.m. with matinees Nov. 22 and Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased through the EMU box office at 540-432-4582 or .

“Our production is set here in the Shenandoah Valley and the animals are the kind you would find in the woods and ditches right here in western Virginia,” says Vogel. Her vision was to have the actors portray human characters with animal qualities instead of being in animal costumes. “The actors have studied the way the animals move and are using that in their portrayals. Also, the characters reflect folks you might meet here too.”

For history major Derrick Turner, assistant director and dramaturg, the show brings back memories. “I loved those books. My mom read them to me when I was a child.”

To spark the actors’ imaginations, Turner conducted extensive research with EMU professor and conservation photographer . He then compiled movement videos and information on each portrayed animal for the actors, including habitat, food and skeletal structures.

EMU hasn’t done a children’s play in at least a decade, Vogel says, but the play meets the ‘s educational goals. “Theater for Young Audiences (TYA) is a hugely important genre of theater that our students should have experience performing and producing. Children are a different audience than adults.”

The cast will perform three additional matinees for students from six local schools and three home school groups, says Turner, who made study packets accessible for K-5 grades.

“Adults are much more well-behaved, but I find performing for children is a much more interactive experience,” says actor Josh Helmuth, a music composition major who performed for elementary students while in high school.

Helmuth portrays four animals, including a showy bird and a straight and narrow lizard. “Yeah, I don’t get a break,” he says, smiling.

Playing animals has never been a favorite role for English and theater double-major Makayla Baker. “I don’t like when people portray animals. It’s so weird. But here I am—I’m a turtle,” she deadpans. “But it’s been great.”

Baker’s turtle is a laundry woman carrying a basket on her back and a scrub board around her neck.

Myriam Aziz, a graduate student in the master’s conflict transformation program, was cast as Frog. “A female playing a part for a male, I think that’s really funny,” says Aziz, who is active in theater in Lebanon. But having a male as a pal, she says, “reminds me of my friend back home. We’ve been friends for 13 years.”

The cast and crew agree that even though “A Year With Frog and Toad” is based on a children’s book series, adults will also appreciate the cheerful upbeat musical.

“There’s a lot of comedic effect in it,” Helmuth says.

“It is funny,” says Baker, noting that the EMU community is inviting younger family members and people from their church to the show. “A lot of EMU students were raised on these books.”

Cast

Myriam Aziz, Christian Parks, Ezrionna Prioleau, Bianica Baker, Esther Ajayi, Josh Helmuth, Makayla Baker, Zoe Parakuo, Hailey Holcomb

Crew

Director – Heidi Winters Vogel
Choreographer and Costume Designer –
Accompanist – Jim Clemens
Stage Manager – Caitlin Randazzo
Assistant Stage Managers – Lydia Hales and Belen Fernandez
Props Designers – Alex Rosenberg and Kevin Clark
Assistant Lighting Designer – Sierra Comer
Assistant Director and Dramaturg – Derrick Turner
Music Director –
Set Designer –
Lighting Designer –