Water education, music and fun in one simple package

To Nathan Stevenson

“Water Rocks!: The Musical” premiered in June to critical acclaim and provided audiences with an entertaining evening of music and education about humanity’s relationship with water through the eyes and voices of four young people . Envisioned as an outreach tool by the Water Rocks team, the musical will be staged to help determine the tools and guidance needed to make it easier for others to create musicals for their schools and communities. it was done.

“We developed this musical as a new educational and outreach tool that different groups can use to communicate the science of water and instill in their audiences a strong belief in empathy for water challenges.” . “The audience feedback, as well as the topics of conversation immediately after the performance, indicated that the script and music achieved their goals.”

The show tells the story of four eccentric students who are terrified of their looming science exams and are given the incredible chance to become water and explore the world. Audiences take a whirlwind tour of all things water, discover the origin story of water, experience its transformation, and feel connected to humans.

One Nebraska environmental educator admitted he was apprehensive about attending a musical performance as part of the Water Rocks Teacher Summit, but said he was very surprised by the performance, and shared a list of organizations he would like to share soon. started to create The Commissioner of the Soil and Water Conservation District of Story County, Iowa, commented that the entire audience, including adults, enthusiastically enjoyed the performance when he attended.

Production kits available

Shortly after the performance, the team began work on a production kit that would allow almost any group to share the fun with their own audience. From procuring costumes to providing advice on stage lighting and sound requirements, to templates and ideas to promote performances, the final production kit addresses the detailed needs of schools interested in hosting this action-packed show. and covers all the bases of community organization. This is ideal. For middle school and high school performers.

“Looking back at all the decisions, big and small, that were made in preparation for the performance, I realized that creating a comprehensive production kit was absolutely critical to successfully sharing this project with other groups. “We had a lot of fun,” says Comito. “The final production kit, which is now available royalty-free to public and private organizations, should go a long way in ensuring its success.”

The complete production package for Water Rocks: The Musical is now available for schools and community organizations to request at: waterrocks.org/musical.

“Iowa State University is making this complete package available to schools and community organizations free of charge with a signed license agreement,” says Comito.

The package includes:

“The creation of Water Rocks!: The Musical tapped the talents of numerous artists and performers to create an impactful and reproducible program,” says Comito. “Using the production kit to see others enjoying themselves as much as we do, spread the word about water quality and each person’s responsibility for water and their responsibility to each other in their audience engagement. We hope to be able to easily achieve similar results.”

For more information on Water Rocks, please visit www.waterrocks.com. waterrocks.org.

Stephenson is a Visual Outreach Specialist and Conservation Educator at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Iowa Learning Farms and Water Rocks.