Team Dover knows ‘how to get to Sesame Street…’

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Matthew Hubby
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Sunny days chased the clouds away at Dover Air Force Base when the United Service Organization hosted a live Sesame Street show at the Youth Center April 28 and 29.

The show featured Grover, Zoe, Cookie Monster, Rosita and Elmo from the popular children's television show Sesame Street. The group sang and danced with the children in attendance, while delivering the message that deployments are part of military life.

"We'll be on the road all summer to about 40 bases this year," said Lonnie Cooper, USO tour manager. "We do two to four shows a stop. This is the fourth phase of the program, we have been to Asia, Europe and the U.S. before, but we don't always get to all the bases we want to in a single season."

This tour comes from the partnership of Sesame Street and the USO as well as the Talk, Listen and Connect program originally created by Sesame Street. This program allows military parents to open up the discussion about deployments and moves to their children in a manner that makes it easier for younger children to understand.

"It really works out well," said Mr. Cooper. "It's light, fun and positive, and it gives the children a bit more legitimacy than just their parent's broaching the subject. They understand better when they can relate to something one of their favorite characters says, and it gives the parents some tools to open up the conversation."

But a show of this magnitude is not always easy to get off the ground. Before the show starts there is a two week rehearsal period for the actors and crew in Minneapolis, Minn.

"It is a big puzzle," said Tom Zaizar, VEE Corp company manager. "Our actors spend a good deal of time in the studio rehearsing while the crew is working in the shop to get their gear and the set ready. We slowly work the two together until we're rehearsing the show as it will run. It is a huge job, getting ready for a five month season in two weeks, but we are very serious about it."

This is the first live performance written for military families for Sesame Street, said Mr. Zaizar. With the mobile set, they are able to pack up quickly and set up quickly, as well as move the set pieces around to get them to fit where they need to go.

"We were in a hanger last week, we are in a gym this week and the next two weeks we will be in theaters, these mobile sets are very useful," said Mr. Zaizar. "Dover AFB is our fourth base of the season; we still have 36 more to go. I really wish we could get to more though, there are so many families that we'd like to play for."