On Wednesday, October 29, two school group performances were held at the Camden Opera House of a highly regarded group of childrens performers from New York City called Paperbag Players. Paperbag Players have performed for children for 50 years, bringing a compilation of their greatest hits to the Opera House. They were met with roars of approval from the children attending, many of whom asked if they could stay and watch it again. Using live music and a crew of 5 highly accomplished performers, the children attending were treated to short plays on the importance of trees and polar bears, the humor behind not wanting to take a bath, and how lovely a day in the park can be spent making a new friend&.particularly one that you didnt think you liked initially! The children sang along in places and there was lots of audience participation. About 2/3 of the students attending this show had never been to the Opera House before said Kerry Hadley, Opera House Manager. Thanks to the generosity of Youth Arts who sponsored Camden K  3 students, and FMC BioPolymer who sponsored MacDougal, South and Guilford Butler schools in Rockland, over 800 children in total saw this show and discovered the great joy in seeing and participating in live theatre.  It was also an experience for them just to enjoy the historic and beautiful environment of the Opera House  so many of them asked about the painting on the friezes, commented on the chandelier or other aspects of the interior. Page 2 YouthArts is a not for profit all volunteer organization that provides art enrichment and performances to the SAD 28 and Five Town CSD. Was nice to see that the simplicity of their performance was so engaging and enjoyed by the children. This is FMC Biopolymers second time sponsoring Rockland students attendance at an Opera House produced event said Kiernan ODwyer, FMC Plant Manger. FMC Biopolymer seeks to be a good neighbor to our community in Rockland. We employ 130 people  most of whom all live within a 10 minute radius of our facility in Rockland. FMC processes carrageenan, a naturally occurring carbohydrate extracted from seaweed and used as a binder or gelling agent in products such as ice cream, yogurt, flavored milk, toothpaste, etc. Sponsoring students attendance at these shows is one of the ways we take pleasure in providing philanthropic support to our community. The Obie Award winning Paper Bag Players, founded in 1958, are based In New York City and perform original theater for children ages 4 through 9. Their shows combine the skills of actors, singers, dancers comedians, acrobats and clowns in a variety of short plays, dances mime, painting and drawing on stage accompanied by live ragtime music. They embrace simplicity and the belief that drama, adventure and humor are all around us and only need the slightest coaxing to emerge  that and plenty of paper bags and cardboard boxes! The Camden Opera House is a 500 seat venue managed by the Town of Camden that hosts 140 events annually, including live concerts, conferences and private events. # # # # #