When we were brainstorming our first season at Ruff, and the new initiatives we wanted to launch, I was super excited about two things: Ruff Reads (our monthly book club), and Rufflings Story Time, which I imagined as a weekly gathering in the park, adjacent to rehearsals, where members of the mainstage company and the Young Ruffian Apprenticeship Program could gather park kids and read them stories, play games, etc.
Ruff Reads has happened beautifully, with support from my favourite book store Queen Books and a dedicated group of readers joining us every month, and it has been an incredibly satisfying part of our first season.
Rufflings Story Time, on the other hand, I just couldn’t get together. With everything else on our leadership plates between our regular company operations and the current great big job of producing Otihew (in an ongoing pandemic, no less) – never mind my personal plate as the mom of a busy 5-year-old and my other job as an actor – I started to realize that this Rufflings dream was perhaps one dream too many this season. And it really broke my heart.
BUT THEN! On our first day of rehearsal, Trish pointed out some nearby staff from ParksPlayTO reading stories to a group of kids. They offer daily drop-in activities for kids and caregivers at select parts across the city – including Withrow! And my broken heart got patched right up.
As a parent, I have found it vital for my mental health to find scheduled activities out in the world to plan around and look forward to, which is why I wanted Ruff to be able to provide a regular activity like that for fellow caregivers. And I hope that next season we will. But in the meantime, I love that the city is offering these drop-in programs and I hope it expands to more parks in the future.
So if you happen to stop by the ParksPlayTO station in Withrow, Ruff will be right across the path. You and your kids are free to watch us work – we’d love to have you!