The atmosphere was charged with excitement on Feb. 28 at the Professional Development Center as dozens of Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES students and staff members filled the seats for the opening of PUSH Physical Theatre’s newest show. “FLUSH – Your Future Self Will Thank You” is a unique collaboration with two passionate doctors from the Department of Nephrology at URMC. Who knew a theatre piece promoting kidney health could be so much fun?

The audience, comprised of middle schoolers from Ridgecrest Academy, along with several 12:1:1 and 6:1:1 classes from Spencerport’s Cosgrove MS and Churchville-Chili MS, laughed at the interactions between a man and his two kidneys. The humor and physicality of the performance kept students engaged as they learned how drinking more water, eating healthy food and less salt, and exercising could keep their kidneys (and their future selves) happy and healthy.

Invited to interact with the artists and doctors afterwards, audience members asked insightful questions about where kidneys are located; why they are important to our bones, muscles and brains; and how they work with other vital organs. They were asked to share their first-night reviews. Between lots of smiles and thumbs-up, comments were enthusiastically positive. One student said, “I had fun because I could tell you all were having fun! It was just so much fun to watch you enjoy telling the story.” See more photos on our EC Facebook page.

The show was conceived by URMC’s Dr. Thun Lee and Dr. Fahaad Saeed three years ago with the goal of empowering students in grades 5-8 to focus on a few simple things they can do right now to gain strength and energy for their bodies and brains. PUSH, which partnered with BOCES 2 last summer to introduce students to wellness and movement, chose us to be their “pilot” school for the show. They hope to bring the performance to many other school districts. Learn more about PUSH Physical Theatre at https://www.pushtheatre.org/