REVIVAL | MAY 2025

When Anna Leon was in elementary school her mom read her this book called “Terrible Things.” It was about animals in the forest, and at first, the terrible things came to take away the squirrels, and the owls and the deer and rabbits and the porcupines did nothing, because they were not squirrels. Then the terrible things came for the deer, but the owls and the rabbits and porcupines did nothing, because they were not deer. Then they came for the owls, and.. You get the picture. Finally the terrible things came for the last animals in the forest and there was no one left to stand up for them.

Her mom took this book and turned it into an interactive play for elementary school assemblies. The kids made paper plate masks so they could play the part of an animal or a terrible thing. They acted out the book JUST as it was written. then they had a conversation about how they wished the story had gone differently. Her brilliant mom then let them reenact the play again from the beginning, and this time they were allowed to adlib.

When the terrible things entered the forest for the squirrels on the very first page all the animals jumped up and screamed to protect the squirrels, even though they were owls and deer, rabbits and porcupines, forever scaring away the terrible things.

Remembering that assembly made her think it’s time to revive
that paper plate mask play - but for adults… right now.

Anna took us through the theme of revival through the lens of tango and interior design and left us in agreement that it’s high time Richmond has a “let’s-go-out-to-the-dance energy” revival where we can all put our phones down and be with other people in a joyous, engaging, interesting, and safe way.

Be sure to catch the video here and browse the photos here. Don’t forget to tag us and our capture team below in any photos you share.

Venue: Martin
Photography: Christversal
Videography: Double Take

Thank you to Frontier and Martin for helping us rise and shine this month and to our in-kind brand champions Worth Higgins & Associates, Lavender Hill, The Anderson Accounting & Advising Group and Quickly Hire for all your contributions to this engine.

Drop us a note at richmond@creativemornings.com to learn more about partnerships and stay in touch via our socials.