Milo the Mouse and Dallas Children’s Theater Team Up in Mask Design Contest!

What do a puppet, a costume designer, and a pulmonary doctor all have in common? They are all on the latest episode of Mouse Calls with Milo! Milo the Mouse teams up with Dallas Children’s Theater (DCT) Costume Designer Lyle Huchton, and DCT Board Member and pulmonary doctor Adam Mora, to give children a lesson on safety, share news about the MASKerade Design and Decorating Contest, and even get his very own mask.

In the special feature, Milo the Mouse explores the lonely halls of Dallas Children’s Theater and pines for the hustle bustle that usually fills the lobby.  He makes his way to Lyle Huchton’s costume shop where they Zoom with Doctor Mora, who provides some insight into the world of pulmonology, and on the importance of wearing a mask. At the end of the video, Milo receives his own mask, and encourages children to send in their designs.

In the spirit of good health, cooperation and creativity, Dallas Children’s Theater has invited all interested young people to create their own mask before August 16^th. Whether they choose to simply draw it or sew it, anyone can be a part of this creative exercise. All children entering kindergarten through grade twelve are eligible to enter DCT’s MASKerade Design and Decorating Contest.

Submissions will be presented on dct.org, DCT’s website, as well as on other social media platforms.  Winners will be announced during a special Zoom event on Saturday, August 29.

In past summers, DCT has had several different design contests that allow children to express their creativity including costume design, hat design and others. This year, DCT is excited to be helping everyone create unique and original masks during quarantine, a keepsake that will surely be a relic of the moment.

Students grades K-12 can make their creative ideas a reality by following these 6 steps:

1. Pull out your favorite colors, papers, pens, pencils, paints, glitter, glue, fabric, magazine clippings – any medium you like!
2. Look at DCT’s Inspiration List below.  Choose one of the categories from our list of different mask styles or come up with your own:

•  Sporty (favorite sport or sports team)
• Princess
• Robot
• Homecoming Mum
• Red Carpet/Black Tie
• Kentucky Derby Bonnet
• Heritage
• Pride (LGBTQ)
• Storytime (favorite picture, storybook, or novel)
• Circus
• Texas
• Anime/Cosplay
• Broadway/Musicals
• Halloween
• Crazy Quilt (needle work, embroidery, quilting, cross stich)
• Celebration
• Seasons

3. Create! Design and make or draw your original mask.
4. Send a photo of your finished mask or a copy of the design to family@dct.org
5. All entries must be RECEIVED by 5pm on Sunday, August 16th.
6. Winners will be announced on Friday, August 28.

Visit dct.org/mask for complete details and tips.