Our Buffalo State University Story Building class recently completed their tour of The Seed, bringing both the student-devised play and interactive workshop to local schools throughout the community. The Seed is the 13th Anne Frank Project student-devised play, created to share valuable lessons and inspire young people to tell their stories.

Over the course of the Spring 2026 semester, our students performed the play and facilitated kinesthetic workshops 10 times, engaging nearly 1,000 students in a heartfelt experience centered on the play’s core message: “Let Struggle Feed Your Growth.”

The play follows a small, frightened Seed who longs for safety and comfort beneath a rock. When a powerful storm forces Seed into the forest, they encounter many challenges, each one unknowingly strengthening their roots. As the seasons pass and the forest changes, Seed grows taller and discovers that while struggle can be painful, it can also create space for growth.

Following each performance, our students led an interactive workshop where audience members created their own stories imagining what might happen to the next generation of “Seeds.” The workshop gave younger students the opportunity not only to engage with university students, but also to reflect on the play’s themes and share lessons learned through short performances of the stories they created.

Our student performers also had the wonderful opportunity to present their work to fellow students, faculty, and staff during Buffalo State’s 1st Annual Student Showcase. We are incredibly proud of our students for creating and leading this meaningful experience, and we are grateful to the schools and community partners who welcomed us with open hearts.

Testimonies from the Tour

“In an age where algorithmic digitized narratives saturate our screens, it is a breath of fresh air and powerful reminder to experience storytelling on a local, tangible, and accessible level. My students walked away from the Anne Frank Project empowered, energized, and believing above all else that, yes, their story matters ” – Elmwood Village Charter School

“We all were impressed by the clarity and power of the message in The Seed. The students connected strongly and could see themselves in the student performers from Buffalo State.” – PS 207 Lafayette International
“Having this production and the process explained to students and the relevance to the performers makes everyone hang on every line. The presentation was moving and thought-provoking. All teachers and students particularly learn from the break out sessions with the students afterwards; allowing the audience to become part of the story. I especially loved the teacher resource given for an extension to allow for continued discussion and reflection.” – Education Pathways Academy

The Seed Spring 2026 Cast

Darcy Purdom, Theater ‘30 - Seed

Isabella Kilmer, Political Science, Conc. in Public Legal Studies ‘27 - Sprout

Cadence Aguilar, Social Work ’26 - Narrator

Haran Sanders, Theater ‘26 - Ant Captain

Matthew Fincel, English & Writing, Film Studies, TV & Film Arts ’26 - Snail

Neshiah Alston, Theater & Communications ‘26 - Centipede

Faye Kaiser-Valdera, Theater ‘26 - Squirrel

Kirsten Groats, Music Education ‘27 - Woodpecker

Cameron Vitagliano, English Literature and Creative Writing ‘27 - Termite Leader