The Tennessee Valley Authority is partnering with local power distributors to use an effective communication tools. "The play's the thing!" as Shakespeare said, and the target audience is school children.

From Sept. 29 through Nov. 21, more than 250,000 children at more than 200 elementary schools in the Tennessee Valley will attend performances of "The Energized Guyz," a 25-minute play written especially to teach young children about the importance of saving energy.

Performed by actors on tour from the Minnesota-based National Theatre for Children, "The Energized Guyz" will provide not only interactive entertainment for kids K-6, but also educate them about energy issues that TVA and local utilities are facing.

The Tennessee Valley Public Power Association, which represents all distributors of TVA power, strongly supports the education effort. TVPPA Energy Services & Marketing Committee Chairman Frank Jennings said, "If we can educate kids in the TVA service area about issues we're facing, we can change their thinking. They'll go home, encouraging their families, and their parents will become more conscientious."

TVA Energy Efficiency and Demand Response Vice President Joe Hoagland agreed. "If we can teach youngsters about the need to conserve energy, not only will they go home and encourage their families to become more diligent, but they also will be more likely to practice what they've learned in their adult lives."

Ward Eames, who founded the National Theatre for Children 30 years ago, said his research shows that colorful printed materials given to children and teachers at the performances make it to the students' homes 75 percent to 92 percent of the time.

"I saw the National Theatre for Children perform at a conference I attended and realized how powerful theater can be in communicating important messages about energy and water conservation and renewable energy to young people," TVA Office of Environment and Research Senior Vice President Anda Ray said. "We think that this education program will help our youth raise the bar for all of us by providing them the information to demonstrate and encourage ways we can improve the environment and preserve resources for future generations."

TVA and local power distributors are collaborating on pilot projects intended to help reduce 1,400 megawatts of demand over the next five years, which will help reduce dependence on more costly power sources in the future, Hoagland said.

The "Energized Guyz" story revolves around hero Nikki Neutron having to solve a problem quickly. There's a villain, of course, The Sneaker, who's bent on hoarding electricity and wasting what he doesn't need. Nikki Neutron learns in about 20 minutes what he needs to know about energy and why it's bad to waste it. He has those messages repeated to him several times before he understands.

The theater company's founder said that repeating messages is a teaching technique developed over the years that works very well with children.

In the end, Nikki recruits a volunteer from the audience who helps him confound "The Sneaker's dastardly plans."