Tag: theater

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USA

The world’s a stage for kids at Coterie Theatre in Kansas City

For over 30 years, the Coterie Theatre in downtown Kansas City (on Level One of the Crown Center) has showcased innovative theater productions for families. TIME magazine named it “One of the Five Best Theaters for Young Audiences in the U.S.”

Coterie has kids in many of the productions, kids in the audience, kids learning from professional actors in acting classes, and they stage works written by teens during their young playwrights festival. This is a truly impressive facility and a real treasure in the Midwest; I particularly like how they tackle a lot of plays for tweens and teens, who are often left behind after the typical “Charlie Brown” school musical experience.

Raise your hand if you wanted to be Snoopy. I thought so.

The 2010-2011 season at Coterie includes a sci-fi triple feature (Flowers for Algernon is one of the three) a 13-and-older Sorority House of the Dead horror play around Halloween, Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, the Bridge to Terabithia, a Greek Mythology Olympiaganza that sounds amazing, Ben Franklin’s Apprentice, the young playwright festival and a new version of the musical The Wiz.

The quick video clip below is from one of their latest performances, “Lucky Duck.” Here is the direct link to the Coterie video on YouTube if you can’t see the box below, and don’t forget to say hello on the Coterie Theatre Facebook Page.

My own parents took me to the theater – all sorts of plays – at every stage of my young life. I am forever grateful to them for that, so get yourself to Kansas City and give your kids the gift of a live theater experience made just for them.

Categories
USA

See the Miracle Worker performed at Helen Keller’s Ivy Green

Your annual June reminder if you’re anywhere near Tuscumbia in northwest Alabama….

Every summer at Ivy Green, the birthplace of the amazing author, speaker and writer Helen Keller, there is a professional outdoor production of The Miracle Worker, William Gibson’s drama about Keller’s early life and relationship with her teacher, Annie Sullivan.

This year the performance dates are June 4 through July 10, 2010, and tickets are $10 reserved seating and $8.00 general admission.

You may also want to visit during the Helen Keller Festival June 21-27, 2010 at Spring Park in Tuscumbia;  it’s a more city-wide, general event with live music, arts, food, sports and shopping specials.

The Festival is on Facebook, on Twitter and there are cool photos on Flickr as well.

Categories
Tips USA

Helen Keller’s story: the “Miracle Worker” at Ivy Green

Helen Keller water pump at Ivy Green, Tuscumbia, Alabama (photo by Sheila Scarborough)There are only a few days left to see it, if you’re near Tuscumbia in northwest Alabama before July 11….

Every summer at Ivy Green, the birthplace of the amazing author, speaker and writer Helen Keller, there is a professional outdoor production of The Miracle Worker, William Gibson’s drama about Keller’s early life and relationship with her teacher, Annie Sullivan.

For those unfamiliar with the story, Ms. Sullivan (almost blind herself) had a “tough row to hoe” in the Keller household as she tried to teach a spoiled, deaf, blind, mute but brilliant Helen that language could be expressed by hand gestures, or sign language.

To see the two-hour play on the grounds of Helen’s own house is a special experience.

Like a knucklehead, I forgot to put up a post in time to also tell you about Tuscumbia’s annual Helen Keller Festival held in late June, but get it on your calendar for next year.

The state’s tourism Web site has more ideas for northern Alabama travel with kids.

Categories
Texas USA

Classic kid movies in classic theaters – yay!

Enthralled movie watcher at Atlanta's Fox Theatre (courtesy hoyasmeg at Flickr CC)There is great excitement in our household – the schedule was released yesterday for the annual Summer Film Series at our downtown Paramount Theater in Austin.

Everyone wants to see Mary Poppins on the big screen, especially our favorite number set on the rooftops of London, “Step in Time.”

Sainted Husband and I are wondering if our 9-year-old son is ready for getting through Casablanca without his teen sister (and us) smacking and shushing him too much. I’m going to try to explain Free and Occupied France during World War II and show him a map of Morocco ahead of time, so the story makes sense.

I want to see From Here To Eternity on the big screen; maybe a date night?

And that’s just on the first weekend of the series, in mid-May. Bliss!

In June, we’ve got to go back for Fiddler on the Roof, perhaps the Streisand weepie The Way We Were (get my teen surreptitiously bawling, I’ll bet) plus Singin’ in the Rain, the hilarious Some Like it Hot….the Paramount even brings in live musicians to accompany some of the silent movies, and they sometimes show old cartoons before the movie instead of obnoxious multiplex-like ads.

We’re considering simply moving in, pitching tents and ordering pizza delivered to the lobby.

My Dad, a native Austin-ite, still talks about the first movie he saw at the Paramount, when it was called the Majestic; “It was Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man in 1943. Scared the hell out of me!”

The Executive Director of the Paramount, Ken Stein (who writes the fun blog Off-Stage with Ken Stein) freely admits that the Summer Film Series is not so much a money-maker as it is a way to keep the theater active during slow summer days, and to bring people into the Paramount who may have never considered going. Once patrons see the gorgeous interior and enjoy their experience (without a big entry price, either) they often come back for the more expensive concerts and performances at other times of the year.

Does your town, or one nearby, have a classic theater like the Paramount, or maybe the beautiful Art Deco Fox Theater that I just visited in downtown Hutchinson, Kansas?  See if they have any classic summer movies, and take your family to see them as they were meant to be seen, on a truly large screen in a lovely theater.

If they don’t, well, try to convince the owner/manager that such events help to draw people into sometimes-struggling downtown areas that are working on redevelopment.

When you travel, even to small towns, poke around ahead of time to see if there’s a classic downtown theater that has something going on while you’re there.

A few positive movie experiences can make lifelong classic theater fans out of your children.

Now, pardon me while I go see what’s playing in steamy-hot July and August…