Theatre Programs
Staged Readings of the Three Finalists from the
Sixth Annual NJ Playwrights Contest
October 27-29, 2009, 8:00 PM
Hunziker Black Box Theatre
Admission: FREE
Get a peek at the works of three up-and-coming New Jersey playwrights as you enjoy staged readings of the finalists from the Sixth Annual NJ Playwrights Contest. Each evening is a different play - come to one or all three (they’re FREE!). Stay after the performance to meet the author and provide valuable feedback to the judges. The winning author will have a full production of his/her play in June 2010.
Surflight Theatre presents
Little Red Riding Hood
November 22, 2009, 2:00 PM
Shea Center for Performing Arts
Pre-show activities begin at 1:15 PM. Post-show autograph session. Bring your camera!
Admission: All tickets $9.00
Appropriate for Grades Pre-K to 5
Mrs. Ridinghood has to let her daughter, Little Red, venture into the wood alone sometime; so, when Granny gets sick, it seems to be the perfect opportunity! Little Red’s mother warns her, “Be careful of strangers, my dear - and be kind to those you trust.” Like all children, Little Red has to use her brains to figure out who is a stranger and who is not. During her journey to Granny’s, she comes in contact with the Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker and the Three Little Pigs - all of them a little strange, but certainly not strangers. When Little Red meets the Wolf, of course, it’s a whole different story. Tackling the topic of “strangers” is a difficult one. Surflight’s Little Red Ridinghood helps young audiences learn how to use good judgement when meeting strangers, while avoiding discrimination.
Connecticut Children’s Theatre presents
The Elves and the Shoemaker
December 23, 2009, 2:00 PM
Shea Center for Performing Arts
Pre-show activities begin at 1:15 PM. Post-show autograph session. Bring your camera!
Admission: All tickets $9.00
Appropriate for Grades Pre-K to 3
CCT’s original musical adaptation of The Elves and the Shoemaker retells the timeless tale of giving, selflessness and love. Written and produced in CCT’s trademark style of sing-a-longs, dance-a-longs and lots of audience participation, The Elves and the Shoemaker will delight children everywhere. Meet Nate and Natalie, the elves that make midnight visits to Twinkle’s Cobbleshop, where they make the most wonderful shoes ever seen for Mr. and Mrs. Twinkle to sell in their shop. In the end, the Elves find out that the best gift isn’t the shoes but something else entirely. The Elves and the Shoemaker will delight and entertain students and teachers alike. This fun holiday fieldtrip will leave you cheering for more!
Theatreworks USA presents
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
February 20, 2010, 2:00 PM
Shea Center for Performing Arts
Pre-show activities begin at 1:15 PM. Post-show autograph session. Bring your camera!
Admission: All tickets $9.00
Appropriate for Grades Pre-K to 4
"Cows that type? Hens on strike! Whoever heard of such a thing!" Farmer Brown cries. When his granddaughter Jenny comes for a visit, Farmer Brown declared the farm a "tech-free zone." He confiscates her laptop in the cold barn along with the shivering cows who use her computer to type messages requesting blankets. "No way," replies Farmer Brown. "No blankets!" So the cows go on strike and the chickens join them in solidarity. No blankets: no milk, no eggs! Will Farmer Brown give in to the animals' demands? Will Jenny get her computer back? Find out in a hilariously "mooooo-ving" new musical about negotiation and compromise, based on the Caldecott Honor Book by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin.
American Family Theater presents
The Little Mermaid
March 27, 2010, 2:00 PM
Shea Center for Performing Arts
Pre-show activities begin at 1:15 PM. Post-show autograph session. Bring your camera!
Admission: All tickets $9.00
Appropriate for Grades K to 5
Celebrate the beloved Disney classic, The Little Mermaid, American Family Theater style! As the story goes, on the morning of her sixteenth birthday, Mera, the Little Mermaid, is given permission to swim from her magnificent undersea castle up to the surface of the ocean, to see the world above the sea for the very first time. When a violent storm occurs, Prince Edmond is tossed from the deck of his ship into the sea, right before the Little Mermaid’s eyes. She saves the prince with the beautiful sound of her voice, but Lady Angelique takes the credit. Mera, desperate to see the prince again, agrees to give her voice to the Sea Witch in return for the power to walk and live on land. Once on land, Mera learns that Prince Edmonds will soon marry Lady Angelique. The prince’s valet hatches a plan to trap the Sea Witch and recover the Mermaid’s voice. What happens next…come to find out!
Out of Thin Air!
A Magic Show Starring Bradley Fields
April 24, 2010, 7:00 PM
Shea Center for Performing Arts
Pre-show activities begin at 6:15 PM. Post-show autograph session. Bring your camera!
Admission: Children & Students $10.00, Adults $15.00
Appropriate for All Ages
From Coney Island’s Dreamland to the faroff Himalayas, Bradley Fields casts a magic spell. Things appear from nowhere, they vanish into nothingness! Amazing sleight-of-hand and laughout- loud comedy create a magical world filled with poetry and wonder. Magic fun that will thrill the whole family and leave you asking for more!
Connecticut Children’s Theatre presents
The Amazing Adventures of Peter Rabbit
April 26, 2010, 2:00 PM
Shea Center for Performing Arts
Pre-show activities begin at 1:15 PM. Post-show autograph session. Bring your camera!
Admission: All tickets $9.00
Appropriate for Grades Pre-K to 3
In this tale of the disobedient bunny, Peter is more adolescent angst than naughty little child. Admittedly Beatrix Potter’s rabbit has family troubles: single head of household, sibling rivalries, etc. Chafing against his mother’s concerns about safety and bugged by his younger brothers and sisters Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-Tail, Peter sets out to test his limits and explore Farmer MacGregor’s garden.Unfortunately, he gets caught by the ‘rip-snortin’ hungry for rabbit stew’ MacGregors. The lively music includes pop-style songs, lullaby ballads and a rousing gospel number. This is the most popular show in CCT’s vast catalogue of new musicals.
Winner of the Sixth Annual NJ Playwrights Contest
June 3-6, 2010 & June 9-13, 2010
Wed.-Sat at 8:00 PM, Sun. at 2:00 PM
Hunziker Black Box Theatre
Admission:
$15.00 Standard, $12.00 WPUNJ Community & Senior Citizens,
$9.00 Students
Preview Performance Thurs. 6/3/10 - all tickets $9.00
Meet-the-Author session immediately following the Sun. 6/6/10 Matinee
Who won? Come find out! See a full production of the winning playwright’s work. Who knows, you might just be watching a future Pulitzer Prize winner. Last year’s social satire IT’S ALL ABOUT THE KIDS played to sell out crowds and was a resounding success and is currently being developed as a feature film.