Theatre Kidz 2012-2013 Season

Cookie Company - Peacemaker

Friday, November 9, 2012
9:45am • 11:45am

The Blues and the Reds have lived on either side of the Wall for decades. Interaction is forbidden, and both communities live in an atmosphere of fear, suspicion, and mistrust. But when circumstances allow Simp, a curious young Red, to meet Bluey, they learn they have a great deal to offer one another and that their similarities far outweigh their differences. Full of clowning, juggling and physical storytelling this production promotes acceptance, empathy and friendship.

• Grades K to 3rd
• 40 minutes plus 5-10 minutes Q & A
• Study Guide: Learning_Guide_Peacemaker_forweb.pdf
• Website: http://phoenixtheatre.com/PageCC.aspx?title=CC%20YTG

New Directions Veterans Choir

Friday, January 18, 2013 • 9:45am

“Through singing, we hope to let other vets who are still out there know there is another way.”
- George Hill, Director, Songwriter, and New Directions Graduate

The New Directions Veterans Choir is an award winning a cappella group that sings renditions of doo-wop, soul, traditional gospel and popular music. The Choir consists of current and former residents of New Directions' transitional facility.

The New Directions Veterans Choir recently performed for NBC's "America's Got Talent" and has been featured on the NBC Nightly News and E! Entertainment Television. They have performed at over 100 venues and events, including "The Donny and Marie Show," the Democratic National Convention and for members of the United States Congress. In 2006, the Choir took to the stage for a production of Michael McFall's Dirty White Tuxedo Pants and a Brown Paper Bag, the tale of a homeless and schizophrenic Vietnam veteran living on the streets of Los Angeles. Despite their show business forays, the New Directions Choir has never forgotten their humble roots or their message of hope and redemption.

• High School
• 50 minutes plus 10 minute Q&A
• Web: http://www.newdirectionsinc.org/about_choir.html

Jazz Reach-Stolen Moments,
The First 100 years of Jazz

Friday, January 25, 2013 • 9:45am

Stolen Moments is a thoroughly captivating and informative program that introduces audiences to jazz music's rich history and to the names, faces and music of some of its many masters.

On a broader level, Stolen Moments also highlights the interplay between the jazz movement and the evolution of American culture throughout the 20th Century, emphasizing the ways in which jazz has acted as a unifying force, bridging cultural, ethnic and economic differences; stimulated cultural fusions and new stylistic idioms; exemplified democratic ideals; and influenced other genres of music, both in the U.S. and abroad.

• Grades: 6 - 12
• Curriculum Connections: Social Studies, US History, African American History, Arts Educaiton, Geography
• Web: http://www.jazzreach.org/live-multi-media-educational-programs-for-young-audiences-featuring-metta-quintet/

Pushcart Players
Let Freedom Ring

Friday, February 15, 2013
9:45am & 11:45am

“Let Freedom Ring” is a robust musical review that celebrates our nation’s birth and development. It is a compilation of authentic folk songs and vignettes that illustrate significant moments in history.

In examining this early period in American History, we chose to focus on people – what they thought and how they felt. Our objective throughout “Let Freedom Ring” is to convey a sense of “what it was like” to be in that time and place in history; a sense of the courage required to leave the familiar and explore the unknown; a sense of ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary goals; and a sense of the legacy of immigrant groups coming to America since its earliest beginnings to contribute to its democratic ideals.

• Grades: 3rd - 6th
• 50 minutes plus 5-10 minute Q&A
• Web: http://www.pushcartplayers.com/Let_Freedom_Ring.html

Utah Shakespeare Festival Tour 2013 -Romeo & Juliet

Friday, March 1, 2013 • 9:45am

From Romeo and Juliet, Ed. David Bevington, Bantam, New York, 1988. xx-xxiv.

Although stories of forbidden love have been around as long as tongues could speak, a tale involving an unwanted marriage, sleeping potion, and missed message from a friendly friar first appeared with characters called Romeo Motecchi and Giulietta Cappelletti in Luigi da Porto’s Histoira in 1530. Various authors and poets adapted and translated the tale for the next sixty years until it made its way to the eyes or ears of the up-and-coming poet/playwright William Shakespeare. In or about 1594 Shakespeare refreshed the story by shortening its time frame from nine months to less than a week, creating a new level of urgency, and highlighting the parts of some characters like Mercutio and the nurse, probably to fit them to the strengths of his own acting troupe, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. The play was performed at the Globe Theatre to an audience that would have been as familiar with its basics as we are today.

• Grades: Jr. High & High School
• 90 minutes including Q&A
• Web: http://www.bard.org/education/studyguides/romeo/juliet.html
• Full Study Guide: http://www.bard.org/education/insights/romeoinsights.pdf