Four New Works and More Set for Bay Area Children's Theatre's 2015-16 Season

The Bay Area Children's Theatre (BACT) will create four new works for young audiences and produce two musicals based on beloved stories for its 2015-2016 season.

For fans of Ian Fleming's classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mo Willems' award-winning Elephant and Piggy books, BACT will be bringing musical versions of those stories to the stage.

For the youngest theatregoers, the company will begin the season at Children's Fairyland in Oakland with its own stage adaptation of The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt.

Three more original works inspired by Lemony Snicket's wry holiday tale, The Lump of Coal; Nick Bruel's New York Times bestselling series, Bad Kitty; and local author Mitali Perkins' book about a Bangladeshi family, Rickshaw Girl, will complete the season.

Family Flex Pass subscriptions to BACT's 2015-2016 season are now available, with "early bird" savings through June 30. To learn more and subscribe, visit www.bactheatre.org or call 510/296-4433.

---

Here is the line-up of shows, beginning with BACT's annual summer show for preschoolers and their families:

The Day the Crayons Quit, the Musical

Duncan loves to color. So you can imagine his surprise when he discovers that his crayons, ahem, want to have a word with him. The situation is urgent, and Duncan clearly needs to think out of the box! An amusing new musical adapted from the award-winning, New York Times bestseller, THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT, by author Drew Daywalt and illustrator Oliver Jeffers. Book and music by Austin Zumbro. Directed by Nina Meehan. Recommended for all ages.

Opens at: Children's Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610

Plays: Weekends, June 20 - July 26

Moves to: The Theatre at the Children's Creativity Museum, 221 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

Plays: Weekends, August 1 - 23

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, TYA

The outrageous adventures of the Potts family and their miraculous car come to the stage in a special, musical version for young audiences. Families will enjoy familiar tunes as Jeremy and Jemima take on the Vulgarians, who want Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the Baron's birthday. Music and lyrics by Richard and Robert Sherman. Adapted for the stage by Jeremy Sams. Based on the MGM motion picture. Licensed script adapted by Ray Roderick. Directed by Karen Altree Piemme. Recommended for ages 4 and up.

Opens at: The Theater at the Children's Creativity Museum, 221 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

Plays: School matinees and weekends, October 16 - November 8

Moves to: Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94704

Plays: School matinees and weekends, November 13 - December 13

Moves to: Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center, 10550 Albion Rd, San Ramon, CA 94582

Plays: One weekend only, December 19-20

Lemony Snicket's The Lump of Coal

The hilarious and heartburning, uh, heartwarming holiday adventure of a lump of coal who wants to be an artist. A bi-coastal world premier inspired by Lemony Snicket at his tongue-in-cheek, story weaving best. Co-commissioned with Adventure Theatre MTC. Book by Norman Allen. Directed by Sydney Painter. Recommended for age 5 and up.

Opens at: Theater at the Children's Creativity Museum, 221 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

Plays: Weekends, December 5 - January 3

Bad Kitty On Stage

Straight from the pages of the wildly popular Bad Kitty comic book series, here she sprawls, in solitary splendor, until one day . . . (loud hissing) PUPPY! Uh oh. And then . . . (hair on back standing on end) MOUSE! And then . . . well, let's just say life gets complicated. A world premier, based on the stories by Nick Bruel. Book and music by Min Kahng. Recommended for age 4 and up

Opens at: Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA

Plays: School matinees and weekends, January 22 - February 14

Moves to: Front Row Theater, 17011 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon, CA 94582

Plays: Weekends, February 20 - 28

Moves to: Theater at the Children's Creativity Museum, 221 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

Plays: School matinees and weekends, March 5 - 26

Rickshaw Girl

A village in Bangladesh, a loving family, and a daring daughter. In Naima's village, boys can work for pay, but girls are expected to stay home and help with the cooking and the cleaning. Naima desperately wants to help her father earn more money, and she thinks she knows just how to do it. A world premier, adapted by Aditi Kapil from the book by Mitali Perkins. Recommended for age 6 and up.

Opens at: Front Row Theater, 17011 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon, CA 94582

Plays: Weekends, March 12 - 26

Moves to: The Theater at the Children's Creativity Museum, 221 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

Plays: Weekends, April 9 - May 1

Moves to: Osher Studio, 2055 Center Street, Berkeley, CA 94704

Plays: weekends, May 7 - 29

Elephant & Piggie's WE ARE IN A PLAY!

Piggie is excited, because she has no idea what is going to happen today-which means that anything is possible. Like skipping. Or ping pong. Or a party invitation! Party invitation?! Good thing her elephant friend Gerald knows how to party! Join Mo Willems' two most unlikely pals as they sing and dance (well, Gerald tries to dance) through the joys and trials of everlasting friendship. Script and lyrics by Mo Willems, based on his book. Music by Deborah Wicks La Puma. Recommended for all ages.

Opens at: Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94704

Plays: School matinees and weekends, April 8 - May 1

Moves to: Front Row Theater, 17011 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon, CA 94582

Plays: Weekends, May 7 -15

Moves to: Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller Ave, Mill Valley, CA 94941

Plays: One weekend only, May 21-22

Moves to: The Theater at the Children's Creativity Museum, 221 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

Plays: Weekends, May 28 - June 12

---

Established in 2004, the Bay Area Children's Theatre, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, serves more than 68,000 children and adults throughout the Bay Area, with main stage performances in Berkeley, Oakland, Mill Valley, San Francisco and San Ramon; selected productions in local schools; and classes and summer camps in more than 10 East Bay communities.

BACT's Mission: To inspire young audiences with imaginative productions, introduce children of all backgrounds to the excitement of live theatre, and create an engaging, entertaining, and educational environment in which children and their families can explore and enjoy the arts.

To post a comment, you must register and login.