PlayhouseSquare Kicks Off Children's Theater Series 30th Anniversary Season Today, 11/3

Illusion, acrobatics, zydeco music and beloved children's books coming to life on stage make up the 2012-13 Children's Theater Series, presented by the Community Engagement & Education Department at PlayhouseSquare. The Children's Theater Series, with a subscription price of $40 for four shows, has provided an affordable, entertaining way for parents and grandparents to introduce children to quality live theater and the arts for 30 years.

Subscriptions to the Children's Theater Series at PlayhouseSquare are now available by calling 216-664-6044 or online at playhousesquare.org/childrenstheater. The four-show Children's Theater Series subscription package is $40 per seat.

Families that subscribe to the series can choose to participate in workshops held on the same days as Children's Theater Series performances. These fun, interactive workshops are led by professional teaching artists and feature opportunities to learn songs and dance steps, create performances and music and much more. Admission to each workshop is $5 per child.

The 2012-13 Children's Theater Series:

Snowflake
Gale LaJoye
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Snowflake is a funny and poignant play. Using the magic of illusion and without speaking a single word, Gale LaJoye teaches us how to turn sorrow into joy. Combining physical humor, silent acting and illusion with extreme artfulness, he transforms the simplest objects into things of wonder, and takes us on a journey filled with laughter and sadness that speaks to the power of human kindness.

Guess How Much I Love You? & I Love My Little Storybook
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Little Nutbrown Hare loves Big Nutbrown Hare as far as he can reach and as high as he can hop. But Big Nutbrown Hare loves him as far as his long arms can reach and his strong legs can hop. Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia adapts the award-winning classic Guess How Much I Love You from author Sam McBratney and illustrator Anita Jeram, and Anita Jeram's endearing celebration of the joy of reading, I Love My Little Storybook.

Creole for Kidz and the History of Zydeco
Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Grammy award-winning Terrance Simien and his eclectic Zydeco Experience band mates have toured the globe with their unique mix of the varied rich indigenous music forms of Louisiana: zydeco-funk meets Afro-Caribbean reggae-world music. Rolling Stone calls Simien "a zydeco master," and there is no better way to introduce children to a fun, new music experience especially around Mardi Gras time! Children will recognize Simien's zydeco music from Disney's The Princess & The Frog.

ZooZoo
Imago Theatre
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Imago's shows have been described as Cirque du Soleil-evoking acrobatics mixed with Mummenschanz-like mime, set in a unique, yet accessible, French-influenced, avant-garde playground. ZooZoo is penguins playing musical chairs, a cat trapped in a giant paper bag, hippos with insomnia, anteaters as waiters, and a madcap revue of illusion, comedy and fun that has inspired audiences nationwide. Imago has performed in China, Europe and at some of North America's most revered festivals. This engagement is supported by the Arts Midwest Touring Fund, a program of Arts Midwest, which is generously supported by the National Endowment for the Arts with additional contributions from the Ohio Arts Council.

The Children's Theater Series is made possible in part by the Children's Theatre Endowment established by the Junior League of Cleveland, support from the Ohio Arts Council and is generously supported by the public through a grant from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

PlayhouseSquare understands its vital role as an educator in our community, and is committed to providing arts learning opportunities of the highest quality to enrich the lives of students, families, teachers and adults. PlayhouseSquare's Community Engagement & Education Department is unique in the performing arts industry for the variety of programs it offers, the partnerships it initiates and the access it provides students, educators and aspiring artists to performing arts professionals. Since its inception in 1998, the Community Engagement & Education Department has offered thousands of events, workshops, classes and more, most with minimal or no fees, to people of all ages from all areas of Northeast Ohio. The generous support of individual and corporate donors and foundations makes it all possible.

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