Theatre for Young America Announces 2010-2011 Season
By: Charlie Piane Apr. 16, 2010
Theatre for Young America will present 7 productions on the H&R Block City Stage located on level B of Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Road in Kansas City, Missouri. TYA will also offer three tours this next season. For ticket or booking information, please call 816.460.2083 or visit our website at www.tya.org.
October 10 through November 6, 2010 A premiere area production of the popular book by Crockett Johnson, The adaptation by Adam W. Roberts concerns a boy named Harold who uses his imagination and a purple crayon to create situations and characters that come to life. The play shows the wonder of the human imagination in the travels of a young boy and his purple crayon. One moonlit night, Harold wanders away from his familiar surroundings out into the world. Along the way, Harold uses his purple crayon to create his own adventures that keep him amused. But Harold also uses his crayon to make his trip easier: he sketches a purple pie when his stomach starts to grumble and creates some interesting friends along the way. The play shows how people can use their own creative talents in the world around them. Curriculum connections: literature, visual art, communities, and imagination.
November 23 through December 30, 2010 Based on Barbara Parks’ Junie B. Jones books, adapted by Allison Gregory, this happy musical features Junie B. Jones herself, a first grader who is funny, silly, lovable, but irreverent. It’s holiday time and Room One is doing a lot of happy things to celebrate—like making elf costumes and singing joyful songs. Tattletale May keeps ruining Junie’s holiday glee. When everyone picks names for Secret Santa, Junie B. gets stuck with Tattletale you-know-who! Maybe a Secret Santa gift is the perfect opportunity to give May EXACTLY what she deserves. In truth Junie learns an important lesson about the joy of giving. TOUGHEST KID IN THE WORLD
January 11 through January 18, 2011 This play dramatizes the adventures of TK, a modern youngster dealing with real problems of anger, conflict and violence. TK redefines “tough” for himself and learns personal skills that empower him to reject violence. A musical play full of humor and heart, THE TOUGHEST KID IN THE WORLD was created to enrich the Expressions course in the curriculum for sixth graders in Kansas City, Kansas’s public schools.
February 1 through February 19, 2011 Theatre for Young America celebrates Black History Month with ANANSI, THE SPIDERMAN OF AFRICA adapted from the West African tales. Four popular, classic “trickster tales”: Anansi and the Talking Melon, Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock, Anansi's Feast, and Anansi's Hat Shaking Dance will be done in storytelling style with African costumes, drumming, and music. Curriculum connections: storytelling, African culture, African animals. GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS
March 1 through April 15, 2011 In this lively, musical version of the beloved folktale Mama, Papa, and Baby Bear lead a very green “ecologically correct” existence until the intruder, Goldilocks, a modern show biz kid from the city, disrupts their lives and her two upscale and clueless parents. Baby Bear learns how to sing, dance and act from his new human friend, Goldilocks, and together they bring peace to their feuding families through music and dance. THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD
April 26 through May 14, 2011 This musical adaptation by James Larson of the Omaha Theatre for Young People is based on the famous classic by Watty Pipers. The story is one of the greatest tales of motivation ever told. Powered by his well-known refrain “I think I can, I think I can,” the Little Engine overcomes seemingly impossible odds to carry a load full of toys over an imposing mountain. The H & R Block City Stage is a perfect location to experience this play, as it is located in the present train station, Union Station. Attendees will be able to get a special combination ticket price to attend the play and visit the model train exhibit and The Railway Experience also located at Union Station. SNOOPY!!!
June 14 through July 2, 2011 This witty musical comedy highlights the famous dog Snoopy with songs and vignettes based on the “PEANUTS” comic strip by Charles Schultz. At the beginning we see Snoopy atop his doghouse. One by one the famous characters of Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Sally Brown, Linus with his blanket, Lucy with her bossy attitude, and Snoopy’s fluttering friend Woodstock join Snoopy onstage for “The World According to Snoopy”. This upbeat adaptation by Larry Grossman and Hal Hackady has the Peanuts gang going to school to give the familiar book reports and take the true/false tests. Even Lucy’s psychiatric booth makes an appearance as she attempts to sort through Charlie Brown’s many problems. Snoopy creates another of his writing masterpieces. Although “Playbeagle” won’t print it, the show ends with upbeat encouraging advice for all in the number, “Don’t Be Anything Less Than Everything You Can Be”
Theatre for Young America will also offer the following tour shows for the 2010-11 season: DRAMATIC HISTORY WITH DANNY COX
Singer/Songwriter Danny Cox puts his unique musical and dramatic stamp on topics of African and African-American history. This show is available to tour from September 2010 through May of 2011. TOUGHEST KID IN THE WORLD (description above) is available for tour January 19-January 30, 2011. TRIPLE PLAY
Good things come in threes! Three really good actors bring to you this musical show about the famous threes: Three Pigs, Three Bears, and Three Little Kittens. The actors engage the early education audience in the story through audience participation and interaction. Colorful set, props and costumes further enrich this in-school experience that encourages reading and interest in language and storytelling. A triple play of springtime fun! Available to tour March and April of 2011.
For information about Theatre for Young America’s tour shows, please contact Vickie Little at 816.460.2083. Main Stage Shows Ticket Information (at Union Station)
Season tickets: Call Theatre for Young America at 816.460.2083 to reserve season
tickets for our main stage shows. Patrons may choose from 3 to 7 shows for a season package. Single Tickets: Single tickets may be reserved online at www.unionstation.org or www.tya.org, or by calling 816.460.2020 or 816.460.2083. The single ticket price is $8.00. Groups: Groups of 15 or more are $5.50 per person with a reservation. Organizations calling 816.460.2020 or 816.460.2083 may make group reservations. Theatre for Young America is a professional theater company, which primarily employs local actors,
many of who are members of Actors Equity Association. Theatre for Young America, Inc., is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation. Gifts are tax deductible.
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