TPAC Announces The 2009-2010 Family Field Trip Season; Features Music, Theatre & Puppetry

The Tennessee Performing Arts Center has announced the 2009-2010 Family Field Trip season of performing arts designed for family audiences featuring theatre, music and two unique styles of puppetry.

Unlike anything else presented in Nashville or Middle Tennessee, TPAC Family Field Trips are designed to give audiences of all ages a fun, family-friendly experience with live performance. The lively, high-quality entertainment features artists with international reputations and a multi-cultural blend of art with broad appeal to people of different ages and backgrounds.
"A major component of TPAC's mission is to provide programs that benefit Tennessee residents, and to foster performing arts and arts education," said Kathleen O'Brien, TPAC's president and CEO. "I can't think of a better example of fulfillment of that mission than our Family Field Trip series. It's with pride that we offer a truly world class performing arts experience for all ages, at a price that makes it accessible to all. The popularity of the series tells us that the demand is certainly there. Subscriptions have increased more than five times in just three seasons. In fact, we added a fourth show to this year's series to accommodate more audience members. I encourage people to take advantage of our ‘pay what you can' program, because you don't want to miss these delightful adventures from all over the world."

The four-show series includes:
Jason and the Argonauts, October 10, 2009, an inventive, imaginative play from Visible Fictions of Scotland in which two actors - using only a trunk, a wooden pushcart and the help of their action figure friends - bring the story of Jason and his incredible journey to life in grand proportions;
The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Eric Carle Favourites, October 31, 2009; Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia uses innovative black light staging as the backdrop for this live puppet adaptation of Eric Carle's delightful children's books - Little Cloud, The Mixed-up Chameleon and the beloved title story, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year;

Fiesta Mexicana, December 5, 2009, Sones de México Ensemble - a Grammy-nominated, premiere folk music ensemble - presents the rich and lively sounds of traditional Mexican music and dance, with the use of more than two dozen instruments; and

The Man Who Planted Trees, April 18 and 25, 2010, a unique blend of comedy, puppetry and storytelling from Puppet State Theatre of Scotland, adapted from Jean Giono's classic environmental tale, that proves that one man-and his dog-can transform a barren wasteland into a lush forest, one tree at a time.
For the three Polk Theater shows, the lobby will be transformed into a fun, interactive space prior to the performances, featuring activities and giveaways. Patrons are encouraged to arrive at 1 p.m. for the festivities. TPAC will offer post-show trick-or-treating in the lobby immediately following the October 31 performance of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Eric Carle Favourites.

All four shows are available for a discounted package price of $44 per person, or patrons may choose three shows at $33 per person. Subscriptions can be purchased at the TPAC Box Office (Downtown or at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in The Mall at Green Hills), by calling 615/782-6560, online at www.tpac.org/familyfieldtrip, or by mail.

Single tickets for TPAC Family Field Trips are $11 for children ages 2-12, and $14 for adults. For single tickets, visit www.tpac.org/familyfieldtrip, the TPAC Box Office (Downtown or at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in The Mall at Green Hills), or call 615/782-4040. To reserve tickets for groups of 10 or more, please contact TPAC Group Sales at 615/782-4060 or groups@tpac.org.

For more information on TPAC Family Field Trip performances, visit www.tpac.org/familyfieldtrip or call 615/782-4000.

Children 23 months and younger may receive a free ticket to sit on a parent's lap, which are available at the box office the day of the Polk Theater performances.
A limited number of ‘pay what you can' seats will be available beginning 90 minutes prior to each performance at the TPAC Box Office. With a minimal contribution to TPAC Education, patrons may gain admission based on an honor system of what they can afford to pay.

The TPAC Family Field Trip series is sponsored by Allstate, and in part by the Metro Nashville Arts Commission, Tennessee Arts Commission and Publix Super Markets Charities. Nashville Parent is the media sponsor of TPAC Family Field Trips. The leading hotel sponsor for TPAC Education is Homewood Suites by Hilton - Nashville Downtown. Fiesta Mexicana is sponsored in part by a grant from the Southern Arts Federation in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Tennessee Arts Commission.

The Tennessee Performing Arts Center is a private, non-profit corporation dedicated to providing and supporting the presentation of the performing arts to the citizens of Tennessee. Its four stages are home to Broadway in Nashville at TPAC, Nashville Ballet, Nashville Opera, Tennessee Repertory Theatre and a variety of special engagements. TPAC administers one of the largest and most comprehensive arts-in-education programs in the United States, offering learning opportunities for children and adults. The organization has served more than 1.5 million students from pre-school to high school over the past two decades. For more information, visit the web site, www.tpac.org.

 

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