The Biggest Little House will be a unique experience. The children, many of whom
are attending their first live production, assemble in the Cargill
Lobby and remove their shoes to put on soft, handmade booties. There
is no playbill, no loudspeaker pre-show announcement, and no fourth
wall (the boundary between the stage and the audience). Actor Autumn Ness opens the door to invite the children into the
theatre and show them to the cozy area in which they may sit, or dance. She tells the story of Bernice the Butterfly,
who transforms an abandoned house into a bright, cheery home that she
constantly adapts to meet the needs of her friends.
CTC
is the only theatre in the United States that is employing the
expertise of creative artists from around the world to create high
quality work for two to five year olds.
Rachel
Austin Bernstein, manager of CTC’s preschool educational program Early
Bridges, explains that while these toddlers are dancing and catching
bubbles, critical developmental occurrences
are taking place. Bernstein explains, “Professional theatre experiences
for the very young can support children’s social-emotional, cognitive,
and creative development. By promoting other forms of literacy, such as
storytelling and oral language, young children
develop their sequencing and recall skills as well as their
storytelling abilities. Early learners exposed to theatre are shown to
have more complex imaginative and dramatic play.”
Having such a young audience is different for Autumn Ness as well. She explains, “The
level of involvement is unlike anything I've experienced as an actor,
with the audience
constantly telling the characters where to go, what to do, even what
they had for breakfast that morning. Things that the ‘proper, polite,
seasoned’ theatre-going audience have accepted, they won't stand for.
For instance, if there is music playing, we should
be dancing! If something important is happening, we must go get a
closer look! And for heaven’s sake, if bubbles come your way, catch
them! I have been able to perform this show at our theatre, preschools
across the state, and even at the Star Studio located
in The Children’s Hospital for both the Minneapolis/St. Paul campuses.
And the show has never been the same twice in a row!”
The Biggest Little House in the Forest runs January 24 – March 17, 2013 on the Cargill Stage. As part of CTC’s commitment to programming for ages two through eighteen,
The Biggest Little House in the Forest is recommended for
toddlers age two and up. Tickets are on sale now starting at $10.
Affordable ticket packages are also still available. For more
information visit us online at childrenstheatre.org or call the
Ticket Office at 612.874.0400.
No comments:
Post a Comment