FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: May 5, 2003
Contact: Carlyn Shank, 206-6150
SPRINGFIELD – Tickets
for the 2003-2004 Class Acts performing arts series for youth at the University
of Illinois at Springfield’s Sangamon Auditorium are now on sale. Class Acts is
offered through area schools and is sponsored by Siciliano, Inc.
The season opens with The Giving Tree,
presented by Little Theatre of the Deaf, the educational arm of National Theatre
of the Deaf, at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Friday, October 3. Cast members will
perform several stories, including the classic Shel Silverstein book, in sound
and sign. The performance is recommended for grades 3-5.
Story Salad Productions will present Bravo, Amelia
Bedelia and Other Stories at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Friday, October 17.
This production, recommended for grades K-2, includes “Bravo, Amelia Bedelia,”
“Tikki Tikki Tembo,” “One Grain of Rice,” “Anansi and the Rain Stick,” “Lord of
the Yucatan,” and “Song of the Claves.”
A lecture/demonstration on
Japanese drumming will be given by Yamato at 12:30 p.m. Friday, November 7.
Presented by ATMO Productions, the program also features colorful costumes and
lights. The 50-minute performance will be followed by 10 minutes of discussion
and questions-and-answers. Recommended for grades 5-12.
Theatreworks/USA will present a
musical version of children’s classic Charlotte’s Web on Thursday and
Friday, November 13 and 14, at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. both days. This upbeat
and endearing adaptation is based on E.B. White’s 1952 book. Recommended for
grades 1-4.
At 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on
Tuesday, November 25, The American Adventures of Lewis and Clark will
take students in grades 5-8 back to 1804 as they travel west with the famous
explorers and their guide Sacajawea. Produced by Theatre IV.
ArtsPower Touring Theatre will
present a musical version of the 1939 classic Mike Mulligan and his Steam
Shovel at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 4. The story demonstrates
how unwavering friendship and steadfast determination can overcome any
obstacle. Recommended for grades K-3.
Sojourner Truth will be presented by Theatre IV at 10 a.m. and 12:30
p.m. Tuesday, February 17. Designed for
students in grades 5-8, the play tells the story of Sojourner Truth, who was
born a slave, yet rose up to become a dominant voice in the struggle for racial
and gender equality.
Members of the renowned Hubbard
Street Dance Company will give a lecture/demonstration at 12:30 p.m. Friday,
February 20, for students in grades 5-12.
The troupe will present excerpts from their repertoire of modern dance
pieces.
At 10 a.m. Friday, February 27,
The Acting Company will present Murder By Poe, a one-hour performance
based on short stories by Edgar Alan Poe. Recommended for grades 7-12.
A musical version of the book Miss
Nelson in Missing! will be performed by the Omaha Theater Company for Young
People at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 16. Intended for grades K-4, the story tells how, only when faced
with mean and mysterious substitute teacher Viola Swamp, do the kids in Room
207 realize how much they miss Miss Nelson.
And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank will be presented at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 7. This production by the Dallas Children’s Theatre
interweaves videotaped interviews with two Holocaust survivors and friends of
Anne Frank with live dramatic action in a chilling recreation of the World War
II experiences of families in hiding and in concentration camps. Recommended
for grades 7-12.
A little girl must help a dragon
unlock his ability to breathe fire when a crust of ice covers the sun in The
Little Dragon at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 27. This production
by Tales & Scales uses storytelling and music to ignite the imaginations of
students in grades K-4.
Writing Our World! (W.O.W.!), a production of Child’s Play Touring Theatre, closes
the season at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Thursday, May 6. Recommended for grades
3-5, WOW! dramatizes stories and poems written by children from all over
the globe, including one or two written by local students attending this
performance.
Tickets to Class Acts productions
are $5 each and are made available through the schools. Parents who would like
their children to attend should suggest this opportunity to the children’s
principals and teachers. For more information, contact the Auditorium Ticket
Office at (217) 206-6160 or (800) 207-6960.
Schools may also reserve Class Acts tickets online at www.SangamonAuditorium.org.
-30-