| Nancy Churnin: From spooks to ducks Children's theater plans season with plenty of variety 05/08/2001 By / The Dallas Morning News
Dallas Children's Theater will widen the age range of its family
productions next season. The 10 shows will range from Honk! The Ugly
Duckling, a London musical aimed at ages 3 and up, to Deadly Weapons
, an American premiere about a teenage crime, which targets ages 13 and up.
Robyn Flatt, the group's executive artistic director, says presenting
fairy tales alongside gritty contemporary work is one way the company is
trying to expand.
"We keep looking at ways to serve our whole audience, and we consider
our whole audience to be from age 3 to the teenagers," she says.
"I think the school shootings have given us a sense of how urgent it is
not to ignore problems. We want to be in there helping to make a
difference. We hope some of the kids seeing this piece will get a better
perspective on peer pressure and their responsibility to make better
choices."
The season mixes old favorites with fresh adaptations of popular
children's books, kicking off with HONK! The Ugly Duckling, a
musical version of the Hans Christian Andersen tale. This one features a
duckling that honks instead of quacking. The show runs from September
through October at El Centro College Theater.
Three spooky tales will haunt the Crescent Theater in October.
"Gatherings in Graveyards," aimed at ages 10 and up, features
adaptations of The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe, An
Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce and The Monkey's
Paw by W.W. Jacobs.
Kathy Burks Theatre of Puppetry Arts returns in December with The
Nutcracker, aimed at ages 3 and up, at the Crescent.
Dallas playwright Linda Daugherty and composer Danny Ray, who did this
season's The Three Sillies, reteam for the musical premiere of
Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates. Aimed at ages 5 and up, it will
play at El Centro in December.
The children's theater is still negotiating for the rights to
Sideways Stories From Wayside School, the new adaptation of Louis
Sachar's zany book now premiering at the Seattle Children's Theater in
Seattle. Targeting ages 6 and up, it is likely to get a
January-through-February slot at El Centro.
African Tales of Earth and Sky returns from this past season in
time for African American History Month in February at the Crescent.
Aimed at ages 3 and up, Ms. Daugherty's script weaves together various
African myths.
Lilly the mouse walks tall in her red cowboy boots and purple purse in
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. Kevin Kling adapts the Kevin Henkes book for
ages 3 and up, March through April at El Centro.
Teenage crime and its consequences propel Deadly Weapons by
Laurie Brooks. The play debuted in Ireland and had a workshop production
by the Dallas company in November. The American premiere by DCT will be
March through April at the Crescent. Videotaped interviews with two
Holocaust survivors who were friends of Anne Frank are featured in
And Then They Came for Me by James Still. The multimedia event,
interwoven with live dramatic action, is aimed at ages 8 and up and is
scheduled for May 2002 at Crescent Theater.
A musical version of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good,
Very Bad Day finishes up the season at El Centro, June through July.
The show, based on the book by Judith Viorst, is aimed at ages 3 and up.
Subscription prices range from $37 for four plays to $65 for 10 plays.
Single tickets for nonmusicals are $12 for children and $14 for adults.
Single tickets for musicals are $13 for children and $15 for adults.
Special rates are available for groups of 10 or more. Call 214-978-0110.
Free theater camps
The best things in life are free, as far as Junior Players is concerned.
The 15-year-old organization will offer free two-hour workshops June 11-22
and July 9-20 at 55 locations throughout Dallas, Irving, Carrollton,
Garland, Balch Springs, DeSoto and Lancaster.
The camps, for ages 7 to 14, will culminate in a Festival of Plays
created by the camps at each location June 22-23 and July 20-21 at Anita
Martinez Recreation Center.
In addition, Junior Players will offer a new Discover Shakespeare Camp
for students in grades six through eight at Saint Luke Community United
Methodist Church in Dallas. Dates are June 4-15 from 1:30 to 4 p.m.
The campers will perform at the Samuell Grand Park Amphitheater June 15
at 7 p.m. before a Shakespeare Festival of Dallas performance of
Twelfth Night.
It's first come, first served for the Shakespeare camp. Call
214-526-4076 for more info or to enroll.
Coming up soon
RCT Theatre presents Lone Star League, an original musical about
baseball by Kitty Beletic, Friday through Sunday at University of Texas at
Dallas Theatre. It was inspired by the lives of two real friends, Dallas
natives Brian Beletic, now a film producer, and Tommy Smith, a
minor-league baseball player. They went to elementary and high school
together. Tickets are $7 for children and $9 for adults. Call 972-690-5029.
• Plano Repertory Theatre is talking to the animals for inspiration this
summer at Heritage Farmstead Museum in Plano. The company will start its
summer children's season with Babe, the Sheep Pig on May 29
through June 9 and will conclude with Stuart Little on June 18
through 30. Tickets are $5. Call 972-422-7460.
• Kid Kritics: Kids who love movies may love the new Young Chicago
Critics program. The Chicago International Children's Film Festival will
choose 90 applicants, ages 7 to 13, for an intensive film camp June 20
to 29 in Chicago. Kids have to audition for a spot, demonstrating
writing skills and an on-camera appearance. Those selected will be
filmed on camera in a setting similar to At The Movies.
Applications are available on-line at
www.cicff.org or by calling 773-281-9075.
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