Category: Theater

Fall Activities, Theater

Legend of Sleepy Hollow

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This past weekend we went to the Legend of Sleepy Hollow at Beaverton Civic Theater.  I had been hesitant to take the littles the past few years as I have always thought of this as a scary story.  But BCT has done this show for the past several years and they have consistently billed it as part of the Young Audiences theater programming.  So I thought, what the heck, it’s only $5.

As good theater patrons, we arrived early to make sure we could use the restroom, get drinks, find our seats- all the necessities.  We were pleasantly surprised to find craft projects awaiting us!  There were materials to make a mask, a ghost (out of a paper plates and crepe paper), and binoculars.  Very simple crafts, but the kids were drawn to it right away and had a lot of fun making them.

Once the show started, it was explained that the crafts the kids made would become interactive props for the show.  They were taught when to hold up which craft, what sounds to make when, things like that.  The kids were very excited.

I have to say, the show was not my favorite.  The kids in the show were cute, Ichabod was funny- I mean, who doesn’t love an Ichabod Crane who does the Floss?  The cast was clearly having fun and the kids in the audience loved the participation element.  It was just that the story didn’t make much sense.  And I still can’t figure out the ending.  I don’t think I was alone, as there was a longer than typical pause before the applause, as though people didn’t realize it was over.  The show was not scary at all and was very family friendly in its humor and content.  But while I am a fan of exposing kids to rich vocabulary, I felt the vocabulary in the show was much higher than that of a typical child who would be coming to the show.

There were opportunities to meet the cast, take pictures with them, and get your program signed.  As per usual, Nugget would only get signature from the men.  I swear I’m working on that.

Overall, Chicken and Nugget were intrigued enough with the use of their props that they had a good time.  When I asked Chicken what she thought, she said “I have no idea what they were talking about but it was a fun show.”  That kind of summed it up for me, too.

What it is: a yearly Halloween show, appropriate for young children and families, unique in its use of crafting and use of said crafts for audience participation, funny, appropriate length for young children (about an hour)

What it is not: super easy to follow, completely comprehensible to very young children

Would we recommend it? Kind of.  It’s a cute Halloween show.  I don’t know that we will need to go again or make it a yearly tradition.  But if you’re stuck inside on a rainy day and have $5 burning a hole in your pocket, it’s a creative way to spend an afternoon.

Look for future shows at http://www.beavertoncivictheatre.org/productions.html

Theater

School House Rock

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This weekend I took Chicken and Nugget to see School House Rock, Live! at the Beaverton Civic Theater.  Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children.  It ran just under 2 hours with an intermission.

The play is based on the television show that many of us watched as children (well, not me.  I was generally afraid of high quality children’s programming.  I am now ashamed to admit that I found Mr. Rogers to be incredibly creepy.  What grown up changes their shoes and sweaters that much, let alone talks to trolleys?  I now fully appreciate his contributions to society).  The show revolves around a teacher who is nervous about going to school and teaching a room full of 8-year-olds.  Reasonably so, I say.  A cast of characters show up in his dreams (spoiler alert) to help him make learning fun and interesting.

The show is non stop singing and dancing.  The set is simple, but the use of over 100 props keeps it interesting and new.  The songs are catchy and perky and I personally loved the girl power song about women getting the right to vote.  The cast member who sang “I’m Just a Bill” gave the song so much style and personality that it was another one I really enjoyed.  The characters in the show are fun, silly, smart, and relatable.

Chicken and Nugget gave it mixed reviews.  Chicken seemed to generally like it, although not one of her favorites.  She was excited when she figured out that the audience was filling in as the classroom full of students, and commented that the song about the eights times table helped her because those eights can be tricky!  Nugget was not as impressed.  He did not give a solid reason why he didn’t like it, but it was safe to say he was not a fan.  Although he did praise the use of the kangaroo puppet.

My guess is that Nugget was a bit young for the show (he’s 5).  It is very kid friendly and completely appropriate for children his age in terms of content.  However, the lyrics of the songs are sung very quickly and include content that is not familiar to kids his age, like proper use of adverbs and conjunctions, the use of the number zero in place value, etc.  I think he was looking for a cohesive story line to follow, where this show is more a connected series of educational songs.

Girl Scouts are also invited for a backstage tour after the show where they get to see and touch some of the props, stand on the stage, take pictures with cast, and see how the light and sound booth work.

What it is:  Incredibly high energy show, full of songs and minimal dialogue, interesting incorporation of technology, a group of fun and talented actors, reasonably priced, kid friendly

What it is not:  content not likely to be fully grasped by the younger child

Do we recommend it?  Chicken and I do.  I would recommend it for children 7 and up if your goal is for them to understand the content of the show, any age if you just want an afternoon out with your kids listening to some fun music and watching goofy characters on stage.

Tickets can be purchased at http://www.beavertoncivictheatre.org/tickets.html.  The show ends October 13th.

Fall Activities, Spring and Summer Activities, Theater, Winter Activities

Northwest Children’s Theater

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Like I said, we go to A LOT of theater.  Like, A LOT.  Sometimes twice in a weekend.  And we love every moment of it.  Of course, each of us has our favorite plays and our not so favorite plays.  Chicken and Nugget particularly love musicals.  They have been known to come home singing the parts of songs they can remember, make related costumes out of computer paper, post hand made posters about the play all over the house, and reenact their favorite scenes.  That’s some of the many reasons I love taking them to theater.  We not only have a great time together, but they learn from the plays and engage in creative activity related to it long after the play itself is over.

Northwest Children’s Theater is a great way to introduce your kiddos to the performing arts.  While I will post about individual plays we go to, the theater itself deserves a nod.

Located in Portland near Providence Park, prices are reasonable (and discounted if you buy a season subscription), and sometimes Gold Star offers even deeper discounts for specific performances.  Full price single tickets range between $16 and $25.  If you purchase a full subscription by the designated date- usually sometime in the spring or summer- an actor dressed as a character from the upcoming season will hand deliver your tickets.  They come in full costume, bring the tickets, balloons, and posters, talk with the kiddos and take pictures.  We have met the characters at the park and the kiddos have always loved it.  Well, except the time we got Cinderella.  Nugget is afraid of princesses.  I have no idea why.

They offer a wide variety of plays that are all family friendly.  Each season they offer a play specifically for the younger toddler crowd.   This year it is Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play.  We saw it when they did it a couple of years ago and it is adorable.  These plays are generally 45 to 60 minutes with simple dialogue, silliness, and fun.  The remainder of the plays generally run 90-120 minutes plus an intermission.  Adults are often cast in some of the main roles, but there are always children in the supporting roles, and sometimes in the main as well.

The plays they chose are engaging for kids, and often fun for the adults.  Sets are colorful, costumes are tasteful, and it’s just a fun time.  Heads up for the nervous kiddos, it’s not uncommon for actors to come down the aisle.  It took me a full theater season to convince Nugget the characters would not eat him.

After the plays, families are invited to stay and have their programs signed by the cast and take pictures with the cast if they so desire.  Chicken and Nugget LOVE this part (although Nugget refuses to be photographed with a girl) and often give me the honor of signing a program they design themselves when we get home.

In addition to plays, they offer camps and classes.  Each of my kiddos has done a camp- Chicken did My Little Pony and Nugget did Elephant and Piggie.  They each had a great time and made new friends.  Camps vary from exploratory to skill based to putting on an actual play.  They also do school based programs and even have Girl Scout workshops.  Chicken did the Peter Pan Girl Scout workshop and really enjoyed it.  She definitely recommends it.

In summary, we love Northwest Children’s Theater.  We think you might, too.

What it is: fun take on children’s theater, affordable, creative, varied in what they offer, appropriate for many age ranges, a great opportunity to photograph your kid with some of their favorite characters without going all the way to Disney Land, a great way to introduce your family to theater without having to worry your kid will be the only kid there and will somehow ruin the experience for everyone else (come on.  You know you thought it as soon as I mentioned taking a young child to a play).

What it’s not: particularly comfy in terms of seating (seating is on old church pews, but they do have cushions available), a fancy pants venue

Do we recommend it?  1000% yes

You can get more information on their website:  https://nwcts.org/

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