Performances for Young Audiences
SCHOOL SHOWS ONLY: SPECIAL RATES
Tickets at reduced student rates and one free for Teachers with every 20 purchased.
call 1-877-HIT SHOW (448-7469) or Contact Us
Dear Teachers:
Norton Center for the Arts at Centre College is delighted to invite you and your students to join us during the 2009-2010 school year for five outstanding performances representing a variety of traditions in the performing arts. This guide gives you an advance opportunity to develop plans for linking Norton Center events to your curriculum, academic goals, and daily lessons.
>> TEACHERS: SCROLL DOWN TO DOWNLOAD OUR YOUNG AUDIENCES BROCHURE 2009-10
The five featured shows this year offer a mixture of beloved classics along with innovative newcomers.
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Montana Repertory Theatre's one-hour version presents the trial scene from the famous story with a brief lead in to set the scene. It is 1935. Atticus Finch, a lawyer in a small southern town, defends a black man accused of raping a white woman. He is taking on this hopeless fight because he has to try to set things right. He knows he is fighting one hundred years of injustice. In the courtroom, things get bitter. Atticus fights his legal battle with a result that is part triumph but mostly defeat. Nonetheless, Atticus helped all of us take a little step forward, a little step that inspires all of us with his noble stand for justice. After the performance, the cast answers questions about the play, their characters, and the time period.
Tuesday, November 10 • 11a.m.
Visit the show page for Info
A Christmas Carol
When Charles Dickens wrote his "ghostly little tale" in 1843, he didn't know that A Christmas Carol was destined to become one of the most beloved holiday traditions of all time. In the past three decades, the Nebraska Theatre Caravan's annual tour has taken its acclaimed production to more than 100,000 people in sixty cities. This sparkling show is filled with authentic costumes and holiday music that bring the beloved Christmas story to life. For students not yet introduced to Scrooge's fearsome dreams and Tiny Tim's generous enthusiasm, the story is bound to be a charming and memorable experience. This performance of A Christmas Carol is the full two-hour production and includes one fifteen-minute intermission.
Thursday, December 17 • 10:00 a.m.
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Le Grand Cirque
Is the stage hosting a circus, an acrobatic competition, or a show-biz spectacle? The answer is yes, yes, and yes when Le Grand Cirque comes to town. Audiences around the world have responded to this spellbinding production with sold-out shows and standing ovations. The cast features more than fifty world-champion acrobats from fifteen nations, including China, Russia, and Monaco. Producers chose the very best international talent, and they added dynamic lighting and an astonishing range of costumes. One moment the performers appear to be wild animals. In the next scene they look like eye-popping characters from a Mardi Gras parade. A theater critic described the overall effect as "out of this world." Another reported that Le Grand Cirqueis "an incredible spectacle of wonder and enchantment."
Friday, February 19 • 11:00 a.m.
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The Tchaikovsky Ballet - Sleeping Beauty
Almost everyone knows the fairy tale of Sleeping Beautyas a children's book or a Disney movie, but the story takes on grand proportions with the Tchaikovsky Ballet from the city of Perm, Russia. This troupe is one of the nation's most distinguished artistic companies. Featuring 65 enchanting dancers, lavish sets, and dazzling costumes, their productions have been praised not only in Russia, but also in tours to more than twenty countries. One arts critic at the Los Angeles Times described the performance of Sleeping Beauty as "one of the year's indispensable ballet experiences." A visit to this performance will give students a rare chance to experience ballet at its best and to make a tangible connection to a nation and a culture from halfway around the world.
Tuesday, February 23 • 11:00 a.m.
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Pilobolus
The men and women who are members of the dance theater troupe Pilobolus seem, at times, to be stronger than weightlifters. They also have an uncanny ability to flex their bodies into positions that have more twists and turns than a pretzel. Add to those skills a sense of humor and a bit of whimsy, and you end up with a performance that never fails to surprise the audience. It seems impossible for a tiny slender woman to lift a muscular man effortlessly on her back, but a Pilobolus dancer can do that. It also seems unlikely that three men could join together to make the shape of a wheel – and then roll across the stage. The members of this group refer to themselves as dancers-athletes. Their choreography – the plan and design of the movements on stage – is intended to break new ground as an athletic exploration of creativity.
Wednesday, March 10 • 11:00 a.m.
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The downloadable guide below includes brief descriptions of our shows and guest artists, along with tips on theater etiquette and a glossary of relevant words that may be new to your students. Suggestions are included for hands-on learning activities useful in your classroom before or after a visit to the Norton Center. We also note topics and themes that connect with KERA Core Content, with consideration given to current transitions in testing content.
If you have success stories of past lesson plans or suggestions for other ways to utilize Norton Center events, please write and share them with us.
PLEASE NOTE: You and your students should try to arrive at the Norton Center for the Arts at least thirty minutes prior to the performance.
Always beautiful, the Norton Center has just completed a $3Million renovation that will make your visit this year even more exciting than ever.
To order tickets, or if you have questions, please call me at 859-236-4692 or Toll Free 1-877-HIT-SHOW (448-7469). See you at the Norton Center!
Sincerely,
Debra Hoskins
Director of Programs and Public Relations
Norton Center for the Arts
Centre College
