Family Programs
Part of Winter at the Playhouse
Family Festivities Series Sponsors: Meredith & David Bukzin
Corporate Sponsor: 
The Playhouse is pleased to announce we will again be working with Read to Grow at all Family Festivities performances to promote early literacy and reading development for children in Connecticut. We invite you to bring new or gently used books to any Family Festivities performance in 2012 and Read to Grow will distribute them to children of all ages.
Upcoming Family Festivities
The Ugly Duckling & The Tortoise and the Hare
Sunday March18: 1pm & 4pm
Produced by CORBiAN/Lightwire Theater
Recommended for age 6 and up
Tickets: $18.00
The Ugly Duckling
Of the five eggs in Mother Duck's nest, one is the largest and last to hatch. Bigger and paler than the others, this last hatchling is treated as an outsider by Mother Duck and her ducklings. He may be the best swimmer of the brood, but this alone is not enough to ensure his acceptance. Knowing only rejection, this Ugly Duckling goes out into the wild alone. Reflecting upon his plight under the glow of a remote willow tree, he sees a wily cat creeping in the direction of Mother Duck's nest. The Ugly Duckling follows and watches as one lagging duckling is captured and taken back to the cat's lair. In true heroic fashion, this Ugly Duckling succeeds in vanquishing the cat and rescuing the captured duckling. Celebrated by Mother Duck and her ducklings for his uniqueness, all realize that he may have been an ugly duckling, but he has grown into a beautiful and powerful swan.
The Tortoise and the Hare
Ridiculed by the Hare, the Tortoise challenges him to a race. They set off and the Hare takes a commanding lead right away. Thinking he will win easily, the Hare allows himself to be distracted with many modern day activities; texting, video games and the paparazzi, of course. The Tortoise continues to trudge along at his methodical pace and, despite the fact that the Hare is a swifter creature, wins the race due to his discipline and fortitude.
Nearly Lear
Sunday April 1: 1pm & 4pm
By Susanna Hamnett
Recommended for age 9 and up
Tickets: $18.00
Nearly Lear uses exuberant storytelling, music and film to retell Shakespeare’s story of
King Lear as seen through the eyes of the King’s endearing goofball clown, Norris, who, in good Shakespearean tradition, is actually Noreen disguised as a boy. Mischievous, funny and tender, the production is a vaudevillian take on a classic play that will entrance both lovers of Shakespeare as well as newcomers to the Bard.
Past Performances
The Commedia Princess and the Pea
A Tarradiddle Players ProductionFor Grades K+
A slapstick spin on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale. The lonely Prince longs for someone to marry, but potential princesses must first pass his mother the Queen’s long list of tests. By Lane Riosley and Rebecca L. Byars.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Eric Carle Favourites
A Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia Production
Three stories, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Little Cloud and The Mixed-up Chameleon, by award-winning children's book illustrator and writer, Eric Carle, are told with stunning puppets, props, black light staging techniques and original music.
A Jigsaw Jones Mystery – The Case of the Class Clown
An ArtsPower Production
When someone in class is playing practical jokes, Theodore “Jigsaw” Jones, who fancies himself the school’s detective, deciphers secret codes to solve the mystery. With music, based on the book by renowned author James Preller.
Click, Clack, Moo
A TheatreWorks USA Production
A hilariously “moooo-ving” musical based on the Caldecott Honor Book by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin. Finding a laptop in their cold barn, shivering cows type requests for blankets to Farmer Brown – or they’ll go on strike!
Skippyjon Jones
A TheatreWorks USA Production
Skippyjon Jones is a little kitten with big ears and even bigger dreams! Sometimes he pretends to be a bird, sometimes he pretends to be a llama, and sometimes he pretends to be a whale… Anything BUT a Siamese cat!
Based on the book by Judy Schachner, Skippyjon Jones is an enchanting musical about unleashing your powerful imagination and following your dreams.
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
Produced by the Griffin Theatre Company
Based on the book by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
Poor Jack. He's got to use his wits to save himself from the terrible Giant, but a host of familiar fairytale characters keep messing up his plans-and then there's that annoying Stinky Cheese Man! The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales deconstructs the tradition of the fairy tale. Characters slide in and out of tales; Cinderella rebuffs Rumpelstiltskin, and Goldilocks meets the Three Elephants. Nothing is quite the same as you remember it.
Pinkalicious THE MUSICAL
Produced by the Vital Theatre, NYC
Pinkalicious can't stop eating pink cupcakes despite warnings from her parents. Her pink indulgence lands her at the doctor's office with Pinkititis, an affliction that turns her pink from head to toe - a dream come true for this pink loving enthusiast. But when her hue goes too far, only Pinkalicious can figure out a way to get out of this predicament.
