October 30, 2018
10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

School performance reservations accepted beginning August 7

Bugs and insects rule in the diary of unlikely best friends Worm, Spider and Fly. Worm eats his homework, Fly believes she has superpowers and Spider canʼt wait to grow up and molt. Promoting eco-consciousness, earth science and tolerance of others, DIARY OF A WORM, A SPIDER AND A FLY is a joyful, hip exploration of the world outside. The opening number, a rap entitled “A Lot Like You,” immediately connects our lives with the little creatures from our own backyards. You might just find that a bugʼs life is not all that different from your own!

Commissioned by Oregon Childrenʼs Theatre and debuting in 2011, DIARY OF A WORM, A SPIDER AND A FLY is a delightful stage adaptation by Joan Cushing. Cushing unites three popular books by Doreen Cronin and Harry Bliss: “Diary of a Worm,” “Diary of a Spider,” and “Diary of a Fly.” All three present smart, compelling scientific information along with the everyday activities, hopes and dreams of amiable insect characters. With the addition of Bee, Ant and Butterfly, Cushing combines the best of the Arthropods with rap, hip-hop, ballads and boogie-woogie in a hot musical that will have audiences wiggling in their seats to the beat.

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SCHOOL PERFORMANCES (Reservations accepted August 7)

November 12, 2018
10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

For centuries magicians have used scientific principles to make people levitate in mid-air and vanish in the blink of an eye. Illusionist Bill Blagg’s one-of-a-kind educational experience, The Science of Magic, takes students on a rare, never-before-seen journey “behind the scenes” of the magic world. Students will discover firsthand how magicians use science to create the impossible!

Bill’s comedy-filled, action-packed, presentation is highly interactive and makes science fun and exciting! Students will use the Scientific Method to levitate one of their teachers in mid-air and even learn how the science of reflection can make their homework magically disappear! In addition, Bill even performs some of his mind-blowing, grand-scale illusions with a scientific twist! Bill caps the show off with an incredible display of the water cycle by making it snow from his bare hands! Students will watch in amazement as science creates magic right before their very eyes!

The Science of Magic is designed to excite, educate, intrigue and promote students to think “outside the box” and spawn their curiosity about how science and the Scientific Method are used by magicians to create the impossible! To learn more about Bill Blagg visit www.billblagg.com

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PUBLIC PERFORMANCE (Tickets on sale August 6)

Tuesday, December 18, 2018
6:00 p.m. 

SCHOOL PERFORMANCES (Reservations accepted August 7)

Wednesday, December 19, 2018
10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. 

It’s holiday time and everyone’s favorite first grader is back to celebrate! All of the students in Room One are happily creating the perfect holiday party. Except how is Junie B. supposed to enjoy anything when she has drawn the name of her arch nemesis, Tattletale May, for her Secret Santa Gift? But wait — the Secret Santa gift is the perfect opportunity to give May exactly what she deserves…Maybe.  Holiday fun with a lesson about giving is a perfect treat for the holiday season!

Produced by Wally Jones & Casa Mañana Theatre
A Play by Allison Gregory
Adapted from the book series by Barbara Park

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SCHOOL PERFORMANCES (Reservations accepted August 7)

January 28, 2019
10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

There is a story connected with the Underground Railroad in countless communities throughout the North. Old houses have secret tunnels leading into the woods, attics with hidden stairways. The “railroad” was a network of friends who helped slaves escape to freedom in the North and on to Canada before the Civil War. This turbulent period of history is the subject of Freedom Bound, a one-act play with music by Mad River Theater Works. Freedom Bound revolves around the most famous incident in the history of the Underground Railroad in Ohio: the story of Addison White, an escaped slave, and his rescue by the citizens of the town of Mechanicsburg, Ohio. Freedom Bound brings history to life through original songs and an array of characters that pop right out of the past to relive the turbulence and hope of the UndergroundRailroad right before your eyes.

PUBLIC PERFORMANCE (Tickets on sale August 6)

Friday, March 15, 2019
10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

SCHOOL PERFORMANCES (Reservations accepted August 7)

Friday, March 15, 2019
6:00 p.m.

This groovy blue cat is on his way to stay with a new family and he’s excited, but Jimmy Biddle is nervous about how their houseguest is going to shake things up. When Jimmy draws a blank in art class on the last day of school, it turns out Pete is the perfect friend to help him out. Join Jimmy and Pete on a new adventure of friendship and inspiration!

Book and Lyrics by Sarah Hammond
Music by Will Aronson
Based on the popular book series by Kimberly and James Dean

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PUBLIC PERFORMANCE (Tickets on sale August 6)

Sunday, April 28, 2019
6 p.m. 

 

SCHOOL PERFORMANCES (Reservations accepted August 7)

Monday, April 29, 2019
10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. 

The creators of Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live want to take your family on an all new adventure – this time to the bottom of the ocean. Erth’s Prehistoric Aquarium Adventure is an immersive experience that invites you to jump in and explore unknown ocean depths where prehistoric marine reptiles lived eons ago – and maybe live still today! Erth shows are at the forefront of family entertainment, using actors, technology, puppets, science and imagination to create an amazing visual experience that connects young audiences to the real science of paleontology.   www.prehistoricaquarium.com

October 11, 2017

STUDENT MATINEES – 10:00 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.

Grade recommendation: K – 5th

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AARRRGH! Sail off on a swashbuckling musical excursion as young Jeremy Jacobs joins Captain Braid Beard’s band of comical pirates and searches for the perfect spot to bury their treasure. Jeremy finds fun and adventure on the high seas, but he soon learns that home and family are treasures you can’t find on any map!

Based off the popular book, the production includes terrific songs like “A Good One to Boot”, “Green Teeth”, “I’m Really Just a Sensitive Guy”, “Talk Like a Pirate”, “Soccer by the Rules”, “Pirates Dot Arrgh”, and more… It’s a joyful family musical that is sure to leave young mateys singing and dancing in the aisles!

This project is generously funded by the Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the state arts agencies of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.

 

 

 

 

Book Music & Lyrics by Janet Yates Vogt & Mark Friedman
Based on the book “How I Became a Pirate” by Melinda Long with Illustrations by David Shannon
Produced by Dallas Children’s Theater from Dallas, Texas

December 8, 2017

STUDENT MATINEES: 10:00 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. SOLD OUT

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Mooseltoe, the Moose with a Dream, and his friends come to life in this colorful, magical and whimsical musical tale. Follow our hero as he pursues his seemingly impossible dream of being a North Pole reindeer, while learning many valuable lessons along the way. Eight original, memorable and melodic songs accompany this hour-long odyssey to self-discovery. Al Roker narrates this wonderful family presentation, along with other celebrity voices from TV and movies, set design by Kelly Tighe, and costume design by Broadway designer Randy Carafagno of The Lion King.

Book & Lyrics by Jim Semmelman
Music by George Kramer

 

January 23, 2018

STUDENT MATINEES: 9:00 a.m. SOLD OUT & 11:30 a.m. – only 130 tickets left!

Grade recommendation: 3rd – 9th

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Freedom Riders is the latest edition to the canon of American History plays by Mad River Theater Works. This new play, with original songs and music, explores the valiant and courageous personalities behind one of the most critical chapters in the history of the Civil Rights movement. Freedom Riders demonstrates the importance of working together to affect change and specifically how non-violent protests were used to focus attention on the cruelties of segregation.

Set in 1961, fifteen years after the United States Supreme Court had outlawed segregation, bus lines and cities throughout the South still enforced a rigid system of separating black and white citizens. The Freedom Riders, both black and white Americans, from the North and the South, decided to travel together on buses that crossed state lines despite the hateful segregation and racism that had a strong hold in so many parts of the United States. The unforgettable heroes, and the facts behind the events portrayed in Freedom Riders, are essential to a full understanding of the Civil Rights era and American history.

Play by Jeff Hooper. Music by Bob Lucas.

February 12, 2018 – 10:00 a.m. – STUDENT MATINEE

Grade recommendation: Pre-K – 4th

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February 11, 2018 – 3:00 p.m. – PUBLIC PERFORMANCE

Buy Tickets to Public Performance - $5 childrens, $10 adults Tea Party with Pinkalicious Tickets

Join Pinkalicious for tea after the public performance on February 11. Tickets are $25, and all proceeds go to support the Main Stage Education Series.

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.

Book by Elizabeth Kann & Victoria Kann
Music by John Gregor
Lyrics by John Gregor, Elizabeth Kann & Victoria Kann
Based on the book “Pinkalicious” by Victoria Kann & Elizabeth Kann

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February 21, 2018

10:00 a.m. – SOLD OUT & 12:30 p.m.

Grade Recommendation: Pre-K – 9th

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Audiences and critics agree – Cirque Zuma Zuma is unlike anything they have ever seen before. Many describe it as an African-style Cirque du Soleil; such is the standard of the performers and the quality of the show’s live musical score. Like Cirque, our talent pool of 120 loyal performers has a family business kind of feel.

Cirque Zuma Zuma packs every show with non-stop action and incredible features which keep audiences on the edges of their seats.

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The show includes performances of all different types of African culture, including:

• South African female vocalist
• South African gumboot dancers
• Amazing pole acts
• Zuma Zuma Acrobats
• Chairs handstand balance from Tanzania
• Gabonese tumblers
• Contortionists from Ethiopia
• The Africa Africa Lion dance
• Percussionists from Zimbabwe
• Club juggling
• Ethiopian foot table juggling

January 23, 2017
10:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m.

At the start of the summer of 1947, television was brand new, the sound barrier had not been broken, and baseball was a white man’s game. By the time the fall arrived, all that had changed.

President Truman addressed the nation for the first time on TV, Chuck Yeager flew faster than any man ever had, and Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play major league baseball. It was no accident that Jackie Robinson was chosen as the first ballplayer to break the color barrier in the sport known as America’s pastime. There were plenty of good athletes in the Negro Leagues: some maybe even better than Jackie. But when Branch Rickey decided to add a black person to the Brooklyn Dodgers, he knew that individual had to be special. He had to be strong enough to stand up to the teammates who would ridicule him, the pitchers who would throw at him and the fans who would send him threats. He had to be able to turn the other cheek, to show that he was the bigger man and to prove that he could be everybody’s hero.

This play with music by Mad River Theater Works shows the events that shaped Jackie Robinson’s character, his struggle to gain acceptance, and the tremendous obstacles he overcame on his way to changing the face of our nation and our national pastime.

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