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Stamford Center for the Arts Kicks Off Second Annual FREE Summer Children's Theatre

STAMFORD, CT: Stamford Center for the Arts (SCA) is pleased to present its Second Annual Free Summer Children’s Theatre on July 17, 22 and 24 (2008) at the Palace Theatre (61 Atlantic Street) in downtown Stamford, CT. The program offers three exciting children’s shows including a puppet show, storytelling, dance and acrobats. These LIVE one-hour performances are specially designed to serve those who cannot afford to attend theatre.

The first show this summer will be The Paper Bag Players performing, “On Top of Spaghetti” on Thursday, July 17th with shows at 10:30am and 12:30pm. This light-hearted theater features everyday, ridiculous situations abounding in old-fashioned belly laughs. As actors become spaghetti on stage, the audience joins them and immediately the whole theatre is filled with dancing children, as wiggly arms create piles of noodles. Once someone sneezes and the meatball rolls out the door, our hero begins his search around the world to find his meatball.

The second show will be TheatreworksUSA performing, “How The Elephant Got His Trunk” and other Animal stories on Tuesday, July 22nd at 10:30am and 12:30pm. With the Pink Elephant as your host, this classic story comes to life in a large-scale puppet extravaganza. Famous puppeteer, Jim West, will show off his colorful rod puppets in a madcap Barnyard Opera to the accompaniment of Mozart, Strauss, Rossini, and other classical greats.

The final performance will show off the talents of the incredible Kenyan troupe, the Jabali African Acrobats, on Thursday, July 24th at 10:30am and 12:30pm. This group combines Chinese and African traditions of acrobatics in a fast-paces show that blends limbo, tumbling, juggling, dancing and amazing intricate balances. Performers bounce, bop and balance to electrifying and infectious African music and drums. Audience participation is always included.

Last summer, over 14,000 children from 100 different groups, ranging geographically from Brooklyn to New London, were able to see performances, many of them experiencing live theatre for the very first time!
The success, feedback and support for the program was so enormous that SCA was able to do the program again this summer with help from sponsors such as People’s United Bank, Perdue Pharma, GenRe, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.

“It was extremely rewarding to see the sense of wonder and imagination these programs brought out of the kids last year. You could really see it in their faces as they were leaving the theatre. Part of our overall mission is to enrich their diversity as they grow and provide opportunities for personal development - which is exactly this program does,” said Carol Bryan, SCA’s Director of Education and Outreach.

Children, ages four through twelve, from community centers, day care centers, park and recreation city camps, schools, youth family services, and other community organizations are invited to attend LIVE performances at the Palace Theatre this July.

The Stamford Center for the Arts believes that bringing the performing arts to young people is critical as part of their path to becoming well rounded, successful, contributing members of our society; in short, the arts make better human beings. We place a special emphasis on making live theatre accessible to those who have the fewest resources.

For more information or to find out how to reserve seats for any of the performances contact Carol Bryan at 203-358-2305 x331 or e-mail cbryan@scaLIVE.org.  Reservations are made on a first-come first-served basis and are only available for groups of 10 or more.  For additional information (directions, parking, area restaurants and shopping) visit the SCA website at www.scalive.org  or call the Box Office at 203-325-4466.