Schooldays Series begins eleventh season at Quick Center | Press Releases

Quick Center for the Arts Schooldays Series begins its eleventh season at Fairfield University on Monday, Nov. 6, at 10 a.m. when students from area schools are invited to see a performance of "Alice in Wonderland," an American Family Theatre production, appropriate for children in Grades 2-5.

Serving all pupils throughout the region, the Quick Center presents several productions of live children's theater during the school year. Its Outreach Program supports attendance for economically disadvantaged children and sponsors programs that enrich the lives of more than 4,000 inner-city children by providing tickets and transportation to its events. This program is funded in part by the Kiwanis Club of Fairfield, the Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc., Regina A. Quick, People's Bank and Schools in Partnership with Unilever H & PC. Each year, more than 12,000 area children experience the arts through the Schooldays Series programs.

In addition, the Quick Center's Arts Bound program furnishes teachers with study guides and conducts teacher workshops prior to some performances to assist with the integration of the arts into the curriculum. The first workshop, "Creative Drama Across the Curriculum," is planned for teachers in Grades 1-5 for Tuesday, Nov. 28, from 4 to 7 p.m. The second, "A Playful Approach to Writing," for teachers in Grades 1-4, will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2001, from 4 to 7 p.m. Both workshops are in the Quick Center's Kelley Theatre.

Deborah Sommers, program director of the Quick Center, said she is still searching for additional grants to expand the program. "In many inner city schools," she explained, "some students can't even afford pencils and paper, so we try to offset costs for these schools by providing educational opportunities to as many children as possible. Also, it is part of the center's goal to be a strong resource for the region and integrate the most updated curriculum objectives and studies with the arts as an innovating tool."

Other programs in this season's series include: "Julius Caesar," by Shakespeare, presented by the Aquila Theatre Company of London on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 10 a.m. and 12:15 p.m., for Grades 5 and up; "A Christmas Carol," an American Family Theatre production, on Monday, Nov. 27, at 10 a.m., for all grades; and, "The Boxcar Children," by Theatreworks/USA on Monday, Jan. 29, at 10 a.m., for children in Grades 2-8.

Also, Theatreworks/USA presents "Amelia Bedelia and the Baby," on Monday, Feb. 5, at 10 a.m., for children in Grades K-3; Pianist Awadagin Pratt performs a concert for those in Grades 5 and up on Friday, Feb. 23, at 10 a.m., and The Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration on Tour will stage "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse," for kids in Grades K-3, on Monday, March 19, at 10 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.

Also, Theatreworks/USA will present "Footprints on the Moon," for children in Grades 4-9 on Wednesday, March 28, at 10 a.m.; "The Red Balloon," staged by Visible Fictions Productions, will take place on Monday, May 7, at 10 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. and is appropriate for children in Grades K-6; and, finally, Theatreworks/USA presents "Ramona Quimby," for children in Grades 1-6, on Monday, May 21, at 10 a.m.

In 1999, Phi Delta Kappa honored the Quick Center for the Arts with an Excellence in Education Award for its Schooldays Series and educational programs. For more information on how you can participate in this program, or to inquire about teacher workshops or grant-giving, call Ms. Sommers, program director, at the box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396.