Quick Center for the Arts announces Young Audience Series and Outreach Programs | Press Releases

A lion, a witch, a bull, a snow queen, flaming idiots, a rainbow and a brother named Fudge will delight children young and old as they all come to life at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts Young Audience Series for the 2001-02 season.

"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" leads off the season on Sunday, Oct. 14, at 1 and 3 p.m. Based on C.S. Lewis' enchanting adventure of four children transported to the fabled land of Narnia, the show is appropriate for children in Grades 2 -7. "The Lion...," is staged by Theatreworks/USA, the recipient of numerous awards and the troupe that helped launch the careers of such noted actors as Danny Glover, Henry Winkler and Susan Egan of Broadway's "Beauty and the Beast." The show will be repeated on Monday, Oct. 15, as part of the Quick Center's outreach program, Schooldays Series.

They juggle swords. They juggle fire. They even juggle themselves. Kids of all ages are in for a treat when the Flaming Idiots take the stage on Sunday, Nov. 25, at 1 and 3 p.m. Named Gyro, Pyro and Walter, they're more than just a juggling act. Their flaming-hot show is crammed with mind-bending contortions, side-bursting humor, death defying juggling and more.

The whole family will enjoy the Quick Center's holiday show, "The Snow Queen," on Sunday, Dec. 16, at 1 and 3 p.m. This Hudson Vagabond Puppets production, based on the Hans Christian Anderson tale, is danced in a narrated ballet by larger-than-life puppets, scored by Archangelo Correlli and is appropriate for children in all grades.

Towering "Bunraku" puppets, as high as 15 feet, and masked dancers tell the story of a little girl's journey to the North Pole and the friendship and love that drives her to save her brother from the Snow Queen. The show will be repeated on Monday, Dec. 17, at 10 a.m., as part of the Quick Center's outreach program.

Kids in Grades K-4 will be delighted with Theatreworks/USA's production of "Ferdinand the Bull," on Sunday, Feb. 3, at 1 and 3 p.m. This new bilingual musical adaptation of the beloved tale of Ferdinand - the young bull who would rather sit and smell the flowers than fight - is a fun-filled way to teach kids about resisting peer pressure. This show will be repeated on Monday, Feb. 4, at 10 a.m., as part of the Quick Center's outreach program.

"Reading Rainbow," another Theatreworks/USA production, will be presented on Sunday, March 10, at 1 and 3 p.m. Geared for children in Grades 2-7, "...Rainbow" is a sparkling musical revue based on the Emmy Award-winning PBS-TV series and features, among other books, Amazing Grace, Owen, Martha Speaks, Borreguita and the Coyote (bilingual) and Imogene's Antlers. This show will be repeated on Monday, March 11, at 10 a.m., as part of the Quick Center's outreach program.

The Young Audience Series will conclude on Sunday, April 14, at 1 and 3 p.m., with "Superfudge." With a brother like Fudge, life is never dull! And more excitement is on the way - a new baby is coming to the Hatcher household. Can the family survive another Fudge? Find out in this wacky new musical based on Judy Blume's hilarious bestseller. No birthday parties are available for this show. Theatreworks/USA will repeat "Superfudge" for Grades K-6 on Monday, April 15, at 10 a.m., as part of the Quick Center's outreach program.

The Quick Center's outreach program, known as the Schools in Partnership Schooldays Series, began 11 years ago as a one-week summer camp, but has been greatly expanded upon over the past several years by Deborah Sommers, the Center's program director since 1992.

The Schooldays Series is designed to give children throughout the region the opportunity not only to experience live theater but to become sophisticated audiences as well. Nine productions will be offered in the coming season. In addition, the Quick Center raises funds to offer grants for economically disadvantaged children to attend these performances by making tickets and transportation possible. These shows enrich the lives of more than 4,000 inner-city children by providing tickets for and transportation to its events. All-in-all, more than 12,000 area children experience the arts each year through the Quick Center's programs.

In addition to the six aforementioned programs, the Quick Center has added three more productions to its outreach program. Study guides, designed to enhance the learning experience, are available for all outreach programs.

Kids in Grades 2-7 will thrill to a performance of "The Mystery of King Tut" on Monday, Nov. 26, at 10 a.m. This Theatreworks/USA production is a musical about Howard Carter, the man who discovered the tomb of King Tut, "the boy king," in 1922 after ten years of searching.

In a very special event, arranged especially for students in Grades 4 and up, on Friday, Jan. 25, at 10 a.m., Philadanco! the Philadelphia Dance Company will perform innovative works by American choreographers in dramatic programs that have great audience appeal. The company has performed worldwide to unanimous acclaim and will include in its program works by women choreographers from their full-length evening program, "Messages from the Heart."

Students from middle school to high school are invited to a Theatreworks/USA production of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." This tale of feuding families and star-crossed lovers, where world's collide, will take place on Wednesday, March 20, at 10 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. "For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

The Schooldays Series concludes on Monday, April 15, at 10 a.m., with the aforementioned, "Superfudge," a wacky new musical based on Judy Blume's hilarious bestseller.

The Quick Center's Outreach Program is funded in part by the Kiwanis Club of Fairfield and Schools in Partnership with Unilever H & PC. Subscriptions for the Young Audience Series are $48 for adults and $36 for children. Single ticket prices are $10 for adults and $8 for children. Tickets for the Schooldays Series are $5. Discounts are available for the Young Audience Series as part of the Quick Center's special birthday package which includes accommodations for a party in the Quick Center. For more information call (203) 254-4010 or toll-free at 1-877-ARTS-396.