Tag Archives: featured

Arts & Culture Events for Preschoolers, Arts & Culture for Kids

St. Louis Family Theatre Series at Florissant Civic Center

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Experience nationally touring family theater productions at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre!

Tickets
Public performance tickets are $8 each.
Box office hours: Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm
Call 314.921.5678
Email FCCT@FlorissantMO.com
Purchase tickets online
Single tickets go on sale 45 days prior to the opening of any production.

Location
Florissant Civic Center Theater
1 James J. Eagan Drive
Florissant, MO 63033

Photo: Theatreworks USA

DRAGONS LOVE TACOS & OTHER STORIES
FROM THEATREWORKS USA

Public Performances: November 19, 24, and 25, 2017 at 2 pm

Approximately 50 minutes in length.
Recommended for grades K through 5.

Theatreworks USA’s newest musical revue of beloved contemporary children’s books!

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin Dragons love all sorts of tacos—except spicy ones! When a boy throws his new dragon friends a spicy salsa taco party , red-hot trouble ensues.

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein: It’s bedtime for the little red chicken. Papa is going to read her a story, but the chicken can’t help interrupting. Will the chicken ever get to sleep?

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds: A story about the creative spirit in all of us. Vashti can’t draw, but when her teacher says “Just make a mark and see where it takes you.” Vashti discovers she is an artist, after all.

Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride by Kate DiCamillo, Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen: Mercy, a porcine wonder, and Mr. Watson go for a ride every Saturday in Mr. Watson’s automobile. But one Saturday, guess who winds up behind the wheel?

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa School Days by Erica Silverman, painted by Betsy Lewin Yee: Haw! Cowgirl Kate and her loyal horse Cocoa are the perfect pair. They do everything together, until school is in session—and horses are not allowed!

Production and Cast Information

HENRY & MUDGE
FROM THEATREWORKS USA

Public performances: January 12, 2018 at 7:30 pm AND
January 13 and 14, 2018 at 2 pm

Approximately one-hour in length.
Recommended for grades Pre-K through 3.

Moving from the city to a new house in the country can be tough. Just ask Henry, who can’t find a playmate in his new neighborhood! Luckily, he’s got Mudge, a great big, 182-pound canine buddy, with whom he can share all kinds of adventures!

Henry discovers that having a pet is a big responsibility — they need to be fed, they need to be taken out for walks, and of course they need lots of love and playtime! And when the dog is as big as Mudge is, they also need good training. Henry teaches his new friend to sit, heel, and shake his hand, but rolling over is one trick Henry just can’t seem to teach Mudge, no matter how hard he tries.

When Henry’s cousin Annie comes for a visit, Mudge is so charmed by her that he finally rolls over at her command! Henry thinks Mudge must love Annie more than him, because the dog only does the trick for her. Very upset, Henry runs away into the cold dark woods to find adventures on his own. Mudge follow’s the boy’s scent into the forest — he really does love Henry and doesn’t want to be without him.

Will the two friends be reunited? Find out in this Theatreworks musical, based on the best-selling series of books by Cynthia Rylant.

Read the study guide for Henry & Mudge.

PINKALICIOUS THE MUSICAL
FROM VITAL THEATRE COMPANY, INC.

Public performances: February 4, 2018 at 2 pm;
February 9, 2018 at 7:30 pm; and February 10, 2018 at 2 pm

Approximate run time is 50 minutes.

Photo: Vital Theatre Company

 

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 toes – 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.

Read the study guide for Pinkalicious the Musical.

CLEMENTINE
FROM BARTER THEATRE COMPANY

Public performances: March 4, 2018 at 2 pm;
March 9, 2018 at 7:30 pm; March 10, 2018 at 2 pm

Photo: Barter Theatre

Clementine is having a terrible week, but this spunky eight-year-old doesn’t let her daily visits to the principal’s office get her down! Come join America’s favorite curly-haired carrot-top as she navigates the hilarious waters of friendship, family, school, and mischief on an epic third grade adventure you’ll never forget.

Adapted by Catherine Bush with music and lyrics by Dax Dupuy.
?From the book by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Freeze.
Published by Disney-Hyperion.

Read the study guide for Clementine.

Arts & Culture for Kids, Family Friendly Film

A Cat in Paris

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A Cat in Paris is a great animated film for kids ages 8 and up who identify with beautiful drawings, a tight story line, cops and robbers, pets, anxiety, suspense, feeling lost, or feeling found. Check it out at your local library, on Amazon, or on Netflix.

A Cat in Paris
A film by Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol
France, 80 min, 2012

From GKIDS (US Film Distributor):

The Academy Award nominated A Cat in Paris from directors Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol is a beautifully hand-drawn caper set in the shadow-drenched alleyways of Paris.

Dino is a cat that leads a double life. By day he lives with Zoe, a little girl whose mother is a detective in the Parisian police force. But at night Dino sneaks out the window to work with Nico – a slinky cat burglar with a big heart, whose fluid movements are poetry in motion as he evades captors and slips and swishes from rooftop to rooftop across the Paris skyline. The cat’s two worlds collide when young Zoe decides to follow Dino on his nocturnal adventures – and falls into the hands of Victor Costa, a blustery gangster planning the theft of a rare statue. Now cat and cat burglar must team up to save Zoe from the bumbling thieves, leading to a thrilling acrobatic finale on top of Notre Dame. A Cat in Paris is a warm and richly humorous love letter to classic noir and American gangster films, with jazz soundtrack featuring Billie Holiday.

Featuring the voices of Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River), Academy Award winner Anjelica Huston (The Royal Tenenbaums) and Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket).

GKIDS is a distributor of award-winning animation for both adult and family audiences. The company has scored three Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations in the past three years, with The Secret of Kells in 2010 and both A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita in 2012 – marking the first time an independent distributor has had two simultaneous nominations in the category. GKIDS handles North American theatrical distribution for Oscar winner Hayao Miyazaki’s famed Studio Ghibli library of films, one of the world’s most coveted animation collections with titles Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and others. GKIDS is also the producer of New York International Children’s Film Festival, North America’s largest festival of film for children and teens. NYICFF is an Oscar-qualifying event and jury members include Uma Thurman, Susan Sarandon, Gus van Sant, Matthew Modine, Jeffrey Wright, John Canemaker, James Schamus, Michel Ocelot, and Christine Vachon.

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Arts & Culture Events for Preschoolers, Arts & Culture for Kids, Discounts & Promotions, Travel

Admission discounts to museums & more

 

Do you have a drawer or folder filled with membership cards to art museums, history museums, children’s museums, zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens? If your workplace offers at matching gift program, have you had your donations matched and subsequently you have been bumped up to the next donor level with increased donor benefits?

If yes, you are sitting on a budget friendly way to visit museums and other cultural destinations throughout North America for free or at a discounted price. Many cultural institutions offer patrons who give at a certain level access to reciprocal admission programs of the North American Reciprocal Museums, the Association of Children’s Museums, and more.

Here’s how to discover your discounts:

1. Check your current membership of your local museum, zoo, aquarium, or botanical garden. At your donor level, are you eligible for any reciprocal benefits? This information can usually be found on your local cultural institution’s donor benefits web page or contact the organization’s development office.

2. If yes, visit one of these web sites to view the reciprocal admissions participants list and what kind of discounts are offered. Typically, organizations offer admission, gift shop, parking, audio guide, or tram tour discounts. Be sure to note any restrictions, especially for number of admissions, special exhibitions, and distance from your hometown.

* Association of Children’s Museums
* North American Reciprocal Museums
* Association of Science and Technology Centers (i.e. science related museums)
* Time Travelers Program: Reciprocal Benefits at History Museums
* American Horticultural Society Reciprocal Admissions Program
* Association of Zoos and Aquariums

3. Contact the cultural organization you plan on visiting to confirm reciprocal benefits.

4. Remember to bring your membership card with you on your trip.

5. Have fun exploring with your family!

6. Although you may have gotten in for free with your reciprocal benefit, consider making a small contribution, eat in the museum’s cafe, or buy something in the gift shop. Most of these nonprofits run a very tight ship administratively, so every penny counts in helping them thrive. Be sure to talk to your kids about the whys of donating.

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