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Arts & Culture for Kids

Metro Theater Company’s Bud, Not Buddy

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Bud, Not Buddy
A Metro Theater Company Production
Based on the Newbery Medal-winning novel by Christopher Paul Curtis
Adapted by Kirsten Greenidge
Composer: Terence Blanchard
In partnership with
Jazz St. Louis
Commissioned by The Kennedy Center
Approximate run time: 60 minutes

Grandel Theatre
3610 Grandel Square
St. Louis, MO 63108
Grandel Theatre Parking

Public Performances
February 4–25, 2018
Friday and Saturdays at 7 pm
Sundays at 2 pm

Tickets
Adult: $20
Student/Military/Senior (55+): $16
Groups of 10 or more: $14/ticket
Orchestra Box (seats 4): $72
Buy tickets online from MetroTix.

It’s 1936 in Flint, Michigan, and 10-year-old Bud is sure about two things: he wants to find his father, and he is not called Buddy. Unfortunately, while his mother made his name crystal clear, the whereabouts of his dad are a little unsure. The only clue she left behind is a flyer advertising Herman E. Calloway and his band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression. With this and his trusty suitcase in tow, Bud sets off on an epic journey of discovery, set to the soulful sounds of jazz.

Adapted by Obie Award winner Kirsten Greenidge from Christopher Paul Curtis’s  Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning book, this touching tale is set to original music by world-renowned jazz artist Terence Blanchard, played on stage by a 13-piece jazz ensemble.

For information about booking a school performance, contact the Community Engagement Manager at Community@metroplays.org or 314.932.7414, ext. 106. School Matinees ($8), February 6-23, 2018. Tuesday-Friday at 10 am. 

Learn about Christopher Paul Curtis’s books.

Learn about Kirsten Greenidge’s process of adapting Bud, Not Buddy for the stage.

Learn about Terence Blanchard.

Read the Bud, Not Buddy educator’s guide.

PHOTO: CHARLES OSGOOD
PHOTO: J. ROBERT SCHRAEDER / COURTESY OF COTERIE THEATRE

 

 

 

Arts & Culture for Kids

Walking the Tightrope at COCA

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WalkingtheTightrope“Every year right at the end of summer just before the leaves turn brown and fall from the trees, Esme comes to stay with her Nanna and Granddad…” But this year something is different; Nanna Queenie is gone. Though Grandad and Esme do the fun activities they usually do, things aren’t the same without Nanna Queenie. Grandad can’t bring himself to say that Nanna has died, so he explains that Nanna has joined the circus. “She looked like an ordinary woman, but inside beat the heart of a tightrope walker.”

COCA presents “Walking the Tightrope” in the Founders’ Theatre February 21 and 22, 2015. Winner of three LA Drama Critics Circle Awards and honored with more than a dozen nominations for acting, music, video design, and more, this production is an experience adults and children can enjoy together. Written by Mike Kenny, one of England’s leading writers for young audiences, and produced by 24th STreet Theatre in Los Angeles, “Walking the Tightrope” is a sweet, funny, and moving story of a grandfather who tries to tell his 5 year-old granddaughter that Grandma is gone, and in the process builds a beautiful new relationship with her. With the help of a single clown, they discover the meaning of family. 24th STreet Theatre’s acclaimed production uses world-class acting, sophisticated video, sound design, and original music to transport audiences from Grandad’s quaint 1959 English seaside cottage to the spectacular big top of circus. Look below for a special half off ticket promotion!

PARENTAL GUIDANCE: “Walking the Tightrope” gently and creatively addresses the theme of loss and is recommended for ages 7 and up.

WalkingtheTightrope2

 

DETAILS
COCA Presents 2014-2015: “Walking the Tightrope”
Founders’ Theatre at COCA
524 Trinity Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63130
Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 2 and 5 pm
Sunday, February 22, 2015 at 1 and 4 pm
Run time is approximately one hour.
General seating tickets are $14-$18 online or by phone at 314.561.4877, or in person at COCA.

SPECIAL PROMOTION for Culture Mama readers! Take 50% off any ticket with the promo code: tightrope50. Be sure to enter this code in the promo code box at the top right hand side of the screen when ordering online or tell a COCA staff person when calling or buying tickets in person.

Walking the Tightrope Study Guide

Walking the Tightrope at COCA

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

The Tortoise and the Hare

TortoiseandtheHareThe Missouri Humanities Council, First Bank, and Whole Foods Market, with Ready Readers and the Imaginary Theatre Company present “The Tortoise and the Hare” on Sunday, January 26, 2014, 1 to 3:30 pm, Clayton High School Commons, 1 Mark Twain Circle, Clayton.

Starting at 1 pm, children ages 3 to 10, can participate in fun interactive activities, face painting, a magician, clowns, and more. The performance of “The Tortoise and the Hare” begins at 2:30 pm.

Tickets are $12 per person in advance and $15 per person at the door. Purchase your tickets securely online. For group reservations, contact Lisa Greening at lisa@readyreaders.org. Questions? Call 314.564.8070.

The Tortoise and the Hare, a production of The Imaginary Theatre Company
One of Aesop’s fables springs to life in this fun new musical adaptation. Henry is a racer, one of the fastest bunnies the forest has ever seen. Shelly’s a tortoise, his quietly devoted best friend. Henry has always been the star of the show, until one day Shelly starts to have some dreams of her own. With the help of their forest friends, Shelly realizes her own worth and Henry finds out that sometimes being the best is not the most important thing. Run time is approximately 45 minutes. See photos from the production!

The Imaginary Theatre Company (ITC) is the resident, professional, touring ensemble of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Through the use of literature, folk tales, fairy tales, and new adaptations of classic works, ITC is committed to providing the very finest in theater for young audiences and strives to bring quality performances to schools and community venues throughout the bi-state area.

Ready Readers
Ready Readers is a St. Louis-based nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring preschool age children from low-income communities to love books and to have the emergent literacy skills necessary to become readers when they enter kindergarten. Trained, passionate volunteers read high-quality books aloud to the same classroom of children for 30 minutes every week, and then provide stimulating reading-related activities. Six times during each school year and once during the summer, the volunteer readers also distribute new books for each child to take home and keep.

Photo: Imaginary Theatre Company