Kids @ the theater: What's your fave?
I've been lugging my children to see plays for years in Portland, but have only found one kid-oriented theater that truly jives with my idea of telling appropriate stories and using appropriate humor to children. And, importantly, I want to avoid examples of behavior that I'm not wanting to come home with us - you know, siblings pestering each other, people being rude to each other and laughing about it, etc... Which I've seen plenty of - and often at prices I'm very sorry to have paid.
The one I just can't get enough of is Play After Play in SE Portland. Have you been? It's minimalist theater that leaves lots to kids' imaginations - they describe it like this:
Then after the play, they play. At first I was a bit put off by it, but I've come around and my kids love it. In their words:
And it's affordable, and family-run, and cozy, and just plain real. Very Portland. You can see their fall schedule here. Their opening show for 2009-10 is "The Greatest Treasure: A Story from China." Did I mention that each month they present a real story from a different country?
All that said, I'm sure I'm missing some excellent ones, and that whether or not they fit with my idea of appropriate is of course not the best criterion for others. Which local children's theaters does your family love? And why?
NWCT is our favorite. The kids love the costumes, they love the actors (and love seeing kids perform), the music, the building, it is always good fun. We've never felt anything was inappropriate at all...we pick age-appropriate plays and are big fans. Any poor behaviors our kids may have picked up come from school, not theatre they have seen.
We like Imago but I sense that us adults like it more than the kids do.
We've attended some OCT plays too and they are well dproduced but not as entertaining for some reason. And the general vibe doesn't feel as family-friendly.
Play After Play looks, um, mildly interesting. My sense is my oldest at least would hate the interactive component and the lack of costumes. I could be wrong.
Posted by: cherylm | September 24, 2009 at 02:31 PM
Play After Play does certainly sound interesting but I think there is a wonderful sense of magic that comes along with the costumes, sets etc. I remember feeling that when I saw my first play, opera and ballet. I have not yet taken my children to a play and that is something I definitely plan on doing. I have heard wonderful things about NWCT.
Posted by: Heidi | September 24, 2009 at 05:27 PM
We have been to several Tears of Joy Puppet Theater performances, and I have never been let down. My son loves the puppetry, and I am entranced as well.
Posted by: mom22 | September 24, 2009 at 10:23 PM
I take my kids to performances all the time--and they are 1 & 3 years old. Their first plays were as sleeping infants, often nursing in the back (otherwise empty) row. We love NWCT--their upcoming "Winnie the Pooh" looks great, and last year's "Goodnight Moon" was MAGICAL. The kids can meet the cast afterwards in the lobby. OCT does some great shows, too--I think some are just geared more towards elementary and middle school aged kids. I always appreciate their production values. OBT is offering a special children's subscription this year: you can see "The Nutcracker" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and the annual school show for a special rate.
We have attended "Play After Play" and it is SO nicely done. They incorporate movement and music and percussion and they really create magic with their bodies, voices, and simple props.
We also have had fun going to Shakespeare in the Park during the summer. The nice thing: if the child is restless, they can wander around the park with a parent. Picnics are encouraged.
One last thought about kids and theater: don't discount community theatre and high school shows. These are GREAT ways to introduce your kids to the performing arts, and they are inexpensive! We see lots of fun shows this way...and since most are held at schools, there are long hallways where they can run during intermission. West Sylvan Middle School even does great shows, as does Central Catholic, Clackamas HS, Lincoln...
It's great to support local productions.
Posted by: chambu | September 24, 2009 at 11:50 PM
s
Posted by: catmom | September 25, 2009 at 12:10 AM
Penny's Puppets isn't exactly theater, but it is amazing! I have never been disappointed by her messages and her puppets are great.
Posted by: kelly | September 25, 2009 at 08:56 PM
We typically go to one NWCT show and one OCT show a year, because you can get a free kid's ticket with the purchase of an adult wtih the Chinook book coupon (=our main reason for purchasing the Chinook book every year). I haven't noticed much of a difference b/t the two companies (we've loved everything we've seen), although to my daughter and me, attending the downtown, rather swanky Newmark theater (OCT) feels a lot more special-occasion than the (to me) less comfortable theater in the NW (NWCT).
Posted by: MollyH | September 27, 2009 at 10:35 PM
This was so helpful!! I have tried finding reviews of both OCT and NWCT and here it all was for me... thank you to those who posted! We've been to play after play and older kids found it less engaging. I agree with the comment about high school plays we have seen several at Grant HS and they were great.
Posted by: Liz | October 02, 2009 at 11:17 AM
This was EXACTLY what I was looking for. I've been looking for theater performances for children for my (thespian-loving) 9yo niece for christmas and of course uM had what I needed. Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I ended up getting tickets to Narnia at NWCT.
Posted by: cjanelo | December 19, 2009 at 08:06 AM