By C.J. Hirschfield
I’ve written before about the
concept of Theatre for the Very Young, but I’d never actually experienced it
myself before last
week.
On paper it looked very
exciting—enough so that Children’s Fairyland didn’t hesitate to partner with
Nina Meehan and her Bay Area Children’s Theatre to offer this Bay Area first.
TVY is generally defined as professional theater led by adults
performing for an audience of months-old babies to toddlers who are accompanied
by parents or adult companions. Shows typically last about 40 minutes and are
held in quiet, enclosed spaces without seats.
England, Sweden, Australia and
Scotland embrace the concept. Here in the U.S., Minneapolis, New York, Chicago, and Seattle have taken the lead.
Fairyland seemed to be the
perfect site for this special theatrical performance. We understand completely
that unlocking imaginations at a very young age and exploring early language
enhances opportunities to learn. And if a child is pre-verbal? No problem. Kids
still want to be amazed and engaged and to explore their world. And since we’ve
been in the memory-making business for 66 years now, we also knew that this
intimate experience would encourage adults to connect with kids.
Which is how I found myself
sitting on a pillow with 35 other people in a newly installed yurt-like
performance space at Fairyland on a beautiful Saturday morning – at a sold-out
show, I might add!
|
Actors Jamella Cross and Andrew Mondello. Photo by Nina Meehan. |
The show is called “Splish
Splash,” and here’s the description: “From the familiar world of bath time and
rubber duckies to sailing on the ocean and spotting fantastic fish, this
interactive theater experience invites munchkins to explore the wonders of
water and discover what this precious resource means to us.”
The journey of a drop of water
from bath time to pipes, from the ocean to the clouds, and back to earth as
rain was led by three talented professional actors: Andrew Mondello and Jamilla
Cross (both of whom starred in our hit production of “Good Night, Good Night,
Construction Site”) and Kate Brennan.
Fairyland’s theater director,
Doyle Ott, could not be more pleased with the production’s premiere. “When I
watched the kids’ reactions to the performance,” he told me, “it reminded me of
how alive the world is to a small child.”
I myself saw kids’ eyes widen
as they saw huge, brightly colored fish “swim” by them. Many were inspired to
pet, kiss or hug them. I observed toddlers lying on their backs to hear a story
about cloud shapes. There were singalongs, a little tap dancing and opportunities to
play musical pipes, launch a rubber ducky into water and pretend to swim in the
ocean. With TVY, getting
into the actis
encouraged; parents don’t have to worry about their child’s random explorations.
I admit that I was sneaking
peeks at the families while the show was going on. Many kids started out in
laps and later were moved to throw themselves into the activity of the moment.
Parents were guiding, hugging and smiling. Doyle’s hope is that the production might inspire
parents to explore new ways to play with their kids.
We love the fact that for many
of these kids, “Splish Splash” represents their first exposure to live
performing arts. When they grow up, they’ll no doubt learn to sit quietly and
applaud at the right places. But until then, TVY celebrates the fact that they
can react in any way that works for them, and it’s better than OK.
Doyle, who is also an actor and
a college professor, has participated in hundreds of theatrical productions. But
this is no doubt the first show in which he has to clean certain items with
antibacterial wipes after each performance. That’s just how we roll with
Theatre for the Very Young.
Splish Splash runs at
Children’s Fairyland Fridays through Sundays through Nov. 20. For more
information and tickets, go to the Bay Area Children's Theatre website.
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C.J. Hirschfield has served for 14 years as executive director of Children’s Fairyland, where she is charged with the overall operation the nation’s first storybook theme park.