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Education @ The Music Hall Announces 15th Annual School Days Series: 18 Performances featured in 2009-2010

PORTSMOUTH, NH: Top caliber affordable matinees are on tap as Education @ The Music Hall announces its 15th Annual School Days Series for the 2009-2010 season. The Music Hall has scheduled 18 performances that will entertain children from 80 Seacoast Pre-K to Middle School groups, homeschoolers and families. The 15th season features shows based on best selling books like Stellaluna, Pigeon Party! starring Mo Willems’ Pigeon, science fun, the life of an American heroine-Harriet Tubman, and many wonderful new shows including touring companies direct from the UK and Canada. The upcoming season is also filled with opportunities for teachers and other creative educators. For each School Days Series performance, The Music Hall offers detailed study guides available now at www.themusichall.org

According to Chris Curtis, School Days Series Coordinator, “Not only is the upcoming season filled with great performances – it’s an affordable way for teachers to help their students learn through the arts. Due to the generous support of Bank of America, Demoulas Foundation, French Foundation, Kohl’s, Morgan Stanley Foundation, Target and Unitil, The Music Hall is able to keep prices at their 1994 price - everyone can see a School Days Series show at The Music Hall for only $5.00. But don’t miss out – last season, some shows sold out!”

The Music Hall - the Seacoast's largest performing arts classroom - strives to educate students of all ages including lifelong learners, and serves more than 20,000 school children annually through its various programs. In addition to the popular School Days Series, Education @ The Music Hall also features the Masters in Learning program which offers in-depth, high-impact educational opportunities - customarily enjoyed in larger metropolitan areas – which include master classes and performances with world-renowned Grammy, Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning artists, panel discussions, and Meet the Artist opportunities. All of The Music Hall signature series are interwoven with the Masters in Learning Program.

Teachers and homeschoolers can arrange the details of their class or home school visit by contacting Chris Curtis, School Days Series Coordinator 603-433-3100 ext. 11. Space is limited so reserve soon! A deposit is required to reserve seats.

“I wanted you to know how much our class enjoyed the Eric Carle performance yesterday. It was such a wonderful show, the kids loved it and the adults were amazed that three people could put the show on. Thank you again and we will see you next year.” – Alana Flynn, Seabrook Elementary

“I feel fortunate that I am able to expose my kids to such fun theater.” - Elisabeth Scholes, Homeschooler, commenting on our School Days Series of performances

“Inspiring, engaging, entertaining, and a wonderful way for the kids to learn!” - Kris Cerami, 4th grade teacher, Little Harbor School (Portsmouth, NH)

The Music Hall is a non-profit performing arts center that entertains 100,000 patrons, including 20,000 school children, annually with acclaimed film, music, theater, and dance performances. Its historic 900-seat theater, built in 1878, is the oldest in New Hampshire and designated an “American Treasure” by the National Parks Service’s Save America’s Treasures Program. Living out its mission to be an active and vital arts center for the enrichment of the Seacoast community, The Music Hall presents diverse and relevant programming, including its signature series and innovative community outreach programs, and hosts numerous community fundraisers and celebrations for the benefit of more than 40 local nonprofits. A cultural anchor in a thriving Seacoast economy, The Music Hall and its patrons contribute $5 million annually to the local economy through show and visitor related spending. The Music Hall is a 501c3 tax exempt, fiscally responsible not-for-profit organization, managed by a volunteer Board of Trustees and a professional staff. The historic hall is located in Portsmouth, the seaport city recently named a “Distinctive Destination” for 2008 by National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information about The Music Hall and its schedule of events, visit www.themusichall.org.


***2009-2010 School Days Series Show Descriptions***

Room On The Broom
Tall Stories (UK)
Tuesday, October 13, 2009 9:30am and 11:30am

Just in time for Halloween!!! The witch and her cat are flying happily on their broomstick – until a stormy wind blows away the witch’s hat, bow and wand. A helpful dog, bird and frog find the witch’s lost things, and they all hop on the broom for a ride. But this broomstick’s not meant for five. When a hungry dragon appears, who will save the poor witch? And will there ever be room on the broom for everyone? Adapted from Julia Donaldson’s and Axel Scheffler’s bestselling book. Songs, laughs and scary fun!  Appropriate for Grades pre K - 2

Pigeon Party!
Starring Mo Willems’ Pigeon
Big Wooden Horse Theatre Company (UK)
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 9:30am and 11:30am

Mo Willems’ Pigeon is back and ready to party! Squeezing all the fun of the first three Pigeon books into one raucous production, this lively show is full of fun, feathers, laughter and excitement and features original music and lots of audience participation. Can you stop Pigeon from driving the bus? Will he share the hotdog? And after all that, it’s time for bed; the Bus Driver wants Pigeon to go to bed, all his friends want him to go to bed, but the question is - will you let him stay up late?! Appropriate for Grades pre K - 3

Peter And The Wolf & The Sound Mall
A Hudson Vagabond Puppet Production
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 9:30am and 11:30am

Larger-than-life puppets and Victorian toys come to life in this familiar story with an unexpected twist. Grandfather, an elegant 8-ft gentleman enters the scene on a high-wheeler bicycle. Peter is only 8, but he is over six feet and rides a toy Victorian horse on wheels. (The wolf still thinks the show should be called The Wolf & Peter!) Next, it’s The Sound Mall, an original story focusing on the science of music and sound, uses large scale masks and props to tell how the instruments came to be the size and shape they are in order to make the sounds they do.  Appropriate for Grades pre K - 4

Stellaluna
Kids’ Entertainment (CANADA)
Thursday, December 3, 2009 9:30am and 11:30am

When an owl attacks her mother, baby bat Stellaluna is knocked out of her loving grasp. The bewildered bat lands in a nest of baby birds, but her world has just turned upside down. Literally. Stellaluna’s adoptive mom accepts her into her nest, but only if Stellaluna acts like a bird, so she quits hanging by her feet and starts eating bugs. But, when she shows her siblings what life as a bat is like, they’re confounded. Anyone who has ever been asked to be someone they’re not will understand the conflicts--and possibilities—Stellaluna faces.  Appropriate for Grades K - 4

Darwin
Corbian Visual arts and Dance (CANADA)
Wednesday, March 3, 2010 9:30am and 11:30am

Darwin is much more than a pet: he is a dinosaur - a wild and primitive creature. Though Darwin learns to take his first steps from his creator, he is, after all, a dinosaur. His animal instincts eventually take over and he has no choice but to succumb. In Darwin’s explorations, he encounters many different types of living creatures, learning the value of both good and bad, love and hate, friends and enemies. What Darwin takes from these life lessons are up to him, and only he can decide his fate.  Appropriate for Grades 2-6

Click Clack Moo
Theatreworks USA
Tuesday, March 23, 2010 9:30am and 11:30am

All day long Farmer Brown hears “click clack moo, clickety clackety moo...” The cows are typing and protesting their working conditions! A hilariously “moo-ving” new musical about negotiation and compromise, based on the award-winning Caldecott Honor book by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin.  Appropriate for Grades pre K - 4

Einstein Alive! Featuring Marc Spiegel
Tuesday, April 13, 2010 9:30am and 11:30am

Blending science, history and entertainment, this show brings to life a warm, vibrant and uncannily realistic Albert Einstein who treats his guests to exciting demonstrations. He shows students, with their help on stage, how theories of relative motion and other fundamental concepts really work. The show, full of spontaneity and humor, is capped off with a lively Q&A.  Appropriate for Grades k-4

Freedom Train
Theatreworks USA
Tuesday, May 4, 2010 9:30am and 11:30am

Freedom Train tells the thrilling story of Harriet Tubman, the Moses of her people, in a fascinating series of highly theatrical scenes that use dance, dialogue, and music of the period. Freedom Train is the story of self-sacrifice, dedication and survival, laced with warmth and a sense of humor that celebrates the human spirit -- a universal story for all.  Appropriate for Grades 3-8

Harry the Dirty Dog
ArtsPower
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 9:30am and 11:30am

Harry has everything a little white dog with black spots could want. There’s just one problem: he hates taking baths. He hates them so much, in fact, that one morning he runs away. After a wonderful day spent playing in the dirt, Harry gets so grubby that he turns into a little black dog with white spots…and returns home to find that his family doesn’t recognize him!  Appropriate for grades k-2.