Sophia loves to sing and dance. She also loves making up stories and plays pretend. None of this is surprising since my husband is a retired actor. Every melodramatic moment she has, I blame the hubby.
While I’m not sure we want to encourage Sophia to seek a career in theatre, we make a point to take her to as many live theatre as our time and budget allows. She has seen shows at Imagination Stage as well as the Kennedy Center.
However, the musical Mirandy and Brother Wind at Adventure Theatre is different. The star of this show is an African-American girl. Mirandy of Mirandy and Brother Wind has smooth brown skin and beautiful braids, a look you don’t see often in children’s plays. Sophia might not consciously notice, but I know it makes a difference. Most exciting for Sophia is that Mirandy, played by Felicia Curry, also sings and dances.
This past Sunday, our family bundled up and headed over to Adventure Theatre at Glen Echo Park. It was totally worth the walk through the bitter cold! Sophia was absolutely mesmerized from the moment the lights went down. Even Jaxson wanted to join the dancing and singing onstage.
Collectively, hubby and I have seen a lot of children’s plays since we both worked for children’s theatre. We were both impressed by Mirandy and Brother Wind. It will appeal to children as well as adults. The songs had us tapping our toes and later, I caught myself humming the songs.
We were lucky enough to see an open rehearsal of Mirandy and Brother Wind. There, Michael J. Bobbit, Adventure Theatre’s Artistic Producing Director, shared his vision and journey of turning the Caldecott Medal winning book into a children’s musical. Not only did he adapt the book for the stage, but he also choreographed some of the dance numbers. His passion for this classic African-American story shone through.
Before we saw the show, Sophia and I discussed different aspects of it. Since hubby and I are theatre alums, we wanted Sophia to understand how much work and planning goes into putting on a stage production. Here’s what we did to prep her:
- Read the book, Mirandy and Brother Wind by Patricia C McKissack. As we read the book, we discussed the story. Sophia was especially fascinated on the different ways Mirandy attempted to catch Brother Wind. She also wondered what flavor the prized cake would be.
- We listened to the songs from Adventure Theatre’s website. My favorite is “Cake Walk.”
- Looked at the set renderings and compared it to the Jerry Pinkney’s illustrations from the book. We talked about what set designers need to think about when creating the set. Since the show is moving to the Atlas Performing Arts Center after its run at Adventure Theatre, the set has to be easy to transport. While at the Atlas, the set has to go up and come down in less than an hour because there are other shows/performers on before and after Mirandy and Brother Wind.
- Talk about what kind of dancing they might do for the cake walk. Sophia made up her own dance
Check out the study guide for additional ideas. There’s a lot more you can do beforehand, especially talking about theatre ettiquette. Sophia is still forgets to clap after dance numbers and the end of the show because she’s still in the moment.
She had such a blast that she’s ready to see another play!
Mirandy and Brother Wind runs until February 13, 2011 and is recommend for ages 4 and up (though Jaxson had a blast). Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online or by calling the box office at 301-634-2270 . They also offer a sensory/autism friendly performance on February 13. Call for more details.
Here’s your chance to win a family 4 pack of tickets to a performance of your choice to see Adventure Theatre’s Mirandy and Brother Wind! Do any of the following and leave a comment below.
- Leave a comment letting me know what your favorite cake flavor is.
- Visit Adventure Theatre’s website and let me know what upcoming play you’d like to see what summer camp your child might love.
This is a quick giveaway! I’ll draw a winner late Thursday, January 27 so the winner can choose to see a play this upcoming weekend if they’d like.
Disclosure: I received tickets to take my family to the show.