Educational Programs

For Information: (270) 443-9932, ext. 250

For Reservations: (270) 443-9932, ext. 212

Email the Director of Education

The Class Acts Education Series runs September through May.  Scroll down or click on the brochure icon to the right for information about the 2011-2012 season.

Series Sponsors are Paducah & Louisville Railway and Jackson Purchase Energy Corporation.

2011-2012 SEASON PREVIEW

    

   

Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom with Peter Gros - September 16, 2011, 9:30 and 11:30 AM

With a bevy of live, wild animals that will be the stars of the stage, Peter Gros brings a Wild Kingdom to the Carson Center. Peter will share his exciting animal world, travel experiences, and timeless tales in an interactive show guaranteed to thrill children and adults alike. Peter will highlight his many adventures with a mix of video clips and hilarious bloopers while introducing friendly exotic animals to audience members, and telling inspirational stories of wildlife filming, travel and conservation.  With a long-standing commitment to conservation that dates back more than 40 years, Mutual of Omaha believes in protecting the world's natural resources. While Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom premiered on NBC in 1963, today popular co-host Peter Gros continues to help heighten awareness about environmental issues through this exciting performance.

Curriculum Connections: Science, Conservation, World Culture, Social Studies

Suggested for grades K-8     Run Time: 60 Minutes     Tickets: $5.00

Don’t miss all-new episodes of Wild Kingdom with Peter Gros on Animal Planet. Gros is a frequent guest on LIVE with Regis and Kelly and the CBS Early Show. In addition, he often appears on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

 

Ananse…Early in the Day! - September 29, 2011, 10:00 AM

Ananse the Spider, trickster of Ashanti folklore, witnesses the early day when animals and life are new. Sharing comical adventures with dozens of other characters, he leaves his mischievous mark on life, or "so the story goes." Drawing inspiration from West African music, masks, costumes, and oral traditions, Wood and Strings Puppet Theatre brings this production to the stage with vibrant scenic splendor and magic. Yoruba, Ashante, Bobo, Fon and Dogon art and folklore are vividly illustrated, transporting audiences to another time and a different world.

Curriculum Connections: World Culture, Science, Music, Story-telling

Suggested for grades K-4     Run Time: 60 Minutes     Tickets: $5.00

 

Out of the Mist…A Dragon! - September 30, 2011, 10:00 AM

This elegant production by Wood and Strings Puppet Theatre is a dramatic tale performed with classic Japanese Banraku puppets, masked figures from Kwakiutl tribal mythology and Wayang Kulit shadow puppets. A Japanese folktale, it is the story of a young fisherman who is changed into a magical dragon because of his love for a samurai’s daughter.  "Out of the Mist... a Dragon is a journey around the world of traditional folk puppetry," says Lega, artistic director of the company.

Curriculum Connections: World culture, Story-telling, Folk Art

Suggested for grades 4 and up     Run Time: 60 Minutes     Tickets: $5.00

Wood and Strings Puppet Theatre has received national acclaim for their unique productions.  Under the direction of Clarissa Lega, producer, and Leon Fuller, director, this professional touring company is involved in all aspects of production.  Collaborating with four highly trained puppeteers and many other talented artists, they create works of puppetry for performance.  Their attention to detail from story line through puppet and set construction and on to original music and choreography becomes a complete interplay of the arts in their final works.  The Carson Center is proud to present Wood and Strings in a 3 day artist residency filled with performances, artist lectures, question and answer sessions, and in-school puppetry workshops.

 

Civil War Voices - October 17, 2011, 10:00 AM

Civil War Voices tells the compelling and passionate true stories of five individuals who lived through the conflict, using the actual words the characters left behind in diaries, letters, and other writings.  All new arrangements of traditional melodies of the period by renowned composer Mark Hayes advance the narrative and sharpen the emotional impact of the stories.  As the nation celebrates the 150th anniversary of the outbreak of the Civil War in 2011, Civil War Voices is a key entertainment component of events all across America.  Barter Theatre, America’s longest running theatre company, brings this historical masterpiece to the stage.

“The history of the Civil War has never been presented so creatively as in this presentation…Hardships, chilling stories of battle, injustices and hope for the future are all cleverly entwined with songs of the period…Spectacular music, a total of 17 songs of the period, woven in and through the actual dialogue…Civil War Voices is an essential piece of American history.”  -The Examiner

Curriculum Connections: History, Music

Suggested for grades 4 through 12     Run Time: 2 hours     Tickets: $8.00

 

Imaginocean - October 21, 2011, 10:00 AM

This fresh, new, off-Broadway hit by the amazing John Tartaglia* tells the story of Tank, Dorsel and Bubbles, three best fish friends on a remarkable journey under the sea.  After discovering a treasure map, the friends set out on an ocean-wide adventure to find gold. During their trip, the fish overcome challenges and learn lessons on the importance of friendship and believing in oneself.

Visually stunning and brightly colored, the show is performed completely in the dark with black light puppets taking center stage. A hidden group of extraordinary puppeteers create the illusion that the puppets are actually swimming around the ocean—sometimes even extending out into the audience. Audience interaction and effects like bubbles and water that spray into the crowd create a totally nautical experience. Jam-packed with music ranging from swing to R&B to Big Band, John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean is a blast from the first big splash to the last wave goodbye.

Curriculum Connections: Science (Oceanography, Environmental, Light), Cooperation and Teamwork, Emotional and Social Development, Friends and Friendship, Self Expression, Communication, Music, and Puppeteering

Suggested for Preschool to 2nd Grade     Run Time: 60 Minutes     Tickets: $5.00

*Tony Award nominee John Tartaglia has Broadway credits like Beauty and the Beast and Shrek on his resume already (not to mention the hit Playhouse Disney series Johnny and the Sprites) . The talented actor/puppeteer’s latest outing, Imaginocean, landed itself off-Broadway last year—and it’s like no kids’ show you’ve ever seen.

 

My Fair Lady - November 3, 2011, 10:00 AM

Broadway is coming to Class Acts!  Have you ever dreamed of seeing a classic Broadway production? My Fair Lady premiered on Broadway in 1956 and has been a smash hit around the world ever since.  After becoming the longest running major theatre production in history, it was followed by a popular film version starring Audrey Hepburn - which won eight Academy Awards. 

Big League Productions Inc. presents a sparkling new production of the musical by which all other musicals are measured.  With memorable songs such as “The Rain in Spain”, “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?”, and “I Could Have Danced All Night”, it’s no wonder everyone, not just Henry Higgins, falls in love with Eliza Doolittle.  My Fair Lady has been called “the perfect musical”.  This full length production is the same performance as the one the public will see in the evening.  Don’t miss this opportunity to share a taste of Broadway with your students!

Curriculum Connections: Music, Classic Theatre, World Culture, Language Arts

Suggested for grades 3-12     Run Time: 120+ minutes     Tickets: $15.00

 

Skippyjon Jones - November 7, 2011, 9:30 & 11:30 AM

Skippyjon Jones is a little kitten with big ears and even bigger dreams! Sometimes he pretends to be a bird, sometimes he pretends to be a llama, and sometimes he pretends to be a whale… Anything BUT a Siamese cat! His Mama sends him to his room so that he can think about behaving like the cat he really is. While bouncing on his big boy bed, Skippyjon’s wild imagination takes over again as he catches his reflection in a mirror. “Holy guacamole! I am not a Siamese cat – I am a CHIHUAHUA!” And not just any Chihuahua. He dons a mask, a cape, and an accent, and transforms into “Skippito Friskito”, the greatest canine sword fighter in old Mexico! But when the local pack of chihuahuas is terrorized by the gigantic bee, Alfredo Buzzito El Blimpo Bumblebeeto Bandito, will Skippyjon be a ‘fraidy-cat or the top dog?  Based on the book by Judy Schachner, and from the creators of Theatreworks USA’s Junie B. Jones and Click, Clack, Moo, Skippyjon Jones is an enchanting musical about unleashing your powerful imagination and following your dreams.

Curriculum Connections: Literature Based   Communication & Language Arts   Music   Multi-Cultural   Relationships & Family

Suggested for grades Preschool through 3rd grade     Run Time: 60 minutes     Tickets: $5.00

 

Trout Fishing in America - November 17, 2011 10:00 AM

Trout Fishing in America is a high energy, electric folk/rock band best known for award winning family music and kids’ songs.  Their memorable lyrics and lively rhythms have landed them 4 Grammy Nominations.  With 15 albums and a new one soon to be released, musical partners, Ezra Idlet (guitar) who stands six feet nine inches and Keith Grimwood (bass), five feet five and one half inches, may seem to be an incongruous pair but with hits like “There’s An Alien In My Nose” and “My Hair Had A Party Last Night”, they prove to be a dynamic duo for audiences of all ages.  Mixing comedy and extraordinary musical talent, with real life stories and plenty of audience participation, they educate and engage their audiences.  Kids of all ages will be dancing in their seats.

Curriculum Connections:  Music, song-writing, character education, language arts

Suggested for grades Pre-K through 5     Run Time: 60 minutes     Tickets: $5.00

Sharing knowledge and encouraging art is a mission of Trout Fishing in America (TFIA).  They have developed a variety of song writing workshops for teachers and students which illustrate how art and music come from the fabric of everyday life.  Their willingness to make fun of our most annoying and sometimes disgusting habits in one song, then touch our hearts with tender and passionate images of family life in the next is what makes the connection between TFIA and their audience so real.  Contact Mary Katz at mkatz@thecarsoncenter.org if you are interested in booking a song-writing workshop with TFIA at your school. Check this out!  Trout Fishing in America is set to release a new book/CD set on September 1, 2011. Called “Chicken Joe Forgets Something Important,” the book and CD package is geared toward pre-schoolers through early readers and will feature eleven new songs.

 

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol - December 7, 2011 9:30 AM

The renowned Nebraska Theatre Caravan returns to the Carson Center for this beloved theatrical tradition.  Artfully recreating Charles Dickens’ classic tale, this lavish production  tells the legendary story of a man who is given a unique gift- a chance to change his heart and change his life.  Join Ebeneezer Scrooge as he is magically transported through space and time by the best known phantoms in literature as he they help him find the true “spirit” of the season.  A large cast, sumptuous scenery, special effects, glorious music, and lively dancing make this performance a must-see holiday treat!

Curriculum Connections: Literature, Language Arts, History, Music, World Cultures

Suggested grades: 3-12     Run Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes with a brief intermission     Tickets: $10.00    

 

Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew - January 13, 2012 10:00 AM

National Players returns to the Carson Center to give Class Acts audiences a unique taste of the great works of William Shakespeare.  One of the best-loved “Battle of the Sexes” is back, with a Wild West flare!  Cowboy boots and lassos give a biting punch to this classic.  Sparring romantic couple, Kate and Petruchio, duke it out on the western frontier.  Will they ride off into the sunset or die tryin’? The verbal duel never stops as National Players presents one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies.  Giddyup!

Curriculum Connections: Classic Literature, Language Arts, Theatre Arts

Suggested for Grades 6-12     Run Time: 90 Minutes     Tickets: $8.00

Free Theatre Education Workshops offered following this performance.  Reservations required.  To register for “Shakespeare: The Actor’s Journey” or “Stage Combat” workshops, contact mkatz@thecarsoncenter.org

 

The Magic School Bus - Live! - January 26, 2012, 9:30 & 11:30 AM

Seatbelts everyone!  The Magic School Bus celebrates its 25th Anniversary with an all new musical adventure. Ms. Frizzle’s students are putting on a play about global warming and they need some cold, hard facts. The Friz and her reptilian sidekick, Liz, know just where to find them! This is no ordinary field trip, as a hop on the Magic School Bus takes the class and the audience on a whirlwind tour.  From the arctic to the equator, they see telltale signs of climate change and learn how conservation, recycling, and alternative energy can make a difference. Ms Frizzle and her class are up for the climate challenge. Are you?

Curriculum Connections: Reading, Science, weather, environmental issues, observation, cooperation, teamwork and communication

Suggested Grade Level: K-3     Run Time: 60 Minutes     Tickets: $5.00

 

Locomotion - February 3, 2012, 9:30 & 11:30 AM

Lonnie Collins Motion has so much kinetic energy that his nickname, Locomotion, is perfect. He’s seen a lot of sadness in his young life. But when he discovers a passion for writing poetry, Lonnie finally finds a way to express his feelings about his family, the fire that took his parents away, his little sister, and his world. Award-winning novelist Jacqueline Woodson has turned her Coretta Scott King Honor Book into an inspiring play about the journey of an eleven-year-old African American boy as he moves from tragedy to hope, from silence to expression, and from losing one family to gaining a new one. Along with Lonnie, we all learn that something as simple as writing a poem can start a journey of growing up, through the discovery of a warm, funny, perceptive, and unique voice. Don’t miss the Kennedy Center’s award-winning theatrical rendition of this superior work of literature.

“The gradual unfolding of his life’s events intermingle with his discoveries about poetry as a form, from haiku to sonnets to the epistle poems he writes to his father…Woodson, through Lonnie, creates…a contagious appreciation for poetry.” –Publisher’s Weekly

Curriculum Connections: Language arts and literature, cultural studies, diversity, interpersonal relationships, and contemporary issues.

Suggested for Grades 4 and Up     Run Time: 60 Minutes     Tickets: $5.00

 

Growing Up With Mozart - February 17, 2012, 9:30 & 11:00 AM

This multimedia performance is a unique look into the man behind the music, his extraordinary works, and how his music changed the world.  Wolfgang himself will narrate his own life story and explain his music as the Paducah Symphony Orchestra performs.  As they get to know Mozart, students will get a glimpse of life in the 1700s and also witness the transformation of his music from Symphony 1 (age 8) to Symphony 35 (age 26).  Maestro Raffaele Ponti artfully weaves in an educational introduction to the four groups of orchestral instruments making this a musical must-see!

Curriculum Connections: Music, History, World Culture

Suggested for grades 3-6     Run Time: 55 minutes     Tickets: $5.00

Petting Zoo Workshop - Hands-on fun with instruments! Students have the chance to get up close and personal with the orchestral instruments they will see professionally played on stage.  Each instrument is given a brief introduction and demonstration as participants move around several “stations” for the opportunity to see, hear, and play the instruments.  It’s a fun and educational program that teaches how vibrations become sound, and sound becomes music.  Reservations are required for this 30 minute free musical experience which will take place in the Myre River Room before and after the Growing Up With Mozart performances.  Contact mkatz@thecarsoncenter.org to reserve a time for your class.  Space is limited.

 

Four Score and Seven Years Ago - February 21, 2012, 9:30 & 11:30 AM

To young Lemuel, who has escaped slavery in Georgia, life in Gettysburg is everything he had dreamed it would be. However, his ideas about the North and the South as well as what it means to be a free man are challenged when he unexpectedly befriends Jacob, a young Confederate soldier.  The two men may be of different races and on different sides of the Civil War, but they have much to teach each other about bravery and loyalty in Arts Power’s exciting and suspenseful musical.

Curriculum Connections: History, Music, Language Arts and Communication, Character Education, World Cultures

Suggested for Grades 3-8     Run Time: 55 Minutes     Tickets: $5.00

 

ArcAttack - March 5, 2012, 9:30 & 11:30 AM

Creators of the original Singing Tesla Coil, the crew of ArcAttack (featured on America’s Got Talent) use their high tech wizardry to generate a truly 'electrifying' performance. Inspiring minds of all ages, their show takes the audience on an interactive journey of discovery! 

In a brand new educational show the creators of ArcAttack unveil the science behind the spectacle. Combining their love of music with their exploration of concepts such as electricity, voltage and current, magnetism, robotics, lightening, and tackling complex issues like engineering, the crew of ArcAttack makes these concepts accessible for school audiences of all ages.  The audience is engaged from start to finish as the crew transports the audience to the far reaches of space where the hero Tony Starsmith, having been kicked out of his intergalactic rock band, must learn the values of teamwork and scientific discovery to defeat Parsec, the master of the Singing Tesla Coils. They will be amazed as they see the ArcAttack crew literally walk through lightening then learn how it’s possible, and see where the future of science is headed. Maybe they'll have as much fun as the ArcAttack crew has but either way, enjoy the show, and maybe, just maybe, be inspired to help to leave the world a little better than the way you found it. 

Curriculum connections: science, technology, engineering, music

Suggested for grades: 4-8     Run Time: 60 Minutes     Tickets: $5.00

In Austin, Texas, late 2005, ArcAttack began their journey to develop the Singing Tesla Coil with the help of Steve Ward, a veteran Tesla Coiler from Illinois. The product developed quickly, and after several iterations the instrument reached its present form. In 2007, Craig Newswanger of Resonant Studios joined in to provide the fledgling performance with another high tech spectacle, a robotic drum kit, contributing to the performance. Two custom engineered hand built Tesla Coils throw out electrical arcs up to twelve feet long, each one acting as an instrument with a sound reminiscent of the early days of the synthesizer. A robotic drum set accompanies the spectacle, its high power LED's flashing bright colors with the stroke of each mechanically actuated stick. The result is an electrifying musical experience.

 

Clifford The Big Red Dog - Live! - March 23, 2012, 9:30 & 11:30 AM

It only takes a little to BE BIG!™ In conjunction with the beloved BIG dog’s 50th anniversary in 2012, celebrate the timeless values of Clifford’s BIG Ideas - Share, Play Fair, Have Respect, Work Together, Be Responsible, Be Truthful, Be Kind, Believe In Yourself, Be A Good Friend and Help Others.  These sentiments have never been more fun as Clifford and his friends from Birdwell Island - Emily Elizabeth, Cleo and T-Bone – embark on new adventures.  With memorable songs and choreography – there will be even more of him to love in this ALL NEW musical – sure to delight audiences of all ages!

Curriculum Connections: Early Reading, Emotional and Social Development, Literacy, Friends and Friendship, Self Expression, Communication

Suggested for Grades Pre-K to 3rd     Run Time: 60 minutes     Tickets: $5.00

 

Junie B. Jones - April 23, 2012, 9:30 & 11:30 AM

Dear first-grade journal,

Hooray! Hooray! Theatreworks USA is bringing a cool musical (that is a bunch of talking all jumbled together with singing and dancing, I believe)  And what do you know! It’s all about me, Junie B. Jones! (The B stands for Beatrice, only I do not like Beatrice.  I just like B and that’s all.) This is the bestest musical ever, I tell you! It’s got loads of funny songs, and it’s based on a bunch of books this lady, Barbara Park, wrote about me and the things I do in first grade.  I hope everyone reads those books and comes to see my show at the Carson Center!

Love, (but not the mushy kind)

Junie B. 

Curriculum Connections: Reading, Language Arts, Music, Character Education

Suggested for Grades Preschool to 3rd grade     Run Time: 60 Minutes     Tickets: $5.00