REVIEW: The New York Times review of our most recent children's show...
‘Aesop’s Fables’
By LAUREL GRAEBER
Published: March 11, 2010
“What goes around comes around,” the triumphant Wolf says sneeringly to the Fox. This may not be Aesop’s wording, but it succinctly captures his message. It also neatly describes the action at the Circle in the Square Theater, where that ancient Greek’s sly and savvy animals are running through the aisles, up and down the stairs and onto the stage in “Aesop’s Fables,” a new children’s musical directed by Theodore Mann and presented by the theater school’s Alumni Ensemble.
The space’s configuration — the audience is seated in the round — offers viewers circuslike thrills as the stories’ beasts enter and exit in their midst. The adult actors, wearing ingenious masks (some revamped from other shows, some created by Sophia Duran and Hannah Scott) morph so effectively into forest creatures that it hardly matters that “Aesop’s Fables” has no scenery. (The empty stage is later filled with the set for “The Miracle Worker.”)
Aesop (Justin D. Quackenbush) functions as a genial M.C. for the show, which deftly weaves “The Tortoise and the Hare,” “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” “The Fox and the Crow” and “The Lion and the Mouse” into a single narrative. Michael Milligan, who wrote the book, opens the action with a race, where the only runner brave enough to challenge Roddy the Rabbit (Kane Prestenback) is Travis the Tortoise (Marissa Parness).
The other tales unfold against the backdrop of that competition, with the wily Wolf (Clark Thomas Feeney) popping up frequently as an all-purpose bad guy. He steals from the Fox (Courtney Shaw) and casts the net that traps the Lion (Rendell Anthony DeBose).
This adaptation avoids Aesop’s preachiness with the help of humor, Joziah Longo’s score and lots of audience involvement. Mr. Longo, also the lyricist, has Travis droning a comically slow tune while Roddy rocks out. The two Sheep sing a funny baa-ing and lah-ing counterpoint to the Shepherd Boy’s ballad of boredom. And if your children have never cried wolf, they will certainly do so here.
One caveat: theatergoers under 5 may find the Wolf’s menacing scary. They should be reassured that this Wolf doesn’t get to steal any children, but he comes close to stealing the show.
EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAMMING HISTORY
Circle in the Square Theatre School, in an effort to become an even more productive part of the New York community while creating arts-related jobs, instituted our Educational Outreach Program in 1995.
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ALUMNI PERFORMANCE ENSEMBLE: Serving Grades K-6
The Alumni Performance Ensemble offers high quality, low-cost theatre for children in grades K-6. Each year, a group of selected graduates from our two year conservatory programs are invited to perform in productions for public and private school children in grades K-6. Over 20,000 metropolitan area students and their teachers have attended Performance Ensemble productions. We solicit recommendations for new and returning projects from school district Project Arts Coordinators and teachers so that we can provide productions that are directly connected to curriculum content. Each K-6 school group receives a study guide in advance of their attendance. All shows run approximately 45-60 minutes and are followed by the question and answer session with the cast.
Current Season Schedule | Archive of Past Seasons
SUPPLEMENTARY WORKSHOP FOR K-6: "Artists in the Classroom"
Circle in the Square offers a workshop where our own artists-in-residence will come to your classroom to spend 1/2 day to prepare you and your students to see the show and to have them participate in theatre games and story creation. This outreach program is only available to teachers and students who see our plays, and the cost is $200 for the 1/2 day. Please call early to reserve your day as we require at least two weeks notice to book a teaching artist for your class.
HOW TO BOOK A PERFORMANCE:
Unless otherwise announced in our season lineup, to order tickets for any of the performances listed call Circle in the Square Theatre School at (212) 307-0388. Let the phone ring! With the volume of calls coming in to the office, we often have to let the voicemail take a message and then we will get back to you.
Tickets are $5.00 per person per performance. One teacher or adult supervisor is admitted FREE with every ten student tickets purchased. A Deposit of $50 must be made in advance to hold your reservation. Performances can fill quickly so early reservations are advised. A study guide is provided in advance of the performance to help you prepare your students for their visit to the theatre.
All performances will take place at Circle in the Square Theatre, 1633 Broadway (Entrance to the theatre is on 50th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue). Please take into account your travel time if you are coming by bus. Traffic can be difficult and we can only hold the show for so long if you are late. There are multiple schools in attendance each performance and we cannot penalize the schools that are here on time.
THEATRE RULES: Please review our theatre rules and share them with your students before attending the performance.
- No photography of any kind is allowed during the performance. It is dangerous for the actors and distracting to the rest of the audience. You may take pictures of your students before and after the show with the actors.
- No gum is allowed in the theatre.
- No eating or drinking is allowed in the theatre.
- No recording devices are to be used in the theatre.
- The theatre cannot be responsible for providing a space for you to eat your lunch. We are a full-time theatre conservatory and do not have the extra space for classes to sit and have lunch or snacks. We suggest the public outdoor space behind World Wide Plaza which can be accessed from 50th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues.
DIRECTIONS TO THE THEATRE:
ARRIVING BY BUS:
- All performances take place at Circle in the Square Theatre.
- Our mailing address is 1633 Broadway (the entrance is on the uptown (North) side of 50th Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue).
- Please enter through our box office lobby which opens onto the breezeway, facing the Kinney Garage and next door to the Gershwin Theatre (Wicked).
- If traveling downtown: we suggest dropping off the students at the corner of NW corner of Broadway and 50th. This way, you will not have to cross any streets with your students.
- If traveling uptown: we suggest dropping of the students at the NE corner of 8th Ave. and 50th. This way, you will not have to cross any streets with your students.
ARRIVING BY SUBWAY:
- The C/E train (50th street stop) stops almost at our front door. If coming on the downtown train, use the NW 50th Street exit. If coming on the uptown train, use the NE 50th Street exit.
- The 1 train (50th street stop) stops almost at our front door as well. If coming on the downtown train, use the NW 50 Street exit. If coming on the uptown train, use the NE 50th Street exit.
- The N/R/W trains (49th street stop) stop just a few blocks away at 49th Street and 7th Avenue.
- The F/V/B/D trains (Rockefeller Center stop) are also an option but are a longer walk from 6th Avenue and could be confusing with a lot of students.
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GRADUATING CLASS PERFORMANCE PROJECTS: Serving Grades 7-12 and the New York Community
Our regular programming includes a spring season of productions, featuring members of our graduating classes. Each year, we present five productions of modern and classical plays and musicals suitable for audiences from grade 7 to adults. These productions are open to the entire New York community, free of charge.
No reservations are necessary for individuals (Groups: see below) wishing to attend these productions. Seating does not often start until 15-30 minutes before the show begins and we always have more than enough room to accommodate everyone.
The Performance Projects are typically scheduled during the month of May. For more information, please see the Performances Page.
FOR GROUPS: HOW TO BOOK A PERFORMANCE (no reservations necessary for individual attendees)
To order tickets for any of the performances listed call Circle in the Square Theatre School at (212) 307-0388. Let the phone ring! With the volume of calls coming in to the office, we often have to let the voicemail take a message and then we will get back to you. All performances will take place at Circle in the Square Theatre, 1633 Broadway (Entrance to the theatre is on 50th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue).
For some Graduating Class Performance Projects, a free study guide is available to prepare your students for the performance. When you call to book the performance, please ask about this possibility.
SUPPLEMENTARY WORKSHOP FOR GRADES 7-12: "Artists in the Classroom"
Circle in the Square offers a workshop where our own artists-in-residence will come to your classroom to spend 1/2 day to prepare you and your students to see the show and to have them participate in theatre games and story creation. This outreach program is only available to teachers and students who see our plays, and the cost is $200 for the 1/2 day. Please call early to reserve your day as we require at least two weeks notice to book a teaching artist for your class.
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ARTS EDUCATION FOR ACTORS: Teaching Artist Training
Recognizing the growing need for teaching artists across the country, Circle instituted a program in which select Circle graduates train to be arts educators. Arts Education for Actors introduces a viable way for Circle graduates to supplement their income as they utilize their talent and training to benefit their community. This program was designed to help prepare new, young teaching artists for the field of arts education.
Using a hands-on approach, Circle’s graduates learn what it takes to succeed as a teaching artist under the tutelage of a Master Teaching Artist through the Young Playwrights Residency with our partner school. Our partner school is P.S. 11 in N.Y.C. where we teach third graders. It is here that Circle's Arts Educators Trainees actively assist a master teaching artist. Through additional participation in the hands-on classroom mentoring, workshops, and attendance at the annual New York Arts in Education Roundtable Face-to-Face conference, actors with this training are able to supplement their professional income by conducting residencies in schools and at community sites.
In addition to New York City, Circle in the Square Alumni Arts Educators work as teaching artists in schools and performing arts programs all across the United States, as well as in Canada.
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YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS RESIDENCY: A Partnership with P.S. 11
As a part of our Arts Education for Actors Teaching Artist Training, trainees take part in a residency integrated with the curriculum of our partner school, P.S. 11. The residency is headed up by Master Teaching Artist Daniel Judah Sklar, who created the program “Playmaking” in 1982. Using the “Playmaking” program, our graduates teach third grade students how to write plays while honing their communication skills through acting, storytelling and theatre games. Each residency culminates in a presentation of the children’s plays for their families, guests and other P.S. 11 students. The plays are performed by professional actors at Circle in the Square Theatre on Broadway. For more information on the history of the “Playmaking” program, please visit www.playmakingforall.com.
P.S.11 students also join us for our Alumni Performance Ensemble shows. Many of the Alumni who are hired to be actors in these shows, are also trainees in the Arts Education program. Thus, the partner school students often have the opportunity to see their Playmaking mentors in action on the professional stage.
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