After a two and a half year hiatus, Youth Series performances are back at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. These music, theatre, and dance performances are for K-8 students in public, private, and home schools in the area. Schools can request tickets at the Krannert Center website. Here is the lineup for this season:
The Boy Who Could Sing Pictures by David Gonzalez and Daniel Kelly. This new production features two stories about empowering the voices of young people. In the first story, The Boy Who Could Sing Pictures, adapted from Seymour Leichman’s book, we meet Luca, son of Bustelo-the-jester, who discovers that when he sings for people, spectacular pictures appear in the sky that reflect the truth of the world and people around him. In the second story, Nina Nails It, based on a Persian tale, a savvy girl teaches a wizard where his true heart resides. The performance features the music of Heitor Villa-Lobos and Astor Piazzolla, along with original compositions and arrangements by Daniel Kelly.
Jabari Dreams of Freedom, written by Nambi E. Kelley. This story is focused on Jabari, a 10-year-old painter who uses his art to cope with the violent reality of a painful encounter with police. In his dreams, he meets children and young people from the Civil Rights Era, including Ruby Bridges, Claudette Colvin, and others, who teach him how to be fearless. Using rap, freedom songs, hip hop dance, history, and humor, this play explores what it means to have
courage in a world where Black children are not safe.Cenicienta—A Bilingual Cinderella Story, produced by Glass Half Full Theatre. Ten-year-old Belinda is a budding poet and loves to tell stories, but when she’s stuck in the basement preparing for a party upstairs that her stepmother and stepsisters will host, she’ll have to get creative to imagine a bigger world for herself.
JazzReach: Con Alma Y Fuego features sizzling live music by New York’s Metta Quintet, captivating video projections, and live narration. Con Alma y Fuego (With Soul and Fire) captures the enticing origins and evolution of Latin jazz, highlighting the music of artists such as Machito, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Irakere.
Top photo by Abboye Lawrence Photography from the Jabari Dreams of Freedom website.