Traveling Lantern to Bring Children's Theatre to Artists Rep, Beg. 8/17

As part of a new partnership with the long-established and well-reputed Traveling Lantern Theatre Company, Artists Rep will present performances for children in its Alder lobby starting August 17. The interactive theatre performances for children will be produced by Traveling Lantern and performed every Saturday morning at 10:30am. These family friendly performances will run approximately 45 minutes and include a Q&A with the cast afterward. Tickets are only $5 for all who attend over 5 years old, and can be purchased at the door or at www.artistsrep.org.

"We're very happy to welcome Traveling Lantern and its repertory of shows to Artists Rep. With this partnership, we are able to open our doors every week of the year to young children and their families. I'm excited to share the experience with my own kids on Saturday mornings," said Dámaso Rodriguez, Artists Rep's artistic director.

Based in Portland, Traveling Lantern has been educating and entertaining children nationwide for more than 25 years. Since 2004 it has been led by professional actors KB Mercer as Managing Director and Doren Elias as Artistic Director. The New York Public Library and Yosemite National Park are Traveling Lantern's largest patrons but the company also performs for library summer reading programs, museums, and community centers in Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, and the greater New York area.

Traveling Lantern's 23-show repertoire of original plays includes children's classics, historical biographies and modern fantasies. All Traveling Lantern productions are interactive, fast, fun and funny with a team of two actors, who perform with a variety of character and costume changes.

A typical audience age is K-6 grade children, but shows are designed to entertain the whole family. Traveling Lantern's mission is to bring great stories to children, to draw them into an active theatre experience, to excite their minds and to tickle their imaginations. More information:www.travelinglantern.com

"We are DELIGHTED to be partnering with Artists Rep," said KB Mercer, Managing Director of Traveling Lantern. "This will be the first time we have ever had a regular 'home' for weekly performances, and we look forward to a lot of screaming, happy PDX kids."

Traveling Lantern Schedule for 2013:

10:30am shows @ Alder Lobby at Artists Repertory Theatre

AUGUST

17 - Caterpillar Hunter

24 - Greek Mythology

31 - Caterpillar Hunter

SEPTEMBER

7 - Greek Mythology

14 - Bilbo's Journey

21 - Caterpillar Hunter

28 - Bilbo's Journey

OCTOBER

5 - Greek Mythology

12 - Bilbo's Journey

19 - Caterpillar Hunter

26 - Bilbo's Journey

NOVEMBER

2 - Caterpillar Hunter

9 - Bilbo's Journey

16 - Bilbo's Journey

23- Christmas Carol

30 - Christmas Carol

DECEMBER

7 - Christmas Carol

14 - Christmas Carol

21 - Christmas Carol

28 - Christmas Carol

Founded in 1982, Artists Repertory Theatre is the longest-running professional theatre company in Portland. Artists Rep is committed to world-class acting, directing, design and stagecraft that support new playwriting and aspires to embody great literature, moving audiences to truly feel- to experience -storytelling in a way that only the best live theatre can.

Portland's premiere mid-size regional theatre company is led by Artistic Director Dámaso Rodriguez and Managing Director Sarah Horton. For the 2013/14 season Artists Rep will offer nine bold and entertaining new plays written by internationally acclaimed playwrights, and guided by esteemed directors. Artists Rep productions will feature the work of a core group of accomplished Resident Artists, each with a shared history and a shorthand for collaboration, working alongside guest artists from Portland and beyond.

Our Mission: Artists Repertory Theatre challenges artists and audiences with adventurous and provocative plays staged in an intimate environment. Artists Rep feeds our community's artistic soul with premieres, re-imagined classics, new play development and educational outreach.