PIE Story Theatre Announces Massachusetts Premiere in Wellfleet

This summer, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater expands its family programming to include free performances of P.I.E. (Projects In Education) Story Theatre. PIE can be seen at venues including the Orleans Elementary School, Salt Pond Amphitheater in Eastham, Wellfleet & Truro Libraries, Wellfleet Preservation Hall, Wellfleet Farmer's Market, Provincetown Family Week, and Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater. Performances at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater will be in the Larry Phillips Pavilion Sundays at 3 p.m. and Mondays at 7 p.m. from July 7 to August 19. Please visit what.org for times and additional locations.

"Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater is celebrating 35 years and as part of a revitalized mission, is strengthening its commitment to community," PIE creator Patrick Riviere said. "It seemed the perfect fit to share PIE Story Theater with WHAT audiences and the Outer Cape Community to support the year's theme of 'What's your Story?' by bringing a free, interactive and fun story theater program to children and families throughout the summer."

PIE Story Theatre is a collection of adapted fairy tales, fables, and original stories presented in the "story theatre" style of theater games and storytelling created by Viola Spolin and Paul Sills. Five stools, a few props and performers dressed in colorful t-shirts and overalls use narration, mime and creative characters to present an exciting and fun world of stories. PIE was developed in the early '90s by Riviere as an arts-education assembly program that traveled to schools, community organizations, parks, libraries and other venues, introducing young children to theater and storytelling in a way that is educational, interactive and fun. Over the years the programming has reached thousands of children and families. The repertory is made up of over 30 stories, including The Little Engine That Could, Casey at The Bat, The Richman and the Shoemaker, The Giant Jam Sandwich, and original stories like The King of the Jungle which deals with the important issue of bullying. Seven or eight stories are selected for each 40-minute program, so audiences can see multiple performances and not see the same story set twice.

The company also involves the children in warm ups, talks about the importance of teamwork and community and stresses the importance of reading as an important tool for learning. In addition, there is always one story that the entire audience participates in. While great for younger children and students, it is perfect for the whole family.

PIE premiered in 1991 with a highly acclaimed series of performances in Central Park. Hundreds of families were treated to a variety of characters that included trolls, turtles, kings, queens, dragons and frogs. In the fall of 1992, PIE Story Theatre celebrated a Mid-West Premiere at Chicago's Theatre Building and was later named the resident family theatre at Chicago's famed North Pier Festival Market. PIE also presented programming throughout the Chicago Public Library System as well as The Chicago Parks. After a hiatus of several years, Riviere brought PIE back to serve local New Jersey communities and the entire Tri-State area as a component of All Seasons Theatre Company (ASTC).

With the cooperation of Arts Horizon, the largest and most respected professional arts-in-education organization in the NY/NJ metropolitan area, PIE began presenting its Story Theatre programs at local schools (pre-kindergarten to grade 5) in December, 2004. In 2005 programming was expanded to include a story set for older students (stories such as The Headless Horseman and Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea were adapted and presented in the Story Theatre format for 6th -8th Graders), an Access Shakespeare Program for High School Students and an anti-bullying program was created on a grant from Radio Shack entitled Don't Be A Bully. The Holiday Story Series (which first premiered at Chicago's North Pier Festival Market) was presented in schools throughout the tri-state area with several thousand students enjoying holiday stories and carols that celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Feliz Navidad and Kwanza.

As with many other organizations, a study-guide was created for teachers for preand post-performance projects. However, in an innovative move, PIE Story Theatre also provided materials for students to bring home, in order to facilitate discussions of what they had seen and heard with their families. In 2012, the long awaited PIE Story Theatre Holidays Stories and Carols CD was released through CD Baby and made available on iTunes and Amazon.

In 2013, a Los Angeles company of PIE premiered at Casa 0101 Theater directed by Riviere. In 2014, Arts Horizons welcomed PIE back onto its roster with a new New York City Company. The company performed both Access Shakespeare and Story Theatre programs at several schools in the tri-state area.

Photo Credit: Patrick Riviere