ANANSI THE SPIDER Will Open at Curio Theatre Company

What if going to the theatre also meant getting to help make the show? This November, Curio Theatre Company invites its youngest audience members to do exactly that with Anansi the Spider: A Make/Partake Experience, an interactive family production inspired by an African fable from the Ashanti people of Ghana. Designed for children ages 3 and up, the production runs November 6 through 22 at Curio Theatre Company in West Philadelphia.

Instead of simply sitting back and watching, children become part of the theatrical experience. Through Curio's Make/Partake format which they pioneered in 2021, young audience members get hands-on with the world of the production, making props, creating sound effects and even helping control the weather before seeing their contributions become part of the story.

Anansi the Spider is inspired by traditional stories of Anansi, the beloved trickster figure of the Akan people of Ghana and other parts of West Africa. Anansi dreams of becoming the keeper of all the world's stories, so he goes to Nyame, the Sky God, to make his request. Nyame challenges Anansi to capture a python, a leopard, and a swarm of hornets. Using his cleverness, creativity, and trickster ways, Anansi outwits each creature and brings them back to Nyame. Having completed the challenge, Anansi earns the right to become the keeper of all stories. This isn't a story audiences simply watch, it's a story they help create! Young audience members become part of the performance, using their imagination and creativity to help Anansi on his journey. Through interactive storytelling, movement, play, and hands-on activities, children step into Anansi's world and discover that sometimes the greatest power isn't strength, it's a good story.

Directed by Mya Flood, Anansi the Spider: A Make/Partake Experience features performances by Jerome Scott, Taahira Teshi, and Janaan Ashton.