Bay Area Children's Theatre Brings Three Musicals, Teaching Program to South Bay

Bay Area Children's Theatre (BACT) will bring its productions and theatre education program to the South Bay, beginning in January.

The company, which currently performs and teaches in the East Bay and San Francisco, will present three musicals at the Sunnyvale Community Center, 550 E. Remington Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94088. and offer a spring class for young performers (2nd -5th grade) leading to a full production of Annie KIDS.

"We are extremely grateful to the City of Sunnyvale, which has given us the opportunity to serve more children and families in Sunnyvale and the South Bay," said BACT Executive Artistic Director Nina Meehan. "We are delighted that we can now bring a full slate of programming not only to families who know our work and have been making the trek to San Francisco or Berkeley but also to families who might not have had a chance to enjoy live theatre together!"

Musicals

BACT will open its South Bay season with Mo Willem's effervescent musical, ELEPHANT & PIGGIE'S WE ARE IN A PLAY, performing for two weekends: January 6-7 and January 13-14, at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Next up will be a version of Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka specially written for young audiences, based on Dahl's timeless book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and featuring the catchy tunes from the original Gene Wilder movie. This musical will play January 27-28 and February 3-4, at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

The company will complete the season with its award-winning original production of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site the Musical, inspired by Sherri Duskey Rinker's best-selling book about hard-working construction vehicles. playing March 17-18 and March 24-25 at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

TICKETS: $15 - $27

BOX OFFICE: www.bactheatre.org or call (510) 296-4433

Theatre Education

For children who want to learn how to perform in a play, BACT is bringing its theatre education program to Sunnyvale with an after-school class for second to fifth graders that meets Tuesdays, from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. February 26 - May 29 (no class 4/17). Students will learn basic theatre skills while rehearsing for the beloved musical, Annie KIDS, with performances on June 1 at 7 p.m. and June 2 at 2 p.m.

TUITION: $335

MORE INFORMATION: www.bactheatre.org

Photo: Anne Norland as Piggie and Alan Coyne as Gerald in ELEPHANT & PIGGIE'S WE ARE IN A PLAY. Photo credit: Brett D'Ambrosio

About Bay Area Children's Theatre

Established in 2004, Bay Area Children's Theatre, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, serves more than 110,000 children and adults throughout the Bay Area, with main stage performances in Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco and Sunnyvale; programs and productions in local schools; and classes and summer camps in the East Bay, South Bay, and San Francisco.

Our Mission: To inspire young audiences with imaginative productions, introduce children of all backgrounds to the excitement of live theatre, and create an engaging, entertaining, and educational environment in which children and their families can explore and enjoy the arts.

How We Carry Out Our Mission:

· Bring high quality, professional theatre to children and their families, with artists who create vibrant worlds that are intriguing to young audiences

· Encourage young people to explore literature, language, and the arts by producing stage adaptations of great children's books

· Engage preschoolers in the world of theatre with productions specially designed for them

· Develop and perform exciting new work for the stage

· Reach out to children who might not otherwise experience live theatre with free tickets, special performances for school groups, and touring productions at local schools

· Create touring productions for young audiences nationwide

· Partner with communities to meet the need for theatre education

· Introduce children to the joy of performance through our theatre education program