Playful People Productions Presents Original Play WINNIE THE POOH, October 28-30, 2022

The Hundred Acre Wood comes to San Jose when Playful People Productions presents an original adaptation of Winnie the Pooh, directed by Shannon Santandrea.

Children ages 4 to 11 - many of them performing alongside siblings - will bring A.A. Milne's classic tales to life before a live audience at Historic Hoover Theatre in San Jose, October 28-30. For tickets ($15, live or live stream, available beginning October 1), or for more information on Playful People and their programs, call (408) 878-5362 or visit https://www.playfulpeople.org.

Five casts will perform this new, one-hour adaptation of A.A. Milne's classic 1926 children's book, Winnie the Pooh, written by Katie D'Arcey. Christopher Robin and his friends Pooh Bear, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, Roo, and various other denizens of the forest adventure through such tales as "Pooh Gets Stuck," "Eeyore Has a Birthday," "An 'Expotition' to the North Pole," and more. Each cast of young performers also features a tween/teen actor from Playful People's internship program, who has served as Assistant Director during the rehearsal process and will act as Narrator for each performance.

This particular version of Winnie the Pooh preserves Milne's gentle advice for being good friends and good people, and updates it to today's diverse world - the opening sequence includes forest creatures using sign language with one another, and Christopher Robin explains how Pooh was originally "Edward Bear," but then told his friend Christopher that he didn't always feel like a 'he,' and asked to be called Winnie the Pooh or Pooh Bear instead. Throughout the play, the forest friends learn how to trust one another, be brave, and help each other out.

In "Pooh Gets Stuck," Pooh goes to visit his friend Rabbit (who gets anxious around strangers, but always has the best snacks for his friends), but after eating finds his tummy is too big to exit the burrow. In another tale, the forest creatures try to play a trick on Kanga by switching Piglet for Roo in her pocket! Pooh and Piglet have an adventure hunting Woozles and Wizzles and Grandfathers - until it gets too scary. In "Eeyore Has a Birthday," Pooh and his friends cheer a despondent Eeyore when they realize it's his birthday and he's feeling neglected. Finally, in "An 'Expotition' to the North Pole," the Hundred Acre denizens set out on an 'expotition' (which has more adventure than a silly old expedition) and discover the North Pole right in their own backyard.

Playful People Productions was first founded in 2010 as a positive, inclusive, family-focused theatre company, and has operated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit since 2017. While initially providing classes, camps, and shows for kids, the company has grown to offer similar classes for adults, and stages multi-generational performances where family members can perform together. Most recently the organization has returned to its customary spaces at the Historic Hoover Theatre in San Jose, but is continuing some of its pandemic-responsive online programming (POP, Playful Online People) as well as On Demand video classes.

Playful People Productions aims to create an inclusive environment where all feel welcome, and where creative impulses are encouraged by experienced Bay Area artists. The organization follows Positive Discipline guidelines as well as proven child education techniques; continually works to ensure the safety of all participants, volunteers, and staff; and regularly gives families the opportunity to share the exhilarating experience of performing together. During the nonprofit's tenure, they have enjoyed frequent instances of children performing on stage with siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents - and have also welcomed adults who wish to perform but find local theater auditions and rehearsals do not fit their needs.

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