Columbia Children's Theatre Welcomes the NiA Company's BR'ER RABBIT, Now thru 10/20

Columbia Children's Theatre (CCT), the Midlands only professional theatre for families and young audiences is thrilled to present Columbia's NiA Company and their production of Br'er Rabbit today, October 18 - 20.

Show times are Friday at 7:00 p.m.; Saturday at 10:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m.; andSunday at 3:00 p.m. All shows are held at Columbia Children's Theatre on the 2nd level of Richland Mall, 3400 Forest Drive. Tickets are $12.00 for children three years of age through adult and $10.00 for seniors and active military with ID. The 7:00 p.m. performance on Saturday evening will have a special price of $6.00 for everyone. Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.columbiachildrenstheatre.com. For more information contact CCT at 803-691-4548. CCT's 2013-2014 Season is sponsored by Midlands Kids' Directory, Little Gym of Columbia and Lexington, and South Carolina Blue.

NiA brings a surprising new take to the beloved Br'er Rabbit Tales. Full of smart comedy and hilarious characters, the antics of Br'er Rabbit and his cohorts are delightfully clever and cunning - much like Br'er Rabbit himself. Incorporating African Djembe drumming, music and audience participation, this 50 minute production will have audiences rolling in the floor and cheering along. The name "Br'er Rabbit", short for "Brother Rabbit", has its origins in both WestAfrican and Cherokee cultures. His South African trickster counterpart, Anansi the Spider, often finds himself in some of the very same predicaments as Brother Rabbit. Both Cherokee and Algonquin cultures abound with tales of "the Trickster Rabbit" and "The Great Hare" who use their wits to overcome adversity.

"After last season's highly successful presentation of NiA's Holla," said CCT Artistic Director Jerry Stevenson "we are thrilled to once again be bringing their boundary-pushing unique brand of Live Theatre to our stage in this hilarious production of Br'er Rabbit."

Founded in 1998, the NiA Company had as its debut performance, an original production at the Richland County Public Library to a standing-room only crowd. NiA - Swahili for "purpose" - is a most appropriate name for this small but determined theatre company dedicated to performance with purpose and meaning. That purpose is to educate, inform, and empower the community-at-large by bringing artistic programs to non-traditional theatre-goers such as minorities, at-risk youth and economically-challenged groups. The NiA Company has made and maintained this commitment with low ticket prices and accessible venues and with the development of a diverse repertoire including enjoyable, informative and interactive events known as the "Holla!" series. These family-friendly events blend storytelling, music, and theatre (NiA's three pillars of performance) with the African American tradition of call and response. Designed for children of all ages, "Holla!" incorporates everything from African Djembe drums to Native American folk songs with improvisational skit comedy and blues-ified nursery rhymes (most notably Old MacDonald and Five Funky Monkeys). The audience actively participates in the process and is encouraged to extend the experience beyond the performance by exploring the folklore and literary sources on which much of the material is based.

Columbia Children's Theatre is a professional resident not-for-profit theatre dedicated to providing quality Live Theatre experiences for families and young audiences, and is supported in part by the City of Forest Acres, The Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties and the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Pictured: The cast of the NiA Company's Br'er Rabbit.

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