SteppingStone Theatre Presents The Magic Bus to Asian Folktales 4/29-5/22

SteppingStone Theatre¹s 6th collaboration with Mu Performing Arts, one of the nation's premier Asian American theaters, is the revival of The Magic Bus to Asian Folktales. In this imaginative presentation of traditional folktales, the new schoolbus driver has a magic satchel that holds ancient fables from Asia. As each story is pulled out, the children on the bus are magically transported to China, Laos & the Philippines where they act out the stories and learn the morals they teach. Relevant to our current issues, these wonderfully rich stories teach the children, and the audience, ways to help solve our problems of today.

Creator and Mu Artistic Director Rick Shiomi says, Working with SteppingStone Theatre offers Mu the greatest opportunity to encourage Asian American youth to get into theatre performance and act in stories from their traditional cultures.

Shiomi feels that, ³When I see the cast of Magic Bus I feel like I am seeing the future of America, where cultural and racial diversity is a given and not some planned program, where kids from any kind of background can feel they are an integral part of America.

He goes on to explain the draw of collaborating with SteppingStone, Working with SteppingStone Theatre is like planting seeds in the spring. The harvest will be great for Mu and America. Not only in the creation of a future wave of Asian American actors but also in the sense of belonging they will all have to our society. Asian American stories are an essential a part of the American cultural fabric, and we are so pleased to have this opportunity to present them.

Full of magic and pageantry, these ancient stories of warrior princesses, emperors, and dragons, have at their heart universal truths about loyalty, honesty and the love of family, eternal themes that ring true. Brought to the stage in true SteppingStone fashion, with gorgeous costumes and sets and with professionally-trained, talented young actors, this production of The Magic Bus to Asian Folktales is sure to entertain and delight audience members of all ages.

Performance Information:
Performance times and tickets are available at (651) 225-9265 or www.steppingstonetheatre.org <http://www.steppingstonetheatre.org/> All performances of The Magic Bus to Asian Folktales are in SteppingStone Theatre¹s new home, a beautifully renovated 100-year-old architectural gem
located at 55 Victoria Street North, one block north of Summit Avenue in the Historic Hill District of St. Paul.

The Magic Bus to Asian Folktales is appropriate for all ages. SteppingStone Theatre is fully-accessible to persons with disabilities, and has regularly-scheduled ASL & Audio Described performances. Interpreters can be scheduled for other performances at no additional cost upon request. For information, call 651-225-9265.

Ticket Prices:
Adults: $14.00, Children & Seniors: $10.00 Groups 20+: $7.00 (scholarships
available)
Purchase your tickets in advance online and pay just $9.50 per ticket

Dates & Times
Friday, April 29 ­ 7 pm
Saturday, April 30 ­ 3 pm
Sunday, May 1 ­ 3 pm
Wednesday, May 4 ­ 10 am & noon
Thursday, May 5 ­ 10 am & noon
Friday, May 6 ­ 10 am & noon, 7 pm (Audio Described performance)
Saturday, May 7 ­ 3 pm
Sunday, May 8 ­ NO SHOW
Wednesday, May 11 ­ 10 am & noon
Thursday, May 12 ­ 10 am & noon
Friday, May 13 ­ 10 am & noon, 7 pm
Saturday, May 14 ­ 3 pm
Sunday, May 15 ­ 3 pm (ASL Interpreted performance)
Wednesday, May 18 ­ 10 am & noon
Thursday, May 19 ­ 10 am & noon
Friday, May 20 ­ 10 am & noon, 7 pm
Saturday, May 21 ­ 3 pm
Sunday, May 22 ­ 3 pm

About SteppingStone Theatre
SteppingStone Theatre is Saint Paul's professional theatre for young audiences, serving tens of thousands of diverse youth, families and educators each year. The theatre has received numerous local and national awards including the Aurand C. Harris Children's Theatre Award, Sally Ordway Irvine Award for Education, the St. Paul Heritage Preservation Award, and won Nickelodeon¹s Parents Connect ³2010 Parents¹ Picks² Award for Best Kid¹s Theatre. A theatre serving nearly 70,000 youth, families, and educators from diverse ethnic, social and economic backgrounds each year, SteppingStone has become a premier destination for interactive, youth-centered theatre.

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