The critically acclaimed Occidental Children’s Theater will celebrate its 19th year with a brand new story, The Emperor's New Clothes Encounters of the Third Kind, and three adventurous adaptations of traditional folktales, for a seven-week outdoor run in the Remsen Bird Hillside Theater on the Occidental College campus.
This year’s roughly hour-long production is the latest original mashup from the creative mind of Director Jamie Angell and features Savannah Gilmore '15, Edward Jackson '16, Lukecus King '14, Sarah Martellaro '14, Claudia Restrepo '10 and Tristan Waldron '12.
The performances begin on July 10, Thursdays through Saturdays at 10 a.m., in the Hillside Theater. The last performance is August 23.
The energetic and funny stories are performed without props, sets or special costumes, relying only on the performers’ acting and acrobatic skills. "We work in the round, so the audience is right on top of the action," Angell said. "The unconventional material and the absence of props or costumes force both the actors and the audience to rely on their imaginations. It’s remarkably different from most anything else you see in children’s theater today."
Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for children. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more; call (323) 259-2771 or email theater@oxy.edu to reserve group tickets. Go here to purchase tickets online.
In addition, Occidental’s Summer Institute of Fun opened July 7 and runs for four one-week sessions. The Institute consists of performance workshops for children ages 6 to 15, with Occidental Children's Theater actors teaching local youth, including scholarship students from Eagle Rock Elementary and Toland Way Elementary. Morning sessions are for younger children, while afternoons are reserved for older youth.
"We have always believed in outreach and this extends our work by accommodating youth who might not otherwise have the wherewithal to develop their interest in the performing arts," Angell says.
Workshops include training in dynamic physical theater, group improvisation and basic movement techniques. For more information or to register online, call (323) 259-2771 or click here.
