READING PA – The third annual Children’s Theater Festival of Berks County, themed as “Finding Your Voice,” will offer “three weekends packed with captivating and family-friendly” events beginning Saturday (Feb. 3, 2024) in Reading and West Lawn PA.
The events are presented by the Yocum Institute for Arts Education in West Lawn. Finding Your Voice will focus on “self-expression, self-discovery and self-empowerment,” it said.
The Three Little Pigs children’s opera
The festival kicks off Saturday (Feb. 3) at 11 a.m. and Feb. 10 (Saturday) at 3 p.m., with “The Three Little Pigs: A Children’s Opera” by John Davies, in the Miller Center for the Arts at Reading Area Community College, 4 N. 2nd St. Additional performances are scheduled on other days in several area schools and other venues.
“The Three Little Pigs” is an operatic version of the story, based on scenes from operas by Wolfgang Mozart. The story: “While brother pigs Don Giovanni and Cherubino set off to make homes of sticks and straw, their sister, Despina, goes to the library to read up on ‘huff-proof, puff-proof’ home construction. After Wolfgang Bigbad blows down the boys’ flimsy homes, they run to their sister’s sturdy new brick house” for safety.
Tickets for “The Three Little Pigs Opera” cost $15 for adults and $10 for children ages 12 and younger. They are available online, or by calling the Miller Center box office at 610-607-6270.
The opera is produced as a partnership of the Berks Opera Company and the Miller Center.
Honking, Squeezing, and Full of Hot Air
Few, if any, art forms can claim to be more unique than the bagpipes. Bagpipe enthusiasts and curious minds alike can engage in “Honking, Squeezing, and Full of Hot Air: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Bagpipes.” The free, interactive, and entertaining hour-long demonstration of Scotland’s most famous instrument will be presented Saturday (Feb. 3) from 1-2 p.m. in the institute’s Schumo Theater, 3000 Penn Ave., West Lawn PA.
It will be led by local piper and Yocum music teacher Roderick Nevin, and is appropriate for all ages. His workshop is geared toward who love hearing the pipes, or want to know more about the instrument and its music. Nevin will play tunes on both the Great Highland Bagpipes and their quieter cousin, the bellows-blown Scottish Smallpipes.
Participants can learn how the pipes work; their history, stories, traditions; and how anyone can play the instrument.
Dot and Ziggy: An Interactive Play
“Dot & Ziggy: An Interactive Play for Young Audiences” is by Linda Hartzel and Mark Perry, with music by Christopher Walker. It promises an immersive experience in the Schumo Theater on Feb. 8 (Thursday) from 7-8 p.m., Feb. 10 (Saturday) from 10-11 a.m., Feb. 11 (Sunday) from 11 a.m. to noon, Feb. 17 (Saturday) from 10-11 a.m. and 2-3 p.m.; and Feb. 18 (Sunday) from 2-3 p.m.
The story: “Dot and Ziggy may be neighbors, but they aren’t yet friends. After all, what could a ladybug and a skunk possibly have in common? One likes up, one likes down. One flies, one runs. But neither of them know how to share. With the help of a wise spider, and the encouragement of the audience, they might just find their way.”
Tickets cost $10 for students, seniors, and institute members; and $15, adults. They can be purchased online from the institute.
Improv Night
The festival continues its diverse offerings with an Improv Night showcasing the institute’s Teen Ensemble and other guest performers on Feb. 9 (Friday) from 8-9 p.m. in the Schumo Theater.
Raise Your Voice: A Teen Cabaret
“Raise Your Voice: A Teen Cabaret,” directed by Corinna Sowers-Adler, is scheduled for Feb. 18 (Sunday) from 7-8 p.m. in the Schumo Theater. Students ages 10 and up may bring preselected solos and duets to work in-depth to cultivate and enhance their acting-the-song skills with Corinna Sowers-Adler and live pianist/accompanist. A public performance will be held to culminate the workshop experience.
For more information on the festival or its performances, contact the institute using an e-mail form on its website, or call 610-376-1576.
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- Feb. 3 Saturdays, The Three Little Pigs children’s opera, starts at 11 a.m., ticketed (online, or by calling 610-607-6270, an operatic version of the story, based on scenes from operas by Wolfgang Mozart; in the Miller Center for the Arts at Reading Area Community College, 4 N. 2nd St., Reading PA
- Feb. 3 Saturday, Honking, Squeezing, and Full of Hot Air, starts at 1 p.m., free, an interactive and entertaining hour-long demonstration of Scotland’s most famous instrument, the bagpipes; led by local piper and Yocum music teacher Roderick Nevin, appropriate for all ages, in the Schumo Theater of the Yocum Institute for Arts Education, 3000 Penn Ave., West Lawn PA
- Feb. 4 Sundays, The Three Little Pigs children’s opera, starts at 3 p.m., ticketed (online, or by calling 610-607-6270, an operatic version of the story, based on scenes from operas by Wolfgang Mozart; in the Miller Center for the Arts at Reading Area Community College, 4 N. 2nd St., Reading PA
- Feb. 8 Thurs, “Dot & Ziggy: An Interactive Play for Young Audiences,” 7-8 p.m., ticketed, an immersive experience by Linda Hartzel and Mark Perry, with music by Christopher Walker, attempting to determine what a ladybug and a skunk possibly have in common; in the Schumo Theater of the Yocum Institute for Arts Education, 3000 Penn Ave., West Lawn PA
- Feb. 10 Sat, “Dot & Ziggy: An Interactive Play for Young Audiences,” 10-11 a.m., ticketed, an immersive experience by Linda Hartzel and Mark Perry, with music by Christopher Walker, attempting to determine what a ladybug and a skunk possibly have in common; in the Schumo Theater of the Yocum Institute for Arts Education, 3000 Penn Ave., West Lawn PA
- Feb. 10 Saturday, The Three Little Pigs children’s opera, starts at 3 p.m., ticketed (online, or by calling 610-607-6270, an operatic version of the story, based on scenes from operas by Wolfgang Mozart; in the Miller Center for the Arts at Reading Area Community College, 4 N. 2nd St., Reading PA
- Feb. 11 Sun, “Dot & Ziggy: An Interactive Play for Young Audiences,” 11 a.m. to noon, ticketed, an immersive experience by Linda Hartzel and Mark Perry, with music by Christopher Walker, attempting to determine what a ladybug and a skunk possibly have in common; in the Schumo Theater of the Yocum Institute for Arts Education, 3000 Penn Ave., West Lawn PA
- Feb. 11 Sundays, The Three Little Pigs children’s opera, starts at 2 p.m., ticketed (online, or by calling 610-607-6270, an operatic version of the story, based on scenes from operas by Wolfgang Mozart; in the Miller Center for the Arts at Reading Area Community College, 4 N. 2nd St., Reading PA
- Feb. 17 Sat, “Dot & Ziggy: An Interactive Play for Young Audiences,” 2-3 p.m., ticketed, an immersive experience by Linda Hartzel and Mark Perry, with music by Christopher Walker, attempting to determine what a ladybug and a skunk possibly have in common; in the Schumo Theater of the Yocum Institute for Arts Education, 3000 Penn Ave., West Lawn PA
- Feb. 18 Thurs, “Dot & Ziggy: An Interactive Play for Young Audiences,” 2-3 p.m., ticketed, an immersive experience by Linda Hartzel and Mark Perry, with music by Christopher Walker, attempting to determine what a ladybug and a skunk possibly have in common; in the Schumo Theater of the Yocum Institute for Arts Education, 3000 Penn Ave., West Lawn PA
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