Families looking for fun, inexpensive, interactive, live performances may want to check out shows Kids and Company is bringing to Borderland.
Kids and Company is a non-profit group that organizes a theater season geared towards families with children. Several Ontario cities choose which shows will be included in the season’s lineup. The organization is largely funded by the Canadian Heritage Foundation and the Ontario Arts Council, along with several other local business sponsors.
Jenn Windels, who serves on the Kids and Company board, explained that the theater has been coming to the area for 15 years.
“When I first heard about Kids and Company, I attended a few shows with my then three-year-old,” she said. “I have purchased season tickets for the family ever since.”
Windels also noted that she has never been disappointed by a show. She explained that these aren’t the kind of shows that parents are constantly struggling to get children to sit still and keep quiet. Instead, kids are wiggling, dancing, laughing and often, interacting with the performers.
The cost per person for the season is $30 for one ticket, $60 for two tickets, $80 for three tickets, $100 for four tickets, and each additional ticket thereafter is $15 each.
Individual show tickets can also be purchased for $10 in advance or $12 at the door. Advance tickets are available in International Falls at the Coffee Landing.
“These shows will introduce local children and their families to a wide spectrum of diverse entertainment,” Windels said. “It fosters an appreciation of the arts through unique and creative music, dance and drama.”
This year, four shows will hit the Fort Frances High School’s Townshend Theatre stage. Kids and Company describes the performances, all of which start at 6:30 p.m., that are scheduled for this season:
Oct. 18, Aché Brasil
Capoeira is much more than just a Martial Art. It is culture, it is history, and it is dance and music. A true visual feast, watching Capoeira can evoke feelings of sheer exhilaration.
Nov. 22, Mystic Drumz
Imagine the excitement of children discovering rare and one-of-a-kind instruments from around the world. Imagine a magical musical where kids are swept away into a safari adventure. Imagine a touch of world ecology thrown in to add to the fun and learning.
Feb. 14, Splash ’N Boots
Splash ‘N Boots are redefining the children’s music genre. Their show is fun, hip and edgy. Not only were the children dancing the entire time; at one point every single adult in attendance was laughing so hard they were wiping their eyes. Who knew the “parents” were going to have this much fun?
April 25, Axis Theatre - King Arthur’s Kitchen
King Arthur is celebrating his birthday with his Knights of the Round Table. The great king’s hard working cook, the kitchen maid and the new-on-the-job scullion are beside themselves with excitement and nerves preparing the banquet and especially the cake. Amidst all the hustle bustle of Camelot’s basement kitchen, the cook regales his bedraggled staff with stories of how Arthur became king.
For more information, call Windels at 283-9926 or Leslie at 807-274-6019 or visit http://www.kidsandco.ca.
