2016 -2017 Season
JAMIE DOESN'T WANT TO TAKE A BATH
by Bethany Lynn Corey
Play & Play Series – Preschool Audience
September 2016
Jamie and her mommy usually have lots of fun each night as they go through their ritual of getting ready for bed. But Mommy is surprised when suddenly, the night before Jamie’s first day at preschool, Jamie simply refuses to take her bath. What could be wrong? Young audience members will watch while Mommy tries all sorts of things to get Jamie into the tub and to bed on time. A fun and tender tug of war that many children and caregivers will recognize. JAMIE DOESN'T WANT TO TAKE A BATH invites Pollyanna’s youngest audience members to play along with Jamie
and learn what it is to be an audience member all at the same time.
WHETHER THE WEATHER
Play & Play Series – Preschool Audience
November 2016
WHETHER THE WEATHER follows two best friends, Sunny and Gus, as they explore the meaning of the British nursery rhyme. The pair moves between scenes with different types of weather—sunny, windy, rainy, snowy, etc.—discovering what makes each type of weather unique and confirming the strength of their friendship. Sunny and Gus learn that those we love and who love us are always by our side because they’ll “weather the weather whatever the weather.” Small children are fascinated by the weather and by imaginary play, and we combine both in this play. As our characters pretend they are experiencing different types of weather, they pick out clothes, find toys and take part in activities to match the different weather characteristics.
THE THING IN GRANDMA'S CLOSET
by Johnathan Graham
January 27 - February 5, 2017
Who wants to help clean out the house of their dead grandma? A downer of a day becomes much more interesting when Nick (10) and Ally (13) discover a mysterious contraption tucked away in a closet. Is it another one of the eccentric former science teacher's failed inventions, or something she hoped they would find? The siblings put aside their petty squabbles and work together so that they and their mother can reconnect to grandma and move forward from their loss.
Intended for children in grades 3 – 5
The Long Center’s Rollins Studio Theatre
LIBERTY! EQUALITY! & FIREWORKS!
by Gregory S. Perrin
February 15-18, 2017
Pollyanna returns to The LBJ Library Auditorium in February with our acclaimed production of this powerful production that takes a new generation of theatre goers into the world of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. The play follows the fieldtrip adventures of a group of students who are visiting a history museum but are surprised by what happens when people from the exhibits come to life and tell them their personal stories. Presented in partnership with the LBJ Library’s Education Department, schools are invited to also visit the museum when they attend the play.
The LBJ Presidential Library Auditorium on the UT Austin Campus
PLAYING POSSUM
by Holly Hepp-Galvan
May 12 - 21, 2017
Long ago, possums didn't look the way they do today. They were silky white and had beautiful tails with long, thick fur. And they loved to play tricks! Particularly on poor Coyote. In this retelling of Mexican folklore, we follow Possum's adventures where perhaps he plays one trick too many. Combined with Spanish language elements, this play will have children laughing while they think about what it really
means to be clever.
The Long Center’s Rollins Studio Theatre
THE RAGBAG SHOES
by Katherine Gee Perrone
July 7-15, 2017
It is Iyana’s special tenth birthday, the birthday that every child in the Kingdom receives his or her magic singing shoes from her father, the Shoemaker. But her father has fallen on hard times and is too poor to buy new material for Iyana, so he cobbles together a pair of shoes with the old scraps found in his ragbag. But ugly or not, the shoes are made from magic. To Iyana’s surprise, the shoes come alive and take her on a fantastic adventure through their patchwork past. Every scrap in her shoes has come from a fairy tale. The lining came from Cinderella’s glass slipper; the ribbons were plucked from the dancing shoes of twelve princess; and the buttons were handmade by the elves who helped the Shoemaker! As Iyana’s shoes dance her from tale to tale, Iyana learns to both respect the history of her ragbag shoes, and feel empowered to dance the shoes into a story of her own. She is reminded to respect the past, and remake the future; that what we’ve been given makes us who we are, but it does not determine what we become. THE RAGBAG SHOES is an unforgettable play that will have you tapping your feet as you travel through the familiar and forgotten tales of footwear.
The Long Center’s Rollins Studio Theatre
"Learning should always be fun and challenging."