City Circle and Children's Museum offer workshops

City Circle - City Circle Acting Company of Coralville will present the musical Once on This Island October 15-24 at the Iowa Children’s Museum in the Coral Ridge Mall. To celebrate the production and provide additional opportunities for interaction, the Iowa Children’s Museum will be presenting two free workshops on Oct. 9 and 10.

Once on This Island is directed by Rachel Howell and Chris Okiishi. This lively and moving musical by the creators of Seussical and Ragtime is the story of a poor young Island girl and her quest to become part of the affluent society from the other side of the Island. Her journey, in which she encounters helpful and mischievous gods, fierce storms, true love and even death itself, is enacted by an ensemble of actors, singers and dancers. The story, based loosely on The Little Mermaid, is at once familiar and inspiring and will appeal to audiences of all ages.

Once on This Island is produced in collaboration with the Iowa Children’s Museum and will be held at the Museum Theater in the Coral Ridge Mall. Producer Dawn Clark says “the Museum is a great setting because the mission of the Iowa Children’s Museum is to explore the world through the power of play. These workshops are an opportunity for children and families to experience a part of another culture.”

The first workshop, held Oct. 9, will highlight the exciting choreography in the production. Museum visitors will learn dance steps from the numbers “We Dance” and “Why We Tell the Story.” The second workshop, Oct. 10 will be an art project in which visitors will create their own rain sticks – percussive instruments with a unique sound.

Workshops will be held Oct. 9 from 1-3pm and Oct. 10 from 11am-1pm. Both workshops are free with museum admission. Workshops will be held in the Art Room of the Iowa Children’s Museum, Coral Ridge Mall.

Performances of Once on This Island will be held Oct. 15, 16, 22 and 23 at 7:30pm and Oct. 17 and 24 at 2pm. Tickets are available online at www.citycircle.org and at the door. Tickets are $10 for children under ten, $15 for students/seniors and $20 for general admission.

Schoolhouse Rock - Live! opens this weekend

City Circle - Three local institutions have come together to produce a show that will be familiar to anyone growing up in the 70s or 80s. Schoolhouse Rock – Live!, produced by City Circle Acting Company, The Iowa Children's Museum and The Englert Theatre, opens this Friday at the Englert. The producers call this show "a real treat for 'Generation X-rs' seeking a taste of nostalgia" and say it "will also entertain children just discovering the TV series."

"I have dreamed of producing Schoolhouse Rock – Live! at the Englert for years," says Englert Executive Director Beth Bewley-Randall, who was the stage manager for the show's school tour in Chicago. "This show isn't just for kids – it's for everyone who ever saw the cartoon series, or who enjoys learning through music. I expect to see people dancing in the aisles."

Tickets are on sale now through the Englert Box Office by calling 319-688-2653 or visiting 221 E Washington Street Mon-Fri 1:00-6:00 PM. Tickets and more information are also available online here.

Families are also invited to explore the Schoolhouse Rock – Live! exhibit at the Iowa Children's Museum with their favorite Schoolhouse Rock characters, including Zero is My Hero, Interplanetary Janet, and The Bill. Activities include the Gravity Drop, the Conjunction Junction word mural, and a mini-planetarium. For more information about the exhibit, call 319-625-6255.