TrueNorth Gives Families A Reason to Enjoy the Arts

This fall, TrueNorth Cultural Arts is broadening its offerings with its new Sneak Away Sundays and Family Life Series to make sure families have a reason to go out and enjoy the arts.

The first show of the fall will be The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which will be the first in TrueNorth's Sneak Away Sundays series. The play will run Sept. 16 through Oct. 2, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.

TrueNorth is starting Sneak Away Sundays to give parents a chance to get away for an afternoon and see a play without having to hire a babysitter. While parents are watching the show, kids will participate in a “mini theater camp,” said TrueNorth marketing and group sales coordinator Brian Bowers.

“I personally have three children, and it was always a challenge to see theater, or go out at all, due to having to find a babysitter,” Bowers said. “If Giant Eagle can offer babysitting while parents shop, I figured there's no reason why a theater could not offer something to parents who want to enjoy a show. Rick Fortney (artistic director of TrueNorth) liked the idea, but we never had the staff to implement it until recently.”

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a newly written comedy about students competing in a spelling bee with humor surrounding their back stories and families, Bowers said. The play does have some adult language and themes. Bowers said he'd give it a PG-13 rating.

“There is some language and subject matter that isn't appropriate for young kids – nothing graphic, just stuff your average teenage student would be dealing with at that point in their life anyway, told from a very comedic perspective,” he said.

While the adults are watching the play, children ages 4 to 12 will be learning about theater, music, nature and art. The cost is $6 per child in advance or $8 per child at the door.

“Parents who have to pay a babysitter should find this a much more affordable and fun alternative,” Bowers said. “While we're not the first theater in the world to offer this service, I believe that TrueNorth is the first in this area. I think it's going to be a great program for both the parents and the kids.”

TrueNorth will start offering this service only on Sundays, but Bowers said if it's successful, the organization will expand it according to its growing needs.

Family Life Series

Also this fall, TrueNorth will begin its Family Life Series, which will be geared toward families with young children.

“We have a large number of families with younger children in our patron base, and we really wanted to find a way to bring them some shows that are more geared toward that younger audience,” Bowers said. “The Family Life Series is new and separate from our Mainstage Theatre Series. The shows are performed in our smaller theater, Pijor Hall, and are less focused on the spectacle of theater and more focused on reaching out and bringing theater to the children.”

The first in the series will be Bunnicula, based on the popular children's book about a dog who believes the family bunny is a vampire. Performances will take place Oct. 7 through 29, on Fridays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m.

TrueNorth will hold a costume contest after each performance and a Halloween Parade with treats for participants after the final performance Oct. 29. The costume contest and Halloween Parade are free workshops for the kids. Workshops will be held for other Family Life Series performances, and future workshops will include an instrument petting zoo, African drumming workshop, and dance workshops, Bowers said.

The second show in the Family Life Series will be Billy Goats Gruff: A Children's Opera, which will have performances Nov. 12 and 19 at 3 p.m.

“Each year TrueNorth performs one children's opera, and this year that will be Billy Goats Gruff,” Bowers said. “Opera is sometimes hard for modern audiences to grasp, so we try to expose them to the music from an early age. Billy Goats Gruff features music from Mozart, Donizetti and Rossini.”

The opera was scheduled for November, National Bully Awareness Month, because of its theme of dealing with bullying.

“Immediately following each performance will be a free 'It Gets Better' program on bullying that the children, as well as parents, are welcome to take part in,” Bowers said.

TrueNorth is now auditioning for Bunnicula. Anyone interested in trying out may sign up for the organization's e-newsletter through its website, TNCArts.org or its Facebook page. You also may contact the Box Office or call 440-949-5200 for more information on auditions, Bowers said.