Jack & the Beanstalk in April!

Kaleidoscope Children’s Theatre Performance of Jack and The Beanstalk Sponsored By Wood River Preschool on April 10th at 10 am will take place at the Chariho Middle School, 455B Switch Road, Wood River Junction. Tickets are $5/person at the door starting at 9am and people of all ages are encouraged to attend.

Wood River Preschool is a non-profit, parent cooperative preschool and this April 10th performance will help raise funds to bring increased educational opportunities to students and will also give the community the opportunity to enjoy professional theatre.

Summer 2010 Preview!

 Dates and details to follow!We can't wait to see you all this summer!:)

Thank you!

Kaleidoscope Theatre will be receiving the Justice Award for 2009 given by RI Attorney General, Patrick Lynch, on February 25th, 2010!

The award letter we received stated -

Kaleidoscope Children’s Theatre has been selected as a 2009 recipient of the Justice Award, symbolizing not only it’s tradition of artistic excellence but also the Theatre’s commitment to educating our children about crime and harmful behavior such as in its excellent production of B.U.L.L.Y.

Congratulations and thank you to all who made this possible over the years by sharing their dedication, hard work and talents.

We would especially like to thank those responsible for our most recent touring production, High School BULLY, which was so positively reviewed by members of the RI Attorney General’s office. They are:

• The Rhode Island Foundation, in particular Alex McCray, whose help and support gave our Executive Director, David Payton, the encouragement to persevere and create the High School BULLY script. The RIF gave us a grant to create the script which is based on David’s production B.U.L.L.Y. (Better Understanding by Listening and Learning about You) for elementary schools.

• The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, especially Liz Keithline, who also guided and supported David. RISCA gave us a grant to arrange/orchestrate the music which was done magnificently by RI Artist, Dan Delange.
• The P.A.V.E organization headed by retired Police Lieutenant, John Reis, whose steadfast belief and energy helped make the script so strong. P.A.V.E. gave us a grant to perform the production at ten high schools in RI.  
• Our Managing Director, Bob Zannini, who has managed to make us successful every year for the past 33 years. Without his guidance and support we would never have been able to do all that we do!
• Our Administrative Director, Nicole Frechette who arranged rehearsals, planned schedules, did sound for the show and so much more and our Educational Director, Jamie Dellorco made the bookings for us.
• Bill Whitehead, one of our revered performers, who directed the show and did wonderful things with it.
• Long time friend and performer as well as a former ‘Teacher of the Year’, Marianne Douglas. When we needed ways and strategies for teens to handle bullying and stressful situations, she shared several of her strategies from her multi-award winning curriculum for high school students, ‘Strategies for Success’, and helped to create our new production which is itself now award winning.
• Internationally acclaimed Contemporary Gospel legend, Ray Boltz, for allowing us to use his original song, 'The Swimming Hole', to open our show and set the theme of dealing with and overcoming injustice. Thanks Ray for sharing your talents and for being such a good friend.
• James Robinson and Stump from Youth Pride RI and all of the OUTspoken Players that provided valuable feedback throughout the writing process.
• Our fantastically talented group of young performers who believed in the project and gave so much of their time and talents. The current performers touring in High School BULLY are: Joe Catanzaro, Ben Craven, Jamie Dellorco, Marianne Douglas, Luke Doyle, Krista-Louise Genereux, Megan Gonsalves, Sam Hood, Amber Johnson, James Lambert, Brendan Macera, Cameron Marcotte, David Payton, Sarah Pothier, Jillian Rivers-Keegan, Roxy Roca, Patrick Saunders, Audrey Thompson, and Dan Walsh.
• The schools, principals, teachers, guidance counselors and parents who bring us into their schools to educate and entertain their students year after year and also all of the fans who come year after year to see our productions at Rhode Island College or at the Scottish Rites in Cranston, bringing their families, as well as members of their organizations, schools or groups.
• The Angels out there who give so much to help us raise funds for our programs, in particular, Carrabas Restaurant manager, Jim Lee, The Shriners, Wayne Sutton, The John Moran Fund’s, Jerry Ventre and The Pauls Foundation’s David Valkema and Paul Mavros.

Getting this award helps tremendously to shed light upon our theatre company and in particular our BULLY programs. These vital programs can only continue through the financial support of individuals and organizations who recognize how imperative it is that we help our youth by giving them the strategies they need to succeed in school and in life.

This can only be accomplished with your help. If you believe in what we are doing and you are able to help us get the messages out by either your own personal financial support or your company’s financial support then please contact us and make our programs available to those who so desperately need them. Together we will make a difference.

Thank you. Thank you all.

~ David

*

Support a worthy cause this weekend!

Kaleidoscopian Emily Luther is hosting and event called “Play the Music for Parkinson’s”. The event is Saturday, February 13^th at 6PM at Bella’s Restaurant in Glendale, RI and it promises to be an enjoyable evening of dinner, dancing, live entertainment and a Silent Auction. Proceeds will go to the National Parkinson Foundation in memory of her grandfather. Tickets are $40.00 per person.

(Photo: Emily as Cinderella in 2007.)

February Newsletter!

In February's issue you can read about:

1. Our Upcoming Performances

2. The Rhode Island Home Show

3. Our Spring Fundraiser – Save the Date!

4. Acting Classes for Children

5. “Rapunzel”

6. RISCA Funds Available to Schools and Camps!

7. Supporting Our Members

Remember, for pictures and video clips (old and new) come visit us on Facebook or find us on YouTube!

If you'd like to automatically receive our entire newsletter, please email us!

Thanks!

Two Performances this weekend!

On Saturday, February 6, Kaleidoscope will be presenting Snow White at Westborough High School in Westborough, MA. This performance will begin at 2:00pm and is being presented as a fundraiser for the Westborough SEPAC. Tickets are available at the door.

The following day, Kaleidoscope’s monthly series in Saugus, MA will continue! On February 7, we will be presenting The Frog Prince at 2:00pm. To reserve tickets, please contact Paul Ryan at grouptixne@aol.com or (781) 230-EXPO. Tickets are $12 and include a free ice cream.

Hope to see you this weekend!

:)

Save the Date - Spring Fundraiser!

To help raise money to bring our anti-bullying program to schools that could otherwise not afford it, Kaleidoscope is planning an exciting fundraiser for this spring! The event will be open to the public, so save the date and spread the word!

The event will be held Friday, May 28th at the Scottish Rites Auditorium in Cranston, RI and will feature a family-friendly collection of Kaleidoscope Theatre songs and skits. Tickets will be $15 for adults and $10 for children under 12. All proceeds will benefit Kaleidoscope Theatre programs. Stay tuned for more details!

Grant Funds Available for Busing!

The Rhode Island State Arts Council (RISCA) has decided to designate an initial $20,000 from its federal grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to help schools with the cost of hiring buses to transport students to arts and cultural events and programs!

This new program, based on successful programs in Iowa and Massachusetts, will help school students attend concerts at the Providence Performing Arts Center and Veterans Memorial Auditorium, plays at Trinity Rep and the Gamm Theatre, museum exhibitions at the RISD Museum and the Newport Art Museum, and countless other arts opportunities that are currently unavailable to Rhode Island school students because of lack of funding for buses and coverage for classroom teachers.

One such opportunity is Kaleidoscope's performance of Rapunzel on May 13th! Tickets to this performance are still available (only $5.50/ticket) and can be purchased by calling Kaleidoscope Theatre at (401) 942-3637. For camps and day care centers, the grant funding for the buses can also be applied to our summer 2010 summer series!

Under the terms of this new program, schools can apply for up to $400 per trip, with each school eligible to receive support for one trip per year in order to ensure that as many schools as possible can participate in this program. Applications will be funded until the money runs out, but it is the Arts Council’s intention to evaluate this program and continue to support it – contingent on availability of sufficient funds -- into the foreseeable future.

To apply for funding to attend one of our upcoming spring or summer programs, check out RISCA's website!

January Newsletter

The first edition of the 2010 Newsletter has been released!

In this issue you can read about:

1. Upcoming Performances

2. “High School BULLY”

3. “BULLY”

4. “The Magic of Story Time”

5. “Rapunzel” on May 13th

6. Thank you, RISCA!

7. Supporting Our Members

Email us at kaleidoscope@kaleidoscopetheatre.com to join the mailing list!

Kaleido-Stuff available for a good cause!

Kaleidoscope Theatre has several auction items on the block for The Meeting Street School Auction. The auction is open from now through January 30th. The Meeting Street event culminates on the 30th with a live telethon on Channel 12 from 7-11pm.

CLICK HERE TO BID!

Kaleidoscope Items:
* Concessions Basket - Valued at $50 (see photo)
Gift basket includes: Boyd’s Bears teddy bear, Kaleidoscope Theatre kaleidoscope, Kaleidoscope Theatre t-shirt, 4 show posters w/ crayons, 2 beanie babies, “Cinderella: The Musical Storybook” w/ CD, “Little Red Riding Hood”, Kaleidoscope pen, king crown, jeweled hat, and light up butterfly wand.

* Summer 2010 Season Tickets (Family Four-Pack) - Valued at $200
Kaleidoscope Theatre invites a family of four to view all eight fairytale musical performances this summer at Rhode Island College! Our RI series runs every Tuesday morning at 11am from July 6th through August 31st.

* Kaleidoscope Theatre Character Birthday Party - Valued at $150
Birthday Party Package includes:
 Choice of Princess: Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, or Rapunzel.
 Tiara/crown presented to the Birthday Child announcing she/he is Princess/Prince for the day!
 One free character/show-specific coloring poster with crayons wrapped with a ribbon and presented to the Birthday Child.
 Performance of songs from the Princess’ Kaleidoscope Theatre Show.
 Character will stay for cake, sing ‘Happy Birthday!’, and pose for photographs

Half hour version now available!

Kaleidoscope is now offering a half hour version of The Magic of Story Time for only $150!

Booking this program allows one of our princesses to come to your school and read and sing-through their famous tale! Princess options include: Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Sleeping Beauty. An hour long version of the program is also still available that incorporates the stories of two princesses.

Here is a video clip of Cinderella and Snow White performing at a local school!



Call Jamie at (401) 942-3637 for more details!

Kaleidoscope will be remounting Pochontas!

Kaleidoscope Theatre has been awarded a $3000 grant from RISCA to reorchestrate the music for our production Pocahontas: The True Story! This show will be remounted  for the first time since 1998! Award-winning orchestrator Dan DeLange will again be lending us his amazing talent to bring our historically accurate production to new heights! As tie in to the history curriculum, this production will also be available to tour to schools!

(Photo: Sarah Pothier will be playing the role of Pocahontas. Stay tuned for a production/performance schedule.)

RISCA Press Release:

STATE ARTS COUNCIL ANNOUNCES SECOND ROUND OF GRANTS FOR 2009-2010

Many employed, many served by Arts Council grants

Over a thousand artists will be employed and over 134,000 individuals will benefit from the latest round of grants awarded by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, according to information released by the state arts agency today. The Arts Council announced its second round of grant awards for the 2009-2010 season, supporting projects by individual artists, arts organizations, schools and educational organizations in communities throughout the state.

In announcing the awards, State Arts Council director Randall Rosenbaum said that it was important to remember, particularly in challenging times, that the arts employ people and help communities. "The arts are an important part of the Rhode Island economy”, he said. “Each grant we award helps to employ an artist, even for a short period of time, and those artists – our neighbors – help support local businesses by paying rent, buying groceries, and by providing cultural programs in our communities. Our applicants tell us that over 134,000 people will benefit from the projects we just supported, and those people in turn will contribute in their own way to our state’s economic recovery.”

The Arts Council announced it had awarded a total of $354,053 in state and federal funds to 108 applicants in this latest round of grants. It received 317 applications from artists, organizations and schools throughout the state, with requests totaling $1,710,714. Grants ranged in size from $10,000 to the Rhode Island Philharmonic for an educational outreach program on Duke Ellington, funded under a special federal program entitled “American Masterpieces”, to $250 for a theatre performance for seniors program at the Warren Senior Center in Warren, RI.

About the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts

The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts is a state agency, supported by appropriations from the Rhode Island General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. RISCA provides grants, technical assistance and staff support to arts organizations and artists, schools, community centers, social service organizations and local governments to bring the arts into the lives of Rhode Islanders.

High School BULLY - "Like Me"

Here is a clip from our premiere High School BULLY performance at East Providence High School on January 5th.

In doing research for this production, we found that all too often bullying occurs when a person doesn't feel very good about themselves. Bullies try to make themselves feel better by putting others down. Liking yourslef can go a long way to ending the bullying cycle. We want everyone to remember that it is very important to like the person you are.

Inspiring artwork!

One of our High School BULLY performers recently created an original work of art inspired by our new production! Thank you, Krista for sharing your talent!

Our first performance of High School BULLY was a wonderful success today at East Providence High School. Thank you so much to the cast and crew that made this program possible. Special thanks also to Marianne Douglas for co-writing the script and putting up the new anti-bullying websites, to Bill Whitehead for directing the program, and to John Reis and the P.A.V.E. program for the grant money that made this program possible.

Artwork by Krista-Louise.

High School BULLY video preview!

Performances of Kaleidoscope Theatre's High School BULLY program begin tomorrow!

Watch these clips for a small sample of the new music from the show.

Clip 1: The January 5th Winnie and Gary find friendship.


Clip 2: The January 4th cast sings the closing number.  If you're interested in bringing this brand-new production to your high school, please call (401) 942-3637.