Tickets are $7 each. For every 20 student tickets purchased, you will receive one complimentary adult ticket. All performances are approximately one hour with no intermission.
Please note that the Grand Theatre offers special seating arrangements for patrons with disabilities and these can be made at the time of booking.
To book tickets, please contact the Grand Theatre Box Office at (613) 530-2050.
You can download an electronic version of the City of Kingston's Education Programs brochure above, or request printed copies by contacting the Grand Theatre Box Office.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Favourites
The Mermaid Theatre Presents
Grades 1 to 3 / Language — Media Literacy and Oral Communication
Monday, November 30, 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Eric Carle literary classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, introduces young children to their first performing arts experience. This production will encourage literacy and the love of reading, and has acquainted thousands of young people and their parents with the excitement of live performance.
Giant puppets that glow under black lights will delight! Included in this show are the stories of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the fanciful account of Little Cloud's travels through the sky; and The Mixed-Up Chameleon's discovery of his own unique nature. Watch a giant cutout of the ravenous larva munch his way to his beautiful butterfly metamorphosis!
"... I have been teaching third grade for thirteen years. I always take my students to the Walton Arts Center four or five times each year. This was one of the very best shows I have seen. It was perfect" - Teacher, Fayetteville, Ariz.
Black Umfolosi
Grades 2-5 / The Arts — Music
Thursday, December 10, 10:30 a.m.
About Black Umfolosi
The internationally renowned Black Umfolosi offer their sweet sounds of acapella with their marvellous harmonies and gospel singing as well as their captivating dancing including the gumboot dancing of South Africa. Black Umfolosi deliver their performance with fun and joyful enthusiasm and share the story of their journey from Zimbabwe and their courage through music and dance. This group never fails to captivate its audience and encourage them on to the stage to join in the performance.
"Hi, I'm in Hillside High School and Black Umfolosi are there now and they're the best thing I've ever seen in my life. They're also the kindest people in the world and I would like you to keep in touch with me please." - Student at Hillside High School, Liverpool, England
Ah, la vache! / Holy Cow!
Grade 4 / Extended French and French Immersion Programs — Oral Communication
Monday, March 8, 2010 10:30 a.m. (English performance) 1 p.m. (French performance)
About Ah, la vache! / Holy Cow!
A zany mystery with a musical comic-strip twist! Ah, la vache ! / Holy Cow! is a "cow"mical show which deals with serious issues: managing conflict, negotiation, the meaning of ownership, questions without clear answers. However, with artful storytelling skill, playwright and Argentinean puppeteer, Javier Swedzky, has chosen a joyous approach which is exuberant and colourful. With a set in the form of a fairground stall which can be transformed at will, the actors and puppets, giant or tiny, try to outwit each other as they act, sing and dance their way through this zany yet tender story. Inspired as much by comic-strips as the circus or musicals, Holy Cow! is an outrageous and endearing comedy. A French and English study guide for teachers will be sent out to each classroom prior to the performance.
"From one audacious moment to another, playing as much with words as with contrast, Ah, la vache ! arrives like a breath of fresh air from the pampas, which renews Thé&acarat;tre de l'OEil's scenic vocabulary" - Michel Bélair, Le Devoir, September 2007
Inti-Illimani
Grade 6 / Social Studies — Canada and World Connections
Friday, March 26, 2010, 10:30 a.m.
About Inti-Illimani
In 1973, while on tour in Europe, a young Chilean musical group learned that dictator Augusto Pinochet had come into power and six young musicians found themselves suddenly in political exile. Italy became their home for the next 14 years, where they managed to not only stay together, but flourish. Although a difficult and unlikely success, the experience broadened Inti's exposure to different musical forms and styles, adding depth and complexity to their rich texture of sounds and stories from their indigenous cultures of Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Argentina.
In addition to their esteemed musical expertise, Inti-Illimani offers an authentic, professional and vibrant culture of language, performance art, politics, travel, communication and history — easily translatable into myriad forms of educational opportunities.
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit
Théatre sans FilsGrades 4-7 / Extended French and French Immersion Programs — Oral Communication / The Arts — Drama and Dance
Monday, May 3, 2010 10:30 a.m. (English performance) 1 p.m. (French performance)
About J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit
This renowned company from Montreal, whose name means "theatre without strings." will mesmerize audiences with life-size puppets, black lights, and lasers. For Tolkien's adventures of Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf and their dwarf friends, Theatre Sans Fil uses dozens of huge puppets to create a fantastic display with magical effects.
A study guide for teachers will be sent out to each classroom prior to the performance.
"WOW! The school kids were speechless, breathless, and as still as could ... The special effects truly engaged and transformed their experience. The company was professional and caring. They were a joy!" - Leslie Lacktman, Sarasota, Fla.
