What Does $5 Buy You These Days? Or, “Gee Our Old Lasalle Ran Great, Those Were the Days…”

I remember when pop was ten cents a can (well, who would pay more than that for a can of Tahiti Treat for goodness sake!) and a bag of cheesecorn and a new Archie Comic would set you back about fifty cents! Ah the early ’70s…

But inflation has really eaten away at a kid’s buying power! I mean it’s hard for a kid to scrape together enough to buy a supersized extra large fries these days!

So what does a fiver get you?

1. One movie rental for which you get one highly scratched, virtually unwatchable DVD of HOOK — hmmm — or;

2. Two and a half supersized Mr. Big chocolate bars (ASIDE: Does anybody really need that much nougat?) — hmmm — or;

3. Forty-five fabulous minutes of the all singing’ and all dancin’ hot new kids live-on-air-conditioned-stage musical THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND!

That’s right! For just $5 ($10 for young-at-heart grown-ups), a kid can come and see eight incredibly-talented actors and three incredibly-talented musicians bring the classic Beatrix Potter story to musical life! THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND is the fun family musical story about a pig who is forced to find his way in the world — the perfect coming of age PIG story!

And here’s the closer — no tax! Just a crisp five bucks (or two toonies and a loony, or five loonies, or 20 quarters or … well, you get the picture!).

So kids, go bug your Mom or Dad or big sis or big bro’ to bring you to see THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND. Your grown-up can buy tickets by calling 416.967.1528 or visiting fringetoronto.com.

Happy days are here again!

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Hey, these are cool!

In keeping with the “children’s literature” theme of this musical, we are now producing THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND bookmarks.

Now you can keep your place in your favorite book with your favorite musical!

Remember, Beatrix Potter is the most popular children’s author of ALL TIME. According to this entry on Wikipedia:

Beatrix Potter, or Helen Beatrix Potter (July 28, 1866 - December 22, 1943) was a British children’s book author and illustrator. Her most famous character is Peter Rabbit.Her father, Rupert Potter, although educated as a barrister, spent his days at Gentlemen’s clubs and rarely practised. Her mother spent her time visiting or receiving visitors. Both parents lived on incomes (inheritances) from their parents. Nannies and governesses raised Beatrix and her younger brother, Bertram. When she came of age, her parents appointed her their housekeeper and discouraged any intellectual development, instead requiring her to supervise the household. An uncle attempted to introduce her as a student at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, but she was rejected because she was female.

The basis of her many projects and stories were the small animals that she smuggled into the house or observed during family holidays in Scotland and the Lake District.

Potter was one of the first to suggest that lichens were a symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae, but her one attempt to publish was thwarted. Her uncle had to read her paper at the scientific society because they did not admit females. At the time the only way to record microscopic images was by painting them; her pictures of fungi were widely admired.

She was encouraged to publish her story, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, but she struggled to find a publisher until it was accepted in 1902. The small book and her following works were extremely well received and she gained an independent income from the sales. She also became secretly engaged to the publisher, Norman Warne, but her parents were set against her marrying anyone who worked for a living. He died before the wedding, causing a breach between Beatrix and her parents.

From an early age, Potter was a writer. From the age of fifteen until she was past thirty, she recorded her everyday life in journals, using her own secret code-writing. Potter wrote 23 books. These were published in a small format, easy for a child to hold and read. Her writing efforts abated around 1920 due to poor eyesight, though her last major work, The Tale of Little Pig Robinson, was published in 1930.

In her later years she bought and ran a sheep farm in the English Lake District; she loved the landscape, and with the steady stream of royalties from her books, along with the inheritance from her parents, she bought up large areas of local land. She had been a friend of one of the founders of the National Trust, and in her will, much of the property was left to the Trust — cottages, 15 farms, 4000 acres (16 km²) of land — to ensure that its beauty could remain unspoiled. Her legacy is now part of the Lake District National Park. Her most famous books were published by Frederick Warne & Company since 1902.

At the age of 47, Beatrix Potter married her solicitor, William Heelis; they had no children. She died in Sawrey, Lancashire on December 22, 1943.

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I am quickly becoming intimately familiar with every single rehearsal room at Equity Showcase Theatre! And I’m on a first-name basis with Puck, the humungous white and black cat that lives there (I call it “get away from me you wretched animal” and it calls me “Suzy”).

We’ve been in the Apartment Studio, The Guild Room, The Lower Hall, and tonight it’s the Auditorium. What I like about the Lower Hall (aside from its football-field dimensions) are the yellow stacking chairs. These padded chairs are exactly the ones my dad bought for our kitchen back in the ’70s.

Back to rehearsals…we’ve already staged the first three scenes. The opening, “We’re Pigs” is going to be awesome!

The actors have all found their inner pigs and physically transform themselves with the first “we’re pigs”. Even without costumes you can really see it. And our wonderful set team — Shawndra and Don — have already provided us with the moveable picket fences that will have multiple uses throughout the show.

It’s also fun to watch Marc and the actors give the characters more dimension than just what is on the page (I think Aunt Pettitoes could use a glass of Sherry…). We’ve got a really great group and because they’ve worked together before with Marc at Sheridan, they share a real affection for each other, and also a shorthand language.

Tonight is another music-only rehearsal, and then tomorrow night Marc is going to choreograph the infamous “Door Song” between Pigling and Pigwig. Can’t wait!

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Yeah!

NYMF (the New York Musical Theatre Festival) put this article on their homepage — featuring the continuing work of alumni.

Thanks Kris!

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I am very excited to start rehearsals this week.

I enjoy working on shows for children — especially since I used to teach kindergarten (in another life) and I love creating theatre that that young kids will enjoy.

I am also a fan of Beatrix Potter and I used to read her books when I was a child. In fact, for my twenty-first birthday my mother gave me the entire Beatrix Potter collection of books!

I am happy to be working with Suzy again after such a great collaboration on PLANE CRAZY, and it’s also exciting to be working with Mitch for the first time.

I am also really looking forward to working with so many former students of mine from Sheridan College who are graduates from both this year and last year. It will be great to see them all again and work with them outside of the school setting. The key challenge with this show will be physicalizing these animal characters — that is, finding the animal that is that person or the person that is the animal.

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Yeah!

Broadwayworld.com ran our press release in this article today:

Directed and choreographed by Marc Richard, THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND “is a fun family musical about a pig who is forced to find his way in the world — the perfect coming-of-age PIG story! Beatrix Potter is the most popular children’s author of all time, so this musical is sure to be a hit with children aged 3 to 9 (and their parents). The running time of 45 minutes is perfect for a child’s first musical theatre experience!,” state press notes on the show, which is co-written by Suzy Conn and Mitchell Kitz.

Conn (book and lyrics) previously wrote PLANE CRAZY, which was honoured at last fall’s New York Musical Theatre Festival, while Kitz (music) is a respected Toronto-area composer, a graduate of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop in New York, and the writer, arranger, and music director for the children’s show “4-SQUARE” on Treehouse TV.

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TORONTO, June 19, 2006 — M. Kitz Productions is pleased to announce that Beatrix Potter’s beloved children’s story, THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND, will come to musical life at this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival.

Directed and choreographed by Marc Richard, THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND is a fun family musical about a pig who is forced to find his way in the world — the perfect coming-of-age PIG story! Beatrix Potter is the most popular children’s author of all time, so this musical is sure to be a hit with children aged 3 to 9 (and their parents). The running time of 45 minutes is perfect for a child’s first musical theatre experience!

The show is co-written by Suzy Conn and Mitchell Kitz.

Suzy is well known for her musical PLANE CRAZY, which was honoured at last fall’s New York Musical Theatre Festival, while Mitchell is a highly respected Toronto-area composer, a graduate of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop in New York, and the writer, arranger, and music director for the children’s show 4-SQUARE on Treehouse TV.

According to Suzy Conn (Book and Lyrics): “This is a children’s musical with a classic show tune structure. I would describe it as ’sophisticated yet accessible’. This musical features interesting rhymes and new memorable melodies, with more story, more action, and more heart.”

Mitchell Kitz (Composer) says: “Musically, I wanted the world of Pigling Bland to have adventure, marvel, energy and modern humour. Relying on traditional Broadway, jazz, and music hall styles, the music has energy, heart and a sense of fun and adventure both for the pigs and for kids.”

Performances feature singing and dancing from a cast of graduates from Sheridan College’s Music Theatre Performance Program, including Daniel Greenberg as Pigling Bland; Lana Sugarman as PigWig; Rachel Brittain as Alexander; Rebecca Stewart as Aunt Pettitoes; Janna Polzin as Cat; Trevor Campbell as Dog; Trevor Williams as Piperson; and Andrew Chandler as Policeman. Other members of the creative team include Shawndra White (Stage Manager); Melissa Joakim (Costume Designer); and Don McMahon (ASM).

The orchestra features a strolling band playing a fun combination of instruments — with Heather Amyot on Accordian, Julia Hambleton on Clarinet, and Mitchell Kitz on Baritone.

THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND is available for a limited run of eight shows only, from July 6 to 15. All performances are at the Toronto Fringe Festival KidsVenue space at the Palmerston Library Theatre at 560 Palmerston Avenue (near Bathurst and Bloor). For tickets call 416.966.1062 or visit fringetoronto.com. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children.

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The countdown to our FRINGE opening begins!

We had our first rehearsal on June 14 at Equity Showcase. It was great to get the whole cast together (and yes, they are as cute in person as they are on the Web site!).

Joining us was Shawndra, our Stage Manager, and our new Assistant Stage Manager/Props guy, Don McMahon — welcome aboard!

Also, our accordian player, Heather Amyot (yes I said accordian!) was playing piano. While I’m on the subject, our band will be composed of Heather on accordian, Julia Hambleton on clarinet, and our composer Mitch on baritone (which is sort of like a small tuba). I can’t wait to see our roving band of musicians in action! Mitch was running the show as we focused all on running through all the music.

It’s always great to hear your songs performed, and it helps me as the lyricist to hear how the words sound when they are sung by somebody else. The group stuff sounds great, and the cast are very quick when it comes to harmony. Then we went through the solo songs, and Lana and Daniel really sound great together in their duets. Our director, Marc, was furiously making notes and already came up with great suggestions and I have started writing new stuff already!

We had our venue walkthrough last week and it was really exciting to see the theatre, and imagine our actors in the space, singing and dancing up a piggy storm!

Stay tuned for more rehearsal news!

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Hey kids, download our great PIGLING BLAND coloring page, color it in, and get into THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND for FREE!!

That’s right, we’ll pay for any child that shows up to the show with a colored poster.

Click here to download the coloring poster.

No rules for the coloring — use any color scheme you want, in any media you desire.

Coloring outside the lines is highly recommended — both for this contest, and for life itself…

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Now that I’ve gotten y’all excited about having some down home farm fun, here’s some official info from the Toronto Fringe Festival about purchasing tickets!

Fringe Ticket Passes
Part of the fun of Fringing is sampling as many plays as possible. In order to encourage patrons to take a few risks when picking their plays — and to help save some money at the same time — the Festival offers three discount ticket passes that we hope you’ll consider purchasing.

FRINGE 5-PLAY PASS: $40.00
This pass was a huge hit at last year’s Fringe! It gives anyone the chance to check out 5 shows of their choice. Maximum one ticket per play per pass.

FREQUENT FRINGER PASS: $70.00
This popular pass gives you the chance to check out 10 shows for the price of seven. Maximum one ticket per play per pass.

BUDDY PASS: $90.00
For people who Fringe in pairs. This 14-show pass allows you to see and share with another for the price of 9 shows. Up to two tickets per play per pass.

Passes can be ordered in advance by calling 416-966-1062, by faxing the order form to 416-966-5072, or can be purchased in person at the TO TIX booth at Yonge-Dundas Square.

Starting July 5, passes can be purchased at the Advance Ticket Box Office, 292 Brunswick Ave., from Noon to 8pm daily. Passes will also be available during the festival at Fringe venues 1 to 11 (cash sales only).

All Fringe passes may only be used for “at the door” tickets and are non-transferable. The Buddy Pass can have one or two names listed on the pass. ID must be shown when using your pass.

Advance Ticket Sales
If you prefer not to stand in line to purchase a ticket, or if you want to make sure you get a ticket to that “Fringe Hit”, we’ve provided you with three advance ticket options.

Advance Tickets By Phone:
June 20 to July 4, 10am – 5pm (Mon-Fri)
July 5 to July 16, 10am – 7pm daily

Call (416) 967-1528
Payment options: Visa, Mastercard, Amex

Advance Tickets In Person:
July 5 to July 16, Noon – 8pm

Fringe Club, 292 Brunswick Ave. (South of Bloor St.)
Payment options: Cash, Interac, Visa, Mastercard, Amex

Advance Tickets On-Line:
June 20 to July 16

For online sales go to the Fringe Web site. Advance Tickets can be purchased up to 3 hours prior to the start of a performance. Only 50% of the tickets to any performance are available for advance purchase. There is a $2 surcharge included in each $10 advance ticket.

Children’s advance tickets for the KidsVenue will be $5, the same as the “at the door” ticket price. 

Advance ticket services are provided by the Toronto International Film Festival Group (TIFFG). All credit card sales will be processed by TIFFG on behalf of the Fringe. All privacy regulations will be followed.

***For on-line sales only, there will also be an additional $4.50 order fee for this service charged by TIFFG***

“At The Door” Ticket Sales
“At The Door” tickets for the first performance of the day at all venues (including BYOV’s) will go on sale 30 minutes prior to showtime.

“At The Door” tickets for all other performances in the day will go on sale one hour prior to showtime.

So what are y’all waiting for?

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Was it for the fame? Was it for the money? Was it to get free pork products?

No, not entirely. The reason I wrote (actually co-wrote — Mitchell Kitz wrote the music) this particular musical is that I wanted to write a show for young kids. More specifically I wanted to write the type of show to which I would want to take my kids (when they were aged 3 to 9).

If kids are going to appreciate and go to live theatre when they are adults, they need to appreciate and go to live theatre when they are children. Just like we train kids to go to the movies, we need to make live theatre a regular part of their lives.

Don’t get me wrong, I love movies…but there ain’t nothin’ like live theatre. There’s a saying, when you are blown away by something in a film you lean back in your seat. When you are compelled by something in theatre, you lean forward in your seat. It’s true.

So Mitch and I wanted to write a kids musical with classic showtune structure. Sophisticated yet accessible. Nursery rhymes are great but kids are also up for more — more interesting rhymes, new memorable melodies, more story, more action, and more heart.

And we think 45 minutes for $5.00 (the KidsVenue Fringe price) is a great first taste before you invest in a $100 ticket for 3 hours of THE LION KING or TARZAN!

And I have first-hand experience of how musical theatre is an incredible tool for teaching.

My kids have always loved the melodic music and strong word play of show tunes. They may not always understand the joke or meaning of every lyric but if overall it is engaging, they fully enjoy it and can learn from it. You don’t always have to talk down to them. And asking questions (ideally after the show is done) is a good thing because it opens a dialogue between parent and child, providing additional opportunities for learning.

We chose a Beatrix Potter story because they are timeless and both Mitch and I loved them as kids. THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND is a classic coming of age story — every kid can relate to being bossed around and learning to stand on their own two feet and really figuring out what they want to do.

I was also hoping to attract parents who had fond memories of Beatrix Potter stories. This way, the parents and the kids can have a common experience that is enjoyable for both of them. No offense to Arthur the Aardvark, but after I sat through the ARTHUR LIVE! Karoke-merchandise-fest at the Hummingbird Centre a few years back, I vowed I would never sit through one of those shows again.

Another positive by-product of producing THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND at the Toronto Fringe is giving some of the most talented young performers a chance to stretch as performers (okay, you’re half pig half man…now sing!), and a chance to work with a top notch director, Marc Richard.

As we all know, theatre in Toronto is a bit “soft” right now, so it’s great that these graduates of Canada’s premier musical theatre school can strut their stuff!

Actually forget everything I just said, we really wrote it for the free pork products.

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