Last month my daughters and I enjoyed a special theatrical performance of Spellbound Theatre's Wink. Held at the the Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Wink was a beautiful depiction of the ethereal world of what happens when we all go to sleep. Through puppets, gentle music, stuffed animals and animation the audience of young children and adults were able to connect with the magic of what lies within our dreams.

This imaginative and beautiful world is seen through the eyes of a young girl and her beloved bear as she experiences the magical moments of what we all experience in our minds and our hearts when we sleep. My daughters were front and center, and completely mesmerized through this moving entire non-verbal show.

The beauty of this show was that it was designed for kids 4 and under - that allowed my kids to connect with the innovative puppetry, animation and physical theatre in a way that we have never seen before. Since it was also for the younger set, I loved that it both held their attention span and was over in 40 minutes - providing a gentle introduction to this unique theatrical experience.

Created by Lauren Jost and Margot Fitzsimmons, the show was inspired by the classic poem, "Wynken, Blynken and Nodro and turned out to be remarkably captivating that allowed both kids and adults to lose themselves for 40 minutes into the magical and surprising world of our dreams.

Serena is a writer and mom of two. She is also the managing editor of Momtrends and the creator of Seriously Soupy, a website devoted to soup making. She also loves to write about theatre, travel, NYC, and food on her blog, TravelCultureFood.

Read more about BWW JR: Magical World of Wink by offbroadway.broadwayworld.com

http://www.materialsforthearts.org/2013/06/07/building-fabric-forts/ 

When you were little, did you ever make forts out of pillows and blankets? Inside this cozy spot, you could escape the world around you and pretend you were anywhere. In Spellbound Theater’s latest play, Under the Tree, Pea, a young girl, travels to a make-believe world of “shifting light, shape and time” in her own backyard.

Using materials such as fabric, jewelry, beads, and paper from the MFTA warehouse, Spellbound Theater’s artists built a magical set in a tent in Park Slope where visitors can hide away from the rest of the world. Under the Tree is an immersive performance installation where children and families can feel and experience a secret world as they join Pea on an adventure.

Director Lauren Jost said, ”It calls on the artists’ memories of tree houses, pillow forts, and crawl spaces under the stairs…all the places we used to imagine were our secret worlds as children. We used fabric, lumber, beads, strings, and projectors to create the puppets and setting of this unique, interactive show.”

To construct the main ‘tree’ elements that make up the structure’s roof, they used a mix of green and brown textiles, torn, cut into strips, and then tied together.  Pea, the star puppet made out of fabric swatches, ribbons, and wires, encourages the audience to project themselves on her through her unpainted face and fantastical form. The set is made primarily from strips of fabric, resembling the blanket forts Lauren built as a child. Even the decorative clothespins grew out of childhood memories.


 Everything can be touched on the set.  Under the Tree is an enchanting performance piece that doubles as a visual art installation that can be discovered and interacted with by young audience members through the context of a story.

“Our aesthetic is very hand-crafted and we want everything we have in this show to look like it is made out of familiar materials, but even though it looks slapped together during an afternoon play date, weeks of planning and buckets of hot glue went into ensuring that our props were up to the challenge of the audience,” writes Lauren.

You can read more about Under the Tree’s development phase at the Miranda Arts Project Space and view photos of Lauren and Visual Artist Christine Dehne’s creative process as they transform the space into a wonderland full of surprises.

“This original new work of theater for young audiences required a great deal of physical materials, and the donations we received from Materials for the Arts were an incredible gift, without which our production would not have been possible,” said Lauren.

Discover the hidden world Under the Tree in the ‘backyard’ of the Old Stone House (336 Third Street, Brooklyn) this Sunday, June 9 at 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, and 4:00 pm. The performance is designed for 16 audience members at a time. The show will also run June 16 and 23 at the same times. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children.

Lauren writes, “As an artist, it is such an honor to be a part of a young person’s first aesthetic experiences and contribute to their imaginative life. Under the Tree is very much a show that I would have wanted to see when I was four and a place I would have wanted to live when I was four. I hope that it is equally exciting to some of our visitors.”

Spellbound Theatre is a Brooklyn-based theater for families. Puppeteers, actors, storytellers, and writers create imaginative works for audiences of all ages. Their summer Creative Play classes(running June 3 – July 24) for young children uses theatrical principles and activities to support early development of social, physical, and imaginative skills. 

http://southslopenews.com/blog/kids/spellbound-theatre-brings-creative-play-to-south-slope

Spellbound Theatre, which introduced their drop-in storytime to South Slope in January, recently announced that June will welcome a new series of creative play classes to the area for kids ages 0 to 3, and there’s still plenty of time to sign up for the summer fun.

We sat down with Spellbound Theatre’s co-founder Lauren Jost to learn a bit more about the history of this impressive family arts center, and what parents can look forward to in the summer classes.

SSN: First of all, tell us a bit about yourself and the history of Spellbound.
ST: I’m a theatre director, performer and writer, specializing in theatre for the very young (under age 6) and arts integration for elementary aged students. I co-founded Spellbound Theatre in 2011 as a company that would provide quality performances for young audiences, as well as community and educational programs such as our storytimes and creative play classes. For the past two years we’ve been growing rapidly, bringing our programs to Park Slope, Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Clinton Hill, and now South Slope/Windsor Terrace! We’ve produced three original plays (Wink, Aidee, and Under the Tree) and served hundreds of families with our educational/community outreach.



Why did you decide to focus your talents on performing for and working with children?
I’ve worked for many years as a theatre artist and educator for some of the greatest theatres for young audiences in the country (Seattle Children’s Theatre, New Victory Theatre). I am inspired by the incredible work I saw being developed for very young children around the globe, but found that very little of it was being made in New York. I decided to form Spellbound Theatre to explore multi-disciplinary performance for young audiences in Brooklyn — a community that really values quality work for children. Artistically, I think that young children are some of the most discerning, challenging, and inspiring audiences. They haven’t yet learned how to be “polite” audiences – if they like what you’re doing they will give you amazing feedback, but if they don’t like it they certainly won’t pretend that they do. I am so inspired by finding theatrical moments that 1, 2, 3, and 4 year olds find engaging and interesting, and what really spark their imaginations.

How does theatrical play enhance a child’s development?
Play is the most basic form of learning. We experiment, problem-solve, and take risks through the safety of play, and then apply these discoveries to the real world. In addition to basic creative skills, theatrical play teaches children social and emotional skills, pre-literacy skills, and the ability to look at the world around them through multiple perspectives. You can read up more on some of our ideas for creative play at home on our blog.

What brought your classes here to South Slope?
We have a lot of families who attend our weekly drop-in Storytime at Crespella Cafe (1658 8th Avenue at Prospect Avenue), and we’ve been hearing that there weren’t a lot of activities for babies and toddlers in that area. We started looking for a space to begin creative play classes for South Slope/Windsor Terrace families and were delighted when Terrace Dance Studio (273 Prospect Park West and 17th Street) offered to partner with us.

What can parents expect in your new South Slope classes?
Every week, children and caregivers will play with a new creative theme: sound/music, balance/acrobatics, storytelling/puppets, etc. We design our classes to reach a range of ages, so each class has interactive songs and games, multi-sensory activities such as bells to ring or puppets to hold, and physical activities such as climbing, crawling, or dancing, depending on the child’s abilities. The toddler group has an additional level of imaginative play, so that these activities are framed within a familiar children’s story and introduce toddlers to the concept of imagining that they are within a story.

How much will the classes cost, and how can parents register?
Summer classes begin June 3 and run 8 weeks through August 1 (skipping the 4th of July). The cost is $185 for 8 weeks. Missed classes can be made-up at another session anytime over the summer. Our full schedule of days and locations, as well as registration information, can be found on the theatre’s website.

In addition to their upcoming summer classes, Spellbound Theatre will be presenting the world-premier of their newest original play, Under the Tree, at JJ Byrne Playground/Old Stone Housein June. This show is an immersive art installation and performance for ages 1-6. Children and parents will discover a hidden and magical place”under the tree” which comes alive with the creatures who call that world home. June 9, 16, and 23. For ticket information, visit theSpellbound Theatre website.