Paper Bag Players - 50-Year Tradition of Live Theater for Kids

There is nothing like an old-fashioned “Western Welcome” to get a show off to a rousing start! When The Paper Bag Players cowboys and cowgirls gallop onto the stage, singing and wishing a great big “Howdy!”in the all-new show, The Paper Bag Players Saddles and Sunshine,  audiences will be up on their  feet, clapping and singing along!

The Paper Bag Players are a company of adults who create and perform original musical theater based on a child's everyday experiences, dreams, and fantasies. Paper bags, bits of cardboard, and objects found in the attic or garage are transformed into the most fantastic sets, props, and costumes. The troupe, founded in 1958 by Judith Martin, performs in their native New York, and takes the show on the road for several months in a year. Targeting children 3 - 8 years old, the performances are usually on weekday mornings and, in large part, mostly for school children as a class trip.


The Paper Bag Players Saddles and Sunshine will tour for eight months throughout the Northeast with stops including Middleton, Hempstead, East Hampton and Port Washington, NY; all five boroughs of New York City; Englewood, NJ; Newark, DE; Rahway, NJ; Towanda and Lewisburg PA; Mamaroneck, NY; Annapolis, MD; Baltimore, MD; Morristown and West Long Branch, NJ; Tarrytown, NY; Trenton, NJ, Glenside, PA; Boston, Springfield, and Worcester MA; and Providence, RI. The Paper Bag Players perform three shows at Roberts Auditorium at Rhode Island College: 10 a.m. and noon on May 14, and 10 a.m. on May 15.

The performance group's latest show, The Paper Bag Players Saddles and Sunshine combines funny stories, charming characters, lively music, dancing, and lots of opportunities for the audience to be a part of the fun. Created especially for children ages 3 through 8 there is enough fun in this show to entertain the entire family.

Ted Brackett (who also directs), Laura Canty-Samuel, Amy Walsh, Kevin Richard Woodall, John Stone at the electric piano, and scenic artist Jon Peck all guarantee every moment is full of theatrical magic.

The Paper Bag Players touring has taken them to 37 states and to Canada, England, Scotland, Wales, Israel, Iran, Egypt, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. This year’s show will be seen by over 66,000 children in performances for the general public and for school children at 40 locations.

The Paper Bag Players have received The Award for Excellence in Theater and Education from The Broadway Theater Institute, and American Theater Wing Award, The New York State Artists Award, and The American Alliance for Theater and Education Award for meritorious achievement in the field of theater for young people.

For more information, visit their Web site at  thepaperbagplayers.org

Super Why at the Warwick Mall

Super Why! and RI PBS Kids Club will be at the Summer Camp & Children's Programs Expo at the Warwick Mall on Saturday, April 6, 2013.

The Expo runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Super Why! will be at the RI PBS Kids Club table for high-fives and hugs between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Exhibitors will present shows and demos from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. There will be entertainment all day, with something for all ages.

At the Expo, representatives from a variety of summer camps, enrichment programs, activities, products, services, will be on hand with information to plan a fun and safe summer for your child.

For information, visit the Warwick Mall events page.

Tickets to Sesame Street Live: Elmo's Super Heroes

Super Grover has lost his super-ness and Sesame Street needs a hero. Never fear, the fabulous five Super Heroes are here -- featuring Elmo as Captain Fuzzy!

Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Big Bird and all their friends are on a quest to put the “super” back in Super Grover. Singing and dancing their way through fun lessons on healthy habits, they discover how exercise, rest, nutritious food, and good hygiene can save Super Grover -- and turn your children into Super Heroes, too.

You’ll be feeling good when Elmo’s Super Heroes comes to the Providence Performing Arts Center, April 4 - 7.

Rhode Island PBS has family packs of tickets to give away.

Experience Nature Up Close and Personal with Audubon and Rhode Island PBS

Rhode Island PBS and Audubon Society of Rhode Island present three interconnected ways for you and your family to experience nature up close and personal:

(1) Explore those wild places around Rhode Island you can only access on foot. From April 14 - 22, Audubon Society of Rhode Island is offering a week-long schedule of free guided "Earth Day" hikes at wildlife refuges across the state and in nearby Massachusetts. There are programs to suit all ages, interests, and capabilities. Although free, the hikes do require registration (you can do that through the Audubon Web site).

(2) The Passport to the Trails is back! Travel across the state and explore Audubon wildlife refuges. Passports will be available at all "Earth Day" hikes and programs, or visit the Audubon Environmental Education Center in Bristol or Powder Mill Ledges Nature Shop in Smithfield to receive your free passport.

Head out with your passport, visit Audubon wildlife refuges, and discover the varied habitats and creatures that call Rhode Island home. Along the way, you will be directed to a “hidden” stencil template at each refuge. Make a crayon or pencil rubbing at each destination and return the completed passport to Audubon by September 30, 2013 for a reward and the opportunity to be entered into grand prize raffle. For more info, visit www.asri.org.

(3) Do you enjoy nature photography? Snap images of landscapes, birds, creatures or people interacting with nature at any of Audubon Society of Rhode Island’s wildlife refuges that are open to the public. Submit your favorite photographs (maximum of three) by September 30, 2013 for entry into the Audubon 2013 "Earth Day" Photo Contest. A panel of qualified judges will choose the winning photographs. For details, visit www.asri.org.