Families will delight in this year’s events for children at the Queens Theatre at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
“Queens Theatre is a wonderful option for family entertainment,” said Taryn Sacramone, the theater’s executive director. “One of the best things we hear from parents is that we are a great place to bring children for their first-ever theater experience.”
The 2019-2020 season gets underway with a show both parents and children will love. Tickets for children’s events are only $15 with a flexible Family Fun Pack (10 tickets for $100 to be used across the season).
VIBEZ (Sunday, Oct. 20, at 1 and 3 p.m.)
Washington, D.C.-based SOLE Defined presents “VIBEZ,”an interactive journey back in time, blending the hip-hop sounds of DJ RBI, mind-blowing tap dancing, and high-energy stepping in this fantastic and fun introduction to dance.
Showtime With Shakespeare (Saturday, Nov. 2, at 1 and 3 p.m.)
Next up is “Showtime With Shakespeare,” a hip-hop musical adaptation of Mary Pope Osborne’s “Magic Tree House: Stage Fright on a Summer Night” about a brother and sister, Annie and Jack, who time travel to Elizabethan England to help William Shakespeare stage his latest play. As a bonus, children will be able to try the free Shakespeare-themed obstacle course with fun activities to challenge, amuse and inspire that will be open for an hour before each show.
Chickenshed NYC (Sunday, Nov. 10, at 1 and 3 p.m.)
Chickenshed NYC returns to the Queens Theatre with an interactive and inclusive show titled, “Tales from the Shed.” Children up to the age of 6 of all abilities, with their parents, are invited to spend time with characters Lion Down, Preston and Burgh. With stories, songs and dancing, you won’t be able to stop laughing.
TheaterWorksUSA’s Dog Man: The Musical (Sunday, Jan. 26, at 1 and 3 p.m.)
The Family Series gets rolling again in late January 2020 with TheaterWorksUSA’s “Dog Man: The Musical.” Based on Dav Pikey’s “Dog Man” book series, which has sold 23 million copies and been translated into 21 languages, this new adaptation follows best friends George and Harold as they work to turn their homemade comic books into a musical. They decide to make their favorite character, Dog Man, the center of their show. Dog Man (who is part dog, part man, and all hero!) loves to fight crime and chew on furniture.
The Beauty of Ballet (Sunday, Feb. 23, at 1 and 3 p.m.)
In February, the School of American Ballet returns with two free performances of “The Beauty of Ballet.” How do ballerinas dance on their toes? How do dancers spin and turn without getting dizzy? SAB faculty member Katrina Killian and advanced students will perform excerpts from “The Sleeping Beauty,” “The Nutcracker” and “Swan Lake” to answer those and other questions about the world of ballet. This is a FREE event, but reservations are strongly encouraged.
Alice in Wonderland (Sunday, Feb. 9, at 1 and 4 p.m.)
In this version, faithful to the madness and humor of Lewis Carroll’s original, Alice would rather play and daydream than do her homework. She spends most of her time hiding in her father’s study, which is crammed with books of all sizes and types. One day she discovers a book-eating rabbit dining on her father’s library and chases him into an amazing wonderland populated by the Queen of Hearts, Tweedledee and Tweedledum and of course the Cheshire Cat.
The Family Series wraps up with an encore from ChickenshedNYC with another performance of its interactive and inclusive show for children and their families, “Tales From the Shed.” (Sunday, March 15, at 1 and 3 p.m.)
In addition to the Family Series, Queens Theatre presents programs throughout the year that people of all ages enjoy.
Navidad: A Mexican-American Christmas by Calpulli Mexican Dance Company (Saturday, Dec. 14, at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 15, at 1 and 5 p.m. Tickets: $20-$30.)
This December, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company’s “Navidad: A Mexican-American Christmas,” will help families usher in the holiday season with traditions from both sides of the Rio Grande. The story focuses on a young person caught between two worlds-their family’s past in Mexico and their present life in New York City. Through a dream, this youngster attempts to bring the two cultures together where Aztec-inspired dance is performed to Christmas carols, and Mariachi music fuses with “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.”
For tickets, visit www.queenstheatre.org, or call the box office at 718-760-0064. To purchase in person, the theater box office is open Tuesday to Friday, from noon to 6 p.m. and two hours before each show.
The Queens Theatre is located at 14 United Nations Avenue South in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, directly under the iconic towers of the New York State Pavilion. It is easily accessible by car, bus and subway.
