The Treehouse Shakers are back at Flushing Town Hall (FTH) on Sunday, Sept. 14, bringing farm life to the stage with “Hatched,” a fun and interactive show that gives babies and toddlers a unique hands-on approach to theater.
The play and workshop will take place at the historic venue, located at 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, starting at 10:30 a.m. The Sunday afternoon show gives young children a fun and engaging experience, complete with handcrafted puppets and original music made for the show.
“There are a lot of interactive elements, because the whole concept is that children don’t need to sit to watch a theater piece,” said Mara McEwin, the artistic director of Treehouse Shakers. “They could be totally immersed in the experience, and it’s a much more hands-on experience. There’s some sitting, so we’re learning to watch a play, but we’re also engaging with the characters.”
The Treehouse Shakers was first founded in 1997 to fill a need for interactive theater geared toward young children, which appeared to be lacking at the time. Since then, the group has created over 20 unique shows and performed in venues throughout the country. Most recently, the theater group has brought performances like Sail Away to FTH in July and first performed “Hatched” at the Flushing-based theater back in 2014. The group is considered the first theater company in the U.S. to bring interactive dance-play performances to babies, letting them experience community, creativity and theatre from early on.
“It’s really important that we expose our children to art so they can see what beauty is, what community feels like, and what it feels like to grow up in a world that’s beautiful,” said McEwin. “When the audience walks in, it’s like welcoming friends into your home; you want them to feel as happy and comfortable as possible, and really, that’s always been the Treehouse Shakers’ motto, just make it the most enjoyable for the family.”
“Hatched” was written and directed by McEwin and takes place on an American farm. The story follows a newborn chick as she emerges into the world and meets other animals on the farm, learning something new along the way. The interactive play has little dialogue and lets children interact and play with the characters on stage, including giving chicks their feed, milk bottles to the lamb, being licked by the cow and feeding worms to the baby birds. The play is geared towards young children ages 1 through 6,and provides plenty of storytelling, music, and dance throughout the show. After the show, at 11:30 a.m., children and families can participate in a workshop where they’ll create their very own hand puppets.
“We really try to elevate the performance so that young people and their families can continually set the bar higher,” said McEwin. “When you’re exposed to art as a young person, you have critical thinking skills that help you later on. They’ve done all these studies that show young people read faster, quicker, and write better, they do better at math, and have better spatial awareness.”
Tickets for Hatched cost $15 for adults, $12 for members, and $8 for children. The workshop $5 for all participants and free for children under 12 months.
To buy tickets to the show or learn more, visit Flushing Town Hall’s website.
