First Posted: 7/18/2014
Last week 20 children and 18 adults experienced the joy of creating music in the Dietrich’s Jammin’ in a Jugband residency. Led by Timothy Walker and David Driskell, rostered artists with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, students not only learned how to play unconventional instruments such as the washboard, washtub, spoons, saw, plastic drums and tube-o-phone, but they learned how to make their own instruments.
Driskell and Walker gather most of the items for making instruments from household recycling, thrift stores and hardware stores. Some students even created their own instruments at home. Participants also learned how to play as a band and performed the song “Mama Don’t Allow” with their teachers at River Day. They were a hit! We hope to have them back next summer.
This weekend there will more live entertainment options for you to take part in starting Friday night. Join us for Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. on July 25. Come and be entertained or perform in the open mic segment of the evening. Musicians, storytellers, poets, comedians and performers of all kinds are invited to take the Dietrich stage and share their talents. All ages are welcome.
The Breaking Ground Poets will perform after the open mic portion of the event. These teen poets write and perform original works throughout the region as well as nationally. They just returned from Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival. This will be their third appearance at Open Mic Night and we are excited to have them back. Admission is free. Doors open for seating and open mic sign ups at 6:30 p.m.
Then, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 26, the Dietrich Children’s Theatre will be back with the charming folktale “The Mouse’s Marriage.” Children of all ages will enjoy this interactive show about a young mouse couple who falls in love and wants to marry. But the girl’s father wants her to marry the strongest, smartest, best husband in the world. He thinks the best match might be the Sun, or maybe the Cloud, or the Wind. Come out and discover who makes the best match of all.
This will be the Dietrich Children’s Theatre 42nd performance since it was founded in 2010 by Jennifer Jenkins. During that time, the theatre has reached over 5,000 children and families. Isn’t that amazing? Tickets to “The Mouse’s Marriage” are available by calling the Dietrich at 570-996-1500 or at the door as long as they last. Admission is free.
Our camps for kids will also continue at the Dietrich next week. Children ages 5 to 12 years old are invited to go on fun adventure with Amy Colley and Michaela Moore in Traveling Through Time Theatre and Visual Arts Camp. They will make their own costumes, sets and props as they develop characters and a play. The camp will culminate with a live performance for family and friends.
In the afternoons next week, Michaela Moore will teach Acting Camp for Kids. During this camp, students will learn about the actors’ instruments, play theatre games and discover acting techniques. They will also develop original characters and create a script. They camp will end with a casual performance.
For more information or to register for either of these camps, call the Dietrich at 570-996-1500.
As you can see, the Dietrich is so much more than the movies!