Are You My Mother? at TYKEs

TYKEs' World-Premiere Hatches with Are You My Mother? More than a decade in the making, the world-premiere musical adaptation of the beloved and heartwarming P.D. Eastman book Are You My Mother? takes flight at TYKEs (Theatre Young Kids Enjoy) January 17 to 25 — two weekends only. Written and composed by TYKEs’ own artistic team, the classic story of a newly hatched baby bird in search of its mother features a parade of colorful and endearing characters and an outstanding original score. Based on one of the top 100 books of all time, this heartwarming, high-energy production celebrates the universal search for identity and connection, coupled with key themes of perseverance and curiosity. Performed by adult professional actors, the show is ideal for kids ages three and up. Hour-long performances take place at the JCC Hart Theater, 1200 Edgewood Avenue in Brighton on: Saturday, January 17 at 11am and 2pm Sunday, January 18, 2pm Saturday, January 24, 11am* and 2pm Sunday, January 25, 11am and 2pm *The 11am show on Saturday, January 24 is ASL interpreted. Tickets cost $22 ($20 for JCC members) and are available at tykestheatre.org. A national bestseller, the multi-award-winning book Are You My Mother? is widely prized by parents and teachers alike, selected as the National Education Association's Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children, the School Library Journal's Top 100 Picture Books of all time, and Scholastic Parent & Child's 100 Greatest Books for Kids. The story follows a baby bird who has fallen out of its nest, asking a kitten, hen, dog, cow, boat, and even Snort (a steam shovel), “Are you my mother?” before being safely and happily reunited back in its nest. Book author Philip Dey "P.D." Eastman (1909 – 1986) was an American screenwriter, children's author, and illustrator. He worked as an assistant animator at Walt Disney Studios beginning in 1936, and later moved on to Warner Brothers Cartoons. In 1943, he entered the Army, assigned to the Signal Corps Film unit where he helped create training films. Ted Geisel — later known as Dr. Seuss — was the head of his unit. Eastman famously went on to work with Geisel on the "Beginner Books" early reader series at Random House, beginning with Sam and the Firefly in 1958. Beginner Books were carefully designed to motivate children ages three to seven to read on their own and to foster a love of reading by using simple words accompanied by clever illustrations supplying clues to their meaning. Beginner Books are lauded for their combination of kid appeal, supportive vocabulary, and bright, cheerful art. Other titles by Eastman include Go, Dog. Go!, The Alphabet Book and The Best Nest. Eastman's books have sold over 50 million copies worldwide. "TYKEs' core mission is to foster an appreciation of the arts and literature," explains TYKEs' founder Freyda Schneider, "so transforming this formative, highly influential children's book into a world-premiere musical has been the dream of our TYKEs artistic team for more than ten years." Long-time TYKEs' music director for the past 18 seasons, Jim Schmitt wrote the musical score and lyrics for this original production. Matt Mayne, a frequent director of TYKEs shows, wrote the book and co-wrote the lyrics with Schmitt. "This brand new musical is compelling in the way it treats the powerful emotional quest to learn "Where do I belong?" in a gentle, very funny and universally accessible way," says Schneider. TYKEs consistently ranks as the #1 Children’s Theatre Company in Rochester by KidsOutandAbout.com, and one of the top places in all of Rochester to bring kids – for the 15th consecutive year, and also is rated #1 in arts education. TYKEs' season continues with The Jungle Book in March, and A Bad Case of Stripes in April. For complete details on TYKEs, visit tykestheatre.org.

Event Links

Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/3405829-1

Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3405829-2

Facebook: https://go.evvnt.com/3405829-3

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