Columbus Children’s Theatre: Thrifty Thursday
All seats just $12 on Thursday nights
If you’ve got kids, and those kids like to watch plays (a likely eventuality), then check out what Columbus Children’s Theatre has to offer.
Located at 512 N. Park St. near the North Market, Columbus Children’s Theatre offers discounted tickets to its performances every Thursday. “Thrifty Thursday” tickets are just $12 apiece for all ages, compared to $15-$25 for tickets on other days. This once-a-week bargain presents a great opportunity for those not familiar with the theater company a chance to become acquainted with its fine productions.
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The theater was founded in 1963 with a mission to offer theatrical instruction to children throughout central Ohio. In addition to about eight productions a year, the theater offers a professional touring company that performs at schools around Ohio, as well as acting classes and workshops for children as young as three.
I took my family to see “Pinocchio” on a recent Thursday. The 50-minute show was the perfect length for a school night. The show started at 7:30 p.m. I arrived 30 minutes beforehand to secure a parking space. I pumped $2 into a meter in front of the theater.
The venue has three sections of stadium-style seating, with the actors positioned on the ground in the center. All seats provide good views.
Four versatile actors from the theater’s touring company performed the popular play about a wooden puppet that dreams of becoming a boy. They made it appear as though there were many more cast members as they moved about the theater, changing costumes and character voices.
My children were enraptured by the performance, especially when they asked for audience participation. My daughter, Rosie, delighted in joining two other girls on stage. At one point she was led behind a curtain, only to reappear with donkey ears on her head. She, along with Pinocchio, had been turned into a mule because she was playing too much and not doing her school work.
The cast members stayed afterward to sign autographs on playbills and pose for pictures.
Performances normally take place at the Park Street location, except the springtime productions, which move to bigger, more-accommodating venues.
Upcoming shows in the 2015 season include:
Feb. 12-22
“Healers in the Forest,” an hourlong show about a farm boy who discovers fairylike children with the power to heal that’s suggested for ages 4 and older.
March 12-29
“Fancy Nancy: The Musical,” a 75-minute show adapted from the children’s books by Jane O’Connor Minutes that’s suggested for ages 4 and older.
April 9-29
“The Emperor’s New Clothes,” a 50-minute William Goldsmith adaptation suggested for ages 3 and older.
April 30-May 10
“Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” a two-act musical based on the animated film suggested for ages 5 and older and performed at the Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St.
The box office is open one hour before shows. No concessions are sold at the theater and no food or drink is permitted inside. For more information, call 614-224-6672 or visit columbuschildrenstheatre.org.
