PARKERSBURG - The Smoot Theatre, 213 Fifth St., will kick off its 15th annual 2009-2010 Kids Club Series at 7 p.m. Oct. 24 at with "Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Class Clown.''
Kids' Club is for children as an introduction to live theater and the performing arts. Community interest in the Kids Club Series has grown each year since its inception, said Smoot director Felice Jorgeson.
In the show, Athena Lorenzo has been slimed and she doesn't think it's very funny. Someone in Ms. Gleason's class is playing practical jokes. Theodore "Jigsaw" Jones claims to be the very first detective in the whole school. It's up to Jigsaw and his friend Mila to investigate the sliming and track down the class clown.
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Brimming with music, charm, and humor, ArtsPower's new production - based on the book by renowned author James Preller - will make audiences laugh and think as they learn the secret codes that Jigsaw must decipher to solve the mystery.
Patrons can subscribe to the entire series of four shows, or they may single out individual shows. Adult tickets for individual shows are $11 and $8 for children. When subscribing to the entire series of four shows, adults pay $40 and children pay $24.
For information and tickets, call 304-422-PLAY (7529) or go online to www.smoot-theatre.com.
The next program of the series will be "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" at 7 p.m. Nov. 7. It is a magical tale about four children who enter a strange land through a wardrobe.
In 2010, the Kids Club Series continues with "Jazz for Kids" at 7 p.m. Feb. 27. The David Leonhardt Jazz group, assisted by tap dancer Shelly Oliver, will introduce children to the world of jazz using tunes familiar to everyone. In addition to the evening program, there will be a morning piano master class and a tap workshop.
The series concludes in April 2010 with "King Arthur's Quest," featuring the annual return of the Missoula Children's Theater program to the Smoot. The program runs for two weeks, starting April 5, 2010, and April 12, 2010, with a different group of children rehearsing and putting on the production at the end of the week, at 7 p.m. April 10 and April 17, 2010.
With the program in its 13th consecutive year at the Smoot, Missoula will be in residence for two weeks instead of one week and will rehearse and present two separate, but equal casts. Local children will audition, rehearse and put on the plays themselves with the help of directors, costumes and props provided by Missoula.
Kids' Clubbers will decide which evening show they wish to attend and will exchange their Kids' Club badge for a reserved seat ticket. They can also purchase a set of tickets for the other show if they wish.
