Anansi, the trickster spider of West Africa, is brought to life in two hilarious tales. The first explains how Anansi tricked Lion out of his stories by bringing him Snake! The second tale begins “Anansi loved to eat melons, but was too lazy to grow them himself…”
Anansi is a comic folk hero from West Africa the way Br’er Rabbit is in stories from East Africa. Anansi is known as a scamp, a trickster and all around a clever character. He often gets his way over much larger animals like Lion and Elephant because he is daring and able to outthink them.
Anansi the Spider is based on the West African stories and popularized in the books by Portland author Eric Kimmel. The authentic percussive music featured in Anansi the Spider is composed and recorded by Brother Askari.
Families throughout the Portland area know that a Tears of Joy Theatre production is so much more than “going to see a play”. Our puppeteers are some of the best in their craft. The excitement begins before you even go in to take your seat. Tears of Joy Theatre offers preshow crafts that allow children to make their own puppets and educational lobby displays allow families to learn more about the culture represented in the play. Parents can also download the curriculum guides made freely available for teachers giving families a chance to learn together! With animated characters, original music by local musicians, and stories to keep kids of all ages engaged, Tears of Joy Theatre is a great opportunity to introduce anyone to the performing arts no matter what age!
Tears of Joy Theatre is recognized as one of the nation’s outstanding puppet theatres, known internationally for its innovation and excellence. Each year the programs of the theatre serve over 110,000 children and adults. The company was originally founded in Hawaii in 1971 by Reg and Janet Bradley and relocated to the Portland/Vancouver area in 1973. Tears of Joy Theatre has received a Washington State Governor’s Arts Award and a Young Audiences Sunburst Award for its “exemplary commitment to arts in education.” Four of the theatre’s productions have received American puppetry’s highest honor, The Citation of Excellence in the Art of Puppetry from UNIMA-USA. Portland Magazine named Tears of Joy Theatre “Best Kids Theatre – 2012”.
Performances:
Friday, February 8th at 7:30pm
Saturday, February 9th at 11:00am & 1:00pm
Sunday, February 10th at 1:00pm & 3:00pm
Saturday, February 16th at 11:00am & 1:00pm
Sunday, February 17th at 1:00pm & 3:00pm
All Saturday and Sunday performances offer free Anansi puppet crafts starting 30 minutes before curtain.
Tickets: Adults: $21. Children: $17. Groups of 8 or more: $16
This production will be presented at: The Dolores Winningstad Theatre. Portland Center for the Performing Arts. 1111 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205
For tickets, call 503-248-0557 or visit www.tojt.org.
We are so excited to be giving away a family four pack of tickets to an upcoming performance of “Anansi the Spider“. Enter below.
