Donating Your Birthday to BACT

Recently, we caught up with Danyelle, who donated her birthday to BACT on Facebook last month. 

Here's what she had to say. 

Of all organizations to donate your birthday to, why BACT?

Facebook's algorithms are pretty amazing. I search for BACT show information on my phone frequently enough that the sponsored ads for BACT pop up a lot on my feed so when Facebook asked me if I wanted to start a fundraiser for my birthday, the images of BACT as a bright, colorful non-profit ad were stuck in my brain enough for me to remember them and search for them as an organization on Facebook. Social media ad exposure works!

But aside from that, my first experience with BACT has always stuck with me, a rainy Saturday morning, my son and I went to see Bloom Kaboom in Montclair and everything about it was magical. From the sets to the actors to the smile on my toddler's face. I was enchanted. 

My first experience with BACT has always stuck with me, a rainy Saturday morning, my son and I went to see Bloom Kaboom in Montclair and everything about it was magical.

What drew your family to BACT?

I was a new-ish mom looking for resources of things to do with my son on the weekend. I happened upon the Rookie Moms blog which led me to 510families which led me to BACT and it's been a favorite of ours ever since.

What shows have you enjoyed the most, why?

I've enjoyed every show but probably the shows that are for the very young because of the artistry involved in breaking down complex concepts into bite-sized, easy to understand moments for children. 

What do you value most as a family about your experiences at BACT?

I value the time I spend at the performance not glued to my phone and fully present with my child and what we are experiencing together. 

How do you hope your contribution will help bring tolerance to the Bay Area?

I hope that my contribution will help the organization further it's mission and bring the experience of the theatre to children of all backgrounds and income status because the theatre is not just for the privileged, it's an even playing field and everyone starts out the same and that's how life should be. Theatre is a space of exploration and expression and every child should get that opportunity. Putting your self in someone else's place and feeling their feelings is acting, empathy, and fosters tolerance all at the same time. 

 The theatre is not just for the privileged, it's an even playing field and everyone starts out the same and that's how life should be.  

BACT gets parents... They get that kids will need something so before a show starts so there are books or coloring pages, or the entire area of Fairyland. BACT gets that kids are wiggly and so there are interactive elements. I don't have to be worried that my kid will spoil something because BACT artists aren't expecting perfectly behaved children. I'll keep buying tickets and keep going to shows because my son loves them and I love seeing my son captivated by art, in any form.  

Thanks so much Danyelle for helping bring the joy of live theatre to children across the Bay!  Cheers to another great year!

Do you have a story to share with BACT?  Let us know! 

The Rainbow Fish Musical Preshow Activities!

It's time for a #summerofsharing with everyone's favorite sea creature: Rainbow Fish.
Here are some fantastic pre or post show activities to get you in the Rainbow Fish groove!

Paper Plate Fish
If you have some spare summer BBQ plates, this is the project for you!

Just make sure your workspace is ready for some glitter!

Fish Hand Puppets

 Write your own version of The Rainbow Fish Musical, or reenact scenes at home with these easy-peasy hand traced puppet!  It's the perfect group project!

Play Dough Fish Friends

This project is super easy, and fairly mess free.  Sculpt your fish and let them dry for a long lasting aquatic friend, or reusing the play dough again and again!  Are there other creatures in the Rainbow Fish story you can sculpt?

Whether you're gearing up for a weekend performance of Rainbow Fish, or want to keep the fun going all summer long, we hope these activities bring a little more Rainbow Fish into your life!

Wheels on the Bus: An Actor's Perspective

Here's a post from Salim Razawi a familiar face from BACT shows like Five Little Monkeys, Rickshaw Girl, and our school tour on safety, Rock the Block.  Salim is an East Bay TYA educator and director, but Wheels on the Bus is his first production for the very young. Here he is to help us understand the value of theatre for the very young. 

When I was asked to be a part of Wheels on the Bus I can honestly say I was a bit hesitant. Although I do a lot of TYA, I had no prior experience in theatre for the very young and it was a nerve-wracking gig, but it has been an absolute pleasure. 

Wheels on the Bus takes the audience on an imaginary bus for an interactive journey that examines all manners of things that go around.

 As the bus driver, I invite the kids to patriciate in the show in whatever way they seem fit and they truly take this to heart. One pivotal point in the show is when the bus breaks down, as the driver I look inside and see giant gears that have stopped working, so we bring mini versions of the gears to the kids and ask them if they could help us make them go around. There are many interactive points in the show and sometimes we invite the kids to join us on stage to be an airplane with us, or help us put some round toppings on the pizza we are making. 

During one of my favorite performances, we invited all the kids to come up and dance like airplanes with us. 

In a sold-out house of 45 patrons only one little girl came up, but she took center stage and owned her airplane. 

Having this kind of interaction does come with its challenges, sometime a child or two may wander backstage or take the prop that we are about to use, but rather than reprimanding or saying no to them we invite them and ask them questions about said props. One time a child saw our sound system with volume control knobs, so, during a very loud bus traveling sound cue, he decided he wanted to see how those knobs worked and turned the volume on blast!  Luckily, I was able to adjust the sound quickly on my handy-dandy iPod that I keep on my arm throughout the show. 

This kind of kinetic learning is a huge part of why TVYA matter. 

I believe this work is so important, has great cognitive benefits for the developing and curious minds, and is so engaging and mesmerizing for the very young. I am one happy bus driver!

Thanks Salim, for sharing your thoughts, and for driving that school bus--forty toddlers can't be easy!

There are still some seats available for our season of Theatre for the Very Young, get them before they are gone! 

Here are some other great articles on the importance of Theatre for the Very Young:

SF Chronicle: Toddler Stage: The Very Little Get in on the Improv Act

Children's Fairyland: Theatre for the Very Young

Kara Blogs: Machines Come Alive

BACT Blogger Kara relays how the magic of theatre can bring a picture book like Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site to life, and also shares a summary of the show!

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Cement Mixer and Dump Truck!

The BACT musical, Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site delivers a play that brings every day machines to life. One of the ways they brought these machines to life was through their costumes. The characters wore super zippy shoes that had wheels on the bottom. They also wore bright yellow construction hats that had decorative, toy machines on them which symbolized who they were. The characters were busy Bulldozer, dynamic Dump Truck, musical Mixer, excellent Excavator and cranky Crane. 

When the show starts, all the machines are hurrying to get the job done because it is at the end of the day. Mixer rushed ahead of Bulldozer, Crane got cranky and they did not work together. They get back on track, but soon realize they need a goodnights rest. So, they start to get ready for bed. My favorite part of the play was story time. They act out the story of Little Red Riding Hood, but, instead of a girl Little Red Riding Hood it was Little Red Tractor, and instead of the Big Bad Wolf it was the Big Bad Monster Truck. There was also Orion, the super hero, who wore a super, shiny, silver cape and saved the day. 

The cast of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site!

At the end of the program, Cement Mixer gets frightened of the dark and Bulldozer comforts her with a song of friendship. One thing that made the show amazing was the way the performers connected with everyone in the audience. At a point in the program, some of the actors and actresses walked around and gave high fives to the kids in the audience. I think that made the kids feel special. It made me feel special. Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site teaches you about teamwork and friendship. It is a show you should see with the whole family!

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Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, the Musical runs thru July 31 at Children's Fairyland in Oakland before heading to the Children's Creativity Museum Theater in SF in August. Purchase your tickets today!

Photographer: Melissa Nigro

Julietta Blogs: Interview with Composer/Playwright Austin Zumbro

BACT Blogger Julietta returns; this time with an exclusive interview with the composer/playwright for The Day the Crayons Quit - Austin Zumbro! Julietta is a Bay Area native.  She enjoys art, crafting, theater, nature, and outdoors. In 9 years of soaking up creative talents, she has found many outlets for her creative energy. Activities such as Rainbow Loom, 4-H classes, Lego building and cartwheels take up most of her time.

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The Day the Crayons Quit play was great! It was about crayons quitting because they are not being treated well. Red doesn't want to work on holidays and Blue is so short she cant see over the edge of the crayon box, and Peach, Yellow, Beige, Black, Orange, and Pink are also quitting and Green is quitting only because Yellow and Orange are fighting about being the color of the sun.

After the show I got to interview Austin, who was the composer and writer of the play. To pick a book for a musical at the BACT office they have a bunch of books to read and they choose the best books for the play. Some books might not make a good musical because they are too complicated and some are not good because they don't have much of a story. To make a play they read the book and come up with ideas for the play. The Day the Crayons Quit was good because it has both words and pictures to show what the characters are like.

To make songs for the play they read the book and think of good ways to make songs for the book. Austin starts by by humming a tune and then thinking of good words for the song. The Day the Crayons Quit was a really good choice because the crayons write letters to Duncan and in addition to the letters the crayons could sing songs. Some of the lines in the songs are words the crayons say in their letters. When Austin first read The Day the Crayons Quit, he knew that he wanted to have it be in a play. He said the most fun to write was Peach's song and it was also fun to write Pink's song. It was also one of the first songs he thought of. The Day the Crayons Quit was Austin's 4th musical he has written. He wrote one about the California gold rush, one about a science fair, and one called Safe Routes to School.

Julietta (center) with composer/playwright Austin Zumbro (right)

His favorite crayon is Blue. He really likes Blue's attitude cause she is stubby but she is happy about coloring. In the book he likes blue's illustration. To get started being a composer/writer he has always liked writing and he would write stories a lot. And in 6th grade he learned to play the piano, and after high school he learned to play the guitar. He started making silly songs for friends then later on he started writing plays and wrote short movie scripts and mostly wrote stuff for his friends. He has done really great with his plays so far and I hope to see many more!

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The Day the Crayons Quit, the Musical is currently playing at Oakland Children's Fairyland thru July 26. You can purchase your tickets through the show page.

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