Wichita Children’s Theatre performances will resume this weekend with ‘Goldilocks’
Wichita Children’s Theater and Dance Center is staging three classic fairy tales in a rotating format, taking every precaution possible and returning to its home base.
“We just decided we were going to give it a shot,” Monica Flynn, executive director, said. “We want to give them something to look forward to, hopefully.
“We’re going to bring theater back to the little people,” she added about the “Once Upon a Time” series.
Performances begin Saturday morning with “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” “Little Red Riding Hood” begins next week, and “The Three Kittens” on March 6. Performances continue through April 10.
For the first time in four years, performances will take place at the WCTDC home at 201 Lulu.
“Because of COVID, there really isn’t any other place where we can do it,” Flynn said.
While children had traditionally sat on carpet squares to watch the performances, Flynn said, the theater has purchased “new little chairs for little people,” which will be sanitized after each performance.
Families may sit in groups, distanced 6 feet from other groups. A maximum of 100 people can attend each performance. All attendees 5 years and older must wear masks.
The rotating, or repertory, format is something Flynn said she has wanted to try for years.
“We’re going for it,” she said.
The backdrops for each will be hauled onto the stage for each different show.
The performances are targeted to children from preschool to second grade, Flynn said. Each of the stories – written by Kevin Reese, who has written most of the WCTDC scripts for the past 25 years – include a lesson for children.
All three of the children’s shows have the same cast: Kyle Vespestad (who also directs each of them), Kelly Wonsetler, Ryan Schafer and Madi White.
“We have a great, great group of actors who are very talented and really relate to the children,” Flynn said. “That’s always been very, very important to me.”
Once their live performance run is completed, the shows will be livestreamed, aiming for schools in the area and various arts councils in the state as a substitute for the traveling troupe that WCTDC has presented for the past 30 years.
Except for a pre-Halloween weekend performance of the children’s production “Click Clack Boo,” this is the only WCTDC production that has taken place since the pandemic began.
But the company has adjusted, Flynn said, including 28 dance classes taking place online, as well as numerous theater classes beginning last summer.
“It was an amazing experience for all of us, especially since none of us had ever heard of Zoom before,” she said. “Keeping arts in their lives is something we’ve been so thankful to do.”
ONCE UPON A TIME SERIES
‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’: 10 a.m. Feb. 20, March 18-20 and 6:30 p.m. March 19
‘Little Red Riding Hood’: 10 a.m. Feb. 25-27 and March 13 and 6:30 p.m. Feb. 26
‘The Three Kittens’: 10 a.m. March 6 and April 8-10 and 6:30 p.m. April 9
Where: Wichita Children’s Theatre and Dance Center, 201 Lulu
Tickets: $8, by calling 316-262-2282; reservations strongly encouraged