For Immediate Release: February 3, 2006
Media Contact: Stephanie Grant, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 215.573.8537

The oldest festival of its kind in the United States and regarded as one of the top ten in the world, the Philadelphia International Children’s Festival Children’s Festival is renowned for its superior level of artistic excellence and for its presentation of provocative artists and international art forms. The 22nd annual Children’s Festival will be held Sunday, April 30 through Saturday, May 6, 2006 in and around the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts at 3680 Walnut Street on the University of Pennsylvania campus. This year’s international roster of mainstage artists will feature performers from Japan, Uganda, Russia, Canada and the United States. Eight mainstage shows will be held in four venues inside the Annenberg Center. The full listing of these shows, along with descriptions, dates, times and locations is featured later in this press release. Tickets for children under 18 are $10 for the first show, and $7 for each additional show; adult tickets are $12 for the first show, and $9 for each additional show. Tickets may be order by calling 215-898-3900 or online at www.PennPresents.org. Indoor show tickets include admission to events on the Annenberg Plaza.

The Festival’s activities extend outdoors to the Annenberg Plaza Stage with events that are free with a ticket to an indoor show. Stageworks, featuring established and emerging regional performing artists – Give & Take Jugglers, storyteller and musician Kala Jojo, the Turkish Kardelen Folklore Group, Rebecca Davis Dance and others to be announced – will delight thousands of wide eyed young people on the Annenberg Plaza Outdoor Stage. Also on the Plaza, craft traditions are celebrated and taught through Playworks, where international artisans from local museums and ethnic centers, teach their art, working with children to create simplified versions of crafts. On the weekends, an outdoor International Food Court featuring University City restaurants selling Caribbean, Senegalese, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and American food will provide children with a taste of various cultures, enhancing their Festival experience.

A beloved perennial family tradition since 1985, the Children’s Festival has brought joy to more than 420,000 people over the years. After attending last year’s Festival, Teesha, a fourth grader at Powel Elementary School reported, “Thank you so much! I LOVED the shows and I LOVED the crafts. I loved everything.” While Paula Greenberg, a mother and Festival patron, had this to say, “I must say that I have enjoyed every presentation/play/kids program that we have attended. Each year we have gone to at least one International Children's presentation. If it weren't for the discounts that would not be possible - Annenberg is a great space, no bad seat.”

THE 2006 PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL ROSTER OF MAINSTAGE ARTISTS

Daredevil Opera Company
CIRCUS INFERNO
A Massive Pyrotechnic Carnival Spectacle!
This exuberant whiz-bang celebration of slapstick and mayhem follows a magical situational comedy involving a couple whose imagination gets the best of them after arriving at a theatre for a date. The whole family will laugh ‘til it hurts at the unique, fun-filled clown performances that utilize sound effects, pyrotechnics, music, slapstick, and outrageous props to create a hilarious form of live action cartoon. “Belly laughs aplenty in this explosive double act of raucous old-fashioned fun...glorious slapstick chaos...the wacky spawn of old cartoon shows and silent comedy flicks." New Zealand Herald Zellerbach Theatre • April 30 (12pm & 4pm) • Ages 6 & up

RUSSIAN AMERICAN KIDS CIRCUS
Performed by Kids, for Kids, Not Just for Kids! ©
Trained and Produced by veterans of the World-Famous Moscow Circus
It’s circus time and the professional circus stars are children ages 6 to 16! Transforming their performing skills into a circus spectacular on theatrical stages worldwide, these young artists fill the stage with a blur of spangles, dazzling audiences with soaring acrobatics, synchronized unicycling, black light juggling, clowning, daring aerial feats, and acts of precision balancing in the hallowed tradition of the circus. "This troupe of young professionals makes spirits soar and crowds roar!” The New York Times Zellerbach Theatre • May 2 (12pm), May 3 (10am), May 4 (12pm), May 5 (10am), May 6 (10am & 2pm) • Ages 4 & up

Illstyle & Peace Productions
SAME SPIRIT DIFFERENT MOVEMENT
A Hip-Hop Extravaganza!
Following last year’s spectacular, kids-pleasing BREAK!, we are thrilled to present Illstyle & Peace Productions in a hip-hop dance show that combines the spirit of hip-hop with other street and club styles, as well as jazz and tap, to deliver its positive message of individual expression to young audiences. Filled with exuberant music, movement and audience participation, “Same Spirit Different Movement” will have kids celebrating this truly American urban dance style. “Spectacular display of acrobatic spins, dives, flips and squat kicks...daredevil moves that delighted the crowd!” The Plain Dealer Zellerbach Theatre • April 30 (2pm), May 2 (10am), May 3 (12pm), May 4 (10am), May 5 (12pm), May 6 (12pm & 4pm) • Ages 6 & up

MICHEL LAUZIERE
A Hilarious Musical Clown!
Michel Lauzière is a man of many talents: a clown, a fantasy artist, a musician and above all, a creative performer who gains personal satisfaction in capturing the affection of young audiences. On stage, Lauzière is a master in grasping kids’ attention and drawing them into his world of the unusual. With his incredible talent and imagination, he can make music out of anything: plates, pie pans, squirt guns…anything! Harold Prince Theatre • April 30 (2pm), May 2 (10am), May 3 (12pm), May 4 (10am), May 5 (12pm), May 6 (10am & 2pm) • Ages 4 & up

DynamO Theatre
me me me...
A Funny & Moving Play About “Fitting In!”
Days begin as always, with the children arriving at school. In addition to cleaning the classroom, the janitor has added his own special touch. Long-time friends Nathan, Mathilda, Suzanna and Stanley rush into class turning the room into a veritable chaos. Stepping in, the teacher channels the overflow of energy. Minds now turn to a class assignment. Hands go up and pupils jump from their seats wanting to give THE answer. Mathilde’s enthusiasm as she yells "me me me ..." along with the prize she wins for giving the right answer trigger a hostile reaction on the part of the others. At the end of the day, the janitor comes in to tidy things and discovers what has happened. In the school yard or in class, Mathilde now seems an outsider. Whatever she does to fit in, the others ignore her. Even her best friend seems to be turning a cold shoulder. Mathilde isolates herself more and more. In her mind, the class has become a strange and threatening place. She will make a decision that will stun everybody, one that even the gentleness of the janitor will not be able to change. "This furiously theatrical production, varied and rich in references of all kind instantly imposes its meaning. It is geared for kids 7 to 12, but adults should find it as entertaining and educational as the youngsters." Le Soleil, Montreal Harold Prince Theatre • April 30 (12pm & 4pm), May 2 (12pm), May 3 (10am), May 4 (12pm), May 5 (10am), May 6 (12pm & 4pm) • Ages 7 & up

Catskill Puppet Theater
HIAWATHA
A Fantasy World Rich with Wonder and Excitement!
With full sets, exquisitely crafted puppets and accompaniment by Native American flute and drum, this enchanting play, based on the life of the great Iroquois hero, Hiawatha, will delight young audiences. Hiawatha, a curious young boy who decides to disobey his grandmother and seek a vision, alone, in the forest, finds a sacred cave and enters a magical world full of talking animals and mystical spirits. He meets a wise Mohawk, The Peacemaker, who teaches him a wonderful lesson and, with the help of Bear and Turtle, discovers the pathway he must follow to become a great man. Studio Theatre • April 30 (12pm & 4pm), May 2 (10am), May 3 (12pm), May 4 (10am), May 5 (12pm), May 6 (12pm & 4pm) • Ages 4 & up

SAMITE
Soul of Africa
Here is an enlightening program that will expose children to the music of Uganda through a variety of instruments, such as the kalimba (finger-piano), marimba (wooden xylophone), litungu (seven-stringed Kenyan instrument), and various flutes, as well as the amazing vocal talents of this great musician. Born and raised in Uganda, where his grandfather taught him to play the traditional flute, Samite is now one most highly acclaimed flutists in East Africa. His goal is to open the hearts and minds of people of all ages to the common threads of humanity while conveying joy through stories and song. “Samite wraps his warm voice around melodies that seem to rise up off the Ugandan plateau, caressed by his kalimbas and other native instruments." Billboard Studio Theatre • April 30 (2pm), May 2 (12pm), May 3 (10am), May 4 (12pm), May 5 (10am), May 6 (10am & 2pm) • Ages 6 & up

SHIZUMI
Exploring the Arts of Japan
Young audiences are invited to enter the world of Japanese performing arts and experience its grace, strength and humor as seen through the eyes of Shizumi Shigeto Manale, who was born in Hiroshima and raised in Osaka. “Exploring the Arts of Japan“ is a sumptuous visual and musical account of this country’s culture from ancient to modern-day, blending elements of theatre, dance, fans, the art of the Kimono, masks, Samurai swordmanship, and a traditional tea ceremony into a show that will entertain and educate. Space 221 • April 30 (12pm & 2pm), May 2 (10am), May 3 (12pm), May 4 (10am), May 5 (12pm), May 6 (10am & 2pm) • Ages 6 & up

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