December 29, 2009

Enchantment Theatre brings 'Harold' to life

The 3 p.m. production in Stewart Center's Loeb Playhouse at Purdue University is presented by Purdue Convocations and is recommended for children ages 5 to 8.

Audience members are invited to wear something purple to the performance and to arrive early to doodle on Harold's wall. The special pre-show drawing session gets underway at 2 p.m. in Stewart Center's west lobby.

"One evening, after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight." So begins "Harold and the Purple Crayon," the first of seven delightful picture books by Crocket Johnson. There really wasn't any moon that night, nor was there a path to walk on, so Harold created the world he wanted to explore, using nothing more than a big purple crayon and his sky's-the-limit imagination.

Enchantment Theatre's production of "The Adventures of Harold and The Purple Crayon" follows the zany adventures of this inventive young boy as Harold jets to Mars, joins a circus and meets a king (and a dragon) in an enchanted garden, and celebrates the creativity of children and the unique way they see the world.

Enchantment Theatre Company has produced original theater for school groups and families since 2000, when it was established as a nonprofit arts organization in Philadelphia. The company presents only original work based on classic stories from children's literature, using its signature blend of masked actors, pantomime, magic, large-scale puppets, and original music. Building on the more than 30 years of theatrical experience of its artistic directors, Enchantment has quickly become known for high quality imaginative productions, not only in its home city but throughout the United States and the far east.

Tickets are $14 for adults and $10 for children 18 years and younger, Purdue students and Ivy Tech Lafayette students. Tickets are available at the Elliott Hall and Stewart Center box offices at 765-494-3933 or 800-914-SHOW. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster outlets. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more can be ordered at 765-496-1977.

Initiated in 1902, Purdue Convocations is among the oldest collegiate professional performing arts presenters in the United States. Each year, Convocations offers the region 30 to 40 performances of widely varying genres: Broadway-style shows, theater, dance, children's theater, world music, jazz, and chamber music, along with rock, pop, country and comedy attractions. With a vision for connecting artists and audiences in artistic dialogue and for drawing in academic discourse, Purdue Convocations aims to promote frequent exposure to and familiarity with human cultural expression in a multitude of forms and media.

Writer:  Abby Eddy, (765) 494-5045, aeeddy@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: Publication-quality photos can be found at: https://www.purdue.edu/convocations/showPhotos.asp?ID=16

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