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25th Children's Circus of Middletown

25th Annual Children's Circus of Middletown:
The Big City Circus
 

The Middletown Commission on the Arts and Middlesex United Way present Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater’s 25th Children’s Circus of Middletown: The Big City Circus.  The one-time-only show will be presented on Friday August 2 at 5 PM at Macdonough School, with a rain date of Saturday, August 3 at 5 PM. 

The Big City Circus captures the hustle and bustle of city life. Through parades, traffic jams, skyscrapers and pigeons, 150 talented young performers find themselves flung into a chaotic urban sprawl. Featuring fast paced stilted construction sites, lively unicycle market places and an all out acrobatic battle with Godzilla, the Big City Circus aims to bring the sites, sounds, smells and zaniness of the big city to new heights.

 

The Children’s Circus of Middletown is an exceptional community wide program where entire families come together to create this one-of-a-kind spectacle. Director Jason Leinwand, now in his 2nd year as Director, comments often on spirit of community  “In my opinion, this is the essence of what the circus is. It's a place where everyone is welcome to participate. The circus is a place where all of our individual skills are collaged together to create an unbelievable spectacle that everyone can be proud to be a part of. We become a community of artists and over time, one big circus family.”

 

Oddfellows is asking everyone to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to Amazing Grace Food Pantry.  Bring a lawn chair and enthusiasm to Macdonough School and enjoy the spectacle.  The 25th Children’s Circus of Middletown: The Big City Circus will perform at 5 PM on August 2 at Macdonough School (66 Spring Street) in Middletown.  Parking is limited to street locations, so carpooling is recommended. The Macdonough School lot is reserved for handicapped and elderly patrons.  Tickets are available at the door and are $5 for adults and $3 for children and seniors. 

 

The Children’s Circus is part of the Middletown Commission on the Arts Kids Arts program.  The circus is made possible by the Middletown Commission on the Arts, the Middlesex United Way, The Middletown Board of Education and Oddfellows Playhouse’s many generous supporters.  For more information, call (860) 347-6143. 

 

Fall 2013 classes, auditions and productions will be announced soon!  Keep an eye on the websitewww.oddfellows.org.  

 

Circus Tech Nite Opportunity

Want to help make something like this?

Tech Nite for the Children's Circus of Middletown is an opportunity for children, adults, and families to create collaborative art projects to be used in the final performance of the circus program. Tech Nite is a loosely structured art workshop with a focus on papier mache, painting, cardboard construction, carpentry, and sometimes sewing. It's a ton of fun, a low-pressure creative outlet, and features music, candy, and watermelon.

When: Every Mon and Wed 7-9pm, beginning Wed 7/10 and ending Mon 7/29.

Where: Remington Rand Building, North entrance (parking and entryway marked).

Who: All are welcome! Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

Contact Ro Seidelman, Technical Director, with any questions: (914) 310-5231

Donations of the following are welcome and appreciated:

-cardboard larger than 3 ft x 3 ft.
-foam rubber/mattress foam
-non-oil-based paints
-spray paint
-fabric larger than 1 yd.
-coffee cans, tupperware
-paper towel and toilet paper rolls
-Tyvek
-dowels
-1x3s and 2x4s 4 ft. or longer
-newsprint
-drywall and wood screws
-misc. hardware
-painting and carpentry tools

25th Children's Circus of Middletown Registration Open

Oddfellows Playhouse is pleased to announce that registration is open for the 25th Children’s Circus of Middletown.  The Children's Circus offers an exceptionally unique program where the whole family and the entire whole community, can get involved in the making of something truly inspiring and special. 

The Children’s Circus of Middletown, part of the Kids Arts program, is a partnership between Oddfellows Playhouse, the City of Middletown and Middletown Commission of the Arts with critical support provided from the Middlesex United Way.  The 5-week, half day program begins on July 1 and runs until the performance on August 2.  During this time, students ages 8-14 are develop a variety of circus skills including juggling, unicycling, stilting, acrobatics, balance and clowning.  The program culminates in an outdoor circus performance in front of a crowd of nearly 1,500 people.  Each year the circus explores a different theme, with recent circuses focusing on “In Your Dreams”, “Eat’s All Good” and last year’s “The Circus of Science”.

Circus Director, Jason Leinwand, returns to bring the circus to life for the 25th time.  The program takes place at Macdonough School on Spring Street. 

For more information on the program and how to register, visit www.oddfellows.org or www.arts2go.org.  Registration forms are available at the City of Middletown Arts Office, Russell Library or Oddfellows Playhouse.  Registration is currently open. The program is $125 for Middletown residents and $250 for out of town students.  Busing is available for Middletown residents only.

Counselor positions are open, and applicants can download applications from the City of Middletown’s website.  Counselor applications are due by March 22 to the City Arts Office located at 100 Riverview Center.  Student registrations will be accepted until the program is full.

Oddfellows’ Children’s Circus of Middletown programming is made possible through the generous support of the City of Middletown, Middletown Commission on the Arts, Middlesex United Way and Stop and Shop Foundation.