When you think of Pollyanna, you probably think of a little girl, someone under the age of 10. But did you know that this Pollyanna (Pollyanna Theatre Company) is about to kick off our 19th season? That means that this Pollyanna is almost 20 years young!
Many things have changed during the lifetime of our company. Just about everyone uses a cell phone today that is more powerful and faster than our personal computers were when we started making theatre. Many families learned about tour productions from reading the morning newspaper while today, social media posts and Mommy Blogs are the way we get news of our upcoming productions in front of the busy eyes of parents and teachers. And our current performance venues, The Boyd Vance Theatre at The Carver Cultural Center and The Rollins Studio Theatre at The Long Center were not yet in business. So much has changed!
But some things have not changed. Pollyanna is still dedicated to creating new dramatic literature for child audiences that speaks to their unique dreams, needs, and imaginations. We still support playwrights who put their heart and souls into their plays, creating stories that speak to the emotions of audiences of all ages. And we still employ the best theatre artists we can find to bring these new characters to life on the best stages that Austin has to offer. Quality still matters to Pollyanna and so does an uncompromising dedication to serving all children and families, regardless of their ability to pay for their tickets.
We are still performing plays that might have a title you have not heard before. And we are still presenting these new stories and characters through innovative staging.
Our 2019/2020 season continues these Pollyanna traditions by embracing fantasy and surrealism in each and every one of our productions. Sometimes adults question a young child's ability to follow a story that isn't presented in a conventional, linear manner. Sometimes adults wonder if the young people in the audience will "get" characters that do not reflect our daily reality. But never fear! Here at Pollyanna, we know that our young audience is still closely engaged with their sense of transformational play. It is their ability to "transform" a spoon at the breakfast table to a speedy race car just by adding sound effects. It is their ability to see a barking dog in the shape of a cloud in the sky above their car window. It is the very sense of wonder that makes it possible for them to enter a world of "playing pretend" that can feel just as real as any reality we will ever encounter. Trust us. Children live and breath the surreal in their daily playtime. So join us in our 2019/2020 Surreal Season.
This season, dinosaurs will roar and learn when roaring might not be the best choice. A red ant and a blue ant will build a friendship as well as a wall. A young girl will encounter her family's past when it comes to life and brings lunch along with it. A young boy will invite us into his nightly dreams so we can see his sleeping brain working out answers to some of childhood's biggest questions. And lastly, a woman named Luna will take the moon from the sky and show us all what it means to make a beautiful home right there in the alley of a big city.
