Jittery Citizens perform a “Whose Line is It Anyway?” styles show. We play short form improv games based on suggestions from the students and teachers. Totally unrehearsed, totally unscripted, totally hilarious!
Jittery Citizens Short Form Improv
Jittery Citizens perform Long form Improv in which they create one long story using a series of short scenes based on audience suggestion. This improv format known as “Armando” starts with a storytelling-style monologue, based on an audience suggestion. After the monologue, players play improvised scenes inspired by the monologue, and the monologue may even continue, later on in the performance.
Colours of the Rainbow with Princess and Frog is an interactive show specifically developed for 3 to 6 year olds that will have children singing, hopping and laughing as they learn to name the colours of the rainbow as well as a few lessons about friendship. For Ages 3 to 6.
Story:
The princess and the frog is a simple and fun story that we have used as a familiar base for the children.
We looked for the kernel of the story – a lonely frog wanting to spend time with a spoilt princess – and adapted it to be appropriate and relevant for 3-6 year olds living in South Africa in 2014. The frog doesn’t turn into a human prince in order to ‘get married and live happily ever after’. Instead, after showing the princess that he is a good friend, worth knowing despite how very different he is, she makes him a crown and he becomes her frog-prince-friend.
Key Learning:
Friendship – the challenges and fears of meeting someone new; being helpful; keeping promises; recognizing and apologizing when you have been mean; understanding and forgiving.
Diversity – noticing difference; appreciating different abilities; finding common ground.
The Rainbow – familiar objects in the colours of the rainbow; introducing violet and indigo; a song and actions to remember.
Interaction – following actions and moving through space; singing along; answering questions and suggesting solutions; facilitation of when to interact and when to be quiet; engagement of sight, hearing and touch. Involvement increases memory of the performance and its lessons as well as building confidence.
Imagination and theatre conventions – a box becomes a castle, a blue sheet is a river, a black and white set is a forest; a hoodie turns a human performer into a frog.
Hailed as “Wonder-flea entertaining” (The Daily News) and “BIG fun from tiny stars” (The Mercury), The Fantastical Flea Circus is written by Clinton Marius, the creator of the popular radio soapie, Lollipop Lane.
A fun-filled frolic, The Fantastical Flea Circus (Durban Theatre Awards 2011 Best Children’s Production, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress) stars award-winning actors Shika Budhoo and Dhaveshan Govender who appear as the widely-respected Fleaoligist, Dr Dhaveshan, and his companion, the world-renowned singing sensation, the Duchess de Budhoo.
The production’s Small Top antics continue to delight children, from those just out of nappies to those with zimmer frame, as the Duchess and the Doctor put their troupe of performers – Flearoy, Fleanne, Fleadini, Justin Fleaber and Bruce Flea – through their paces.
Come join in the magic and mayhem of this jolly show.
In a very hot country a man lived with his wife and son, Slindelo, in a little hut, which was surrounded by grass and flowers. They were all perfectly happy till Slindelo stopped helping around the hut and started playing dirty tricks on everyone.
This is a tale that shows the cruelty of life, and how if you don’t respect life or don’t have a direction, you will not succeed. It tackles themes like abortion, unprotected sex with multiple partners, peer pressure, irresponsible teenage parenting, school drop outs and the importance of education in life.
THE WALKING TALL EDUCATIONAL THEATRE PROJECT – produced by (PAST) The Palaeontological Scientific Trust – a Johannesburg based public benefit organisation that since 1994 has been dedicated to the mission of protecting, preserving and promoting Africa’s ancient cultural and natural heritage.
Our production is a physical theatre production performed country wide and increasingly in the rest of Africa.
Walking Tall inspires learners to recognise, understand and value their African heritage by using physical theatre to ignite an interest in the origin sciences. Using performing arts to teach science is the perfect way to spark curiosity in learners and demonstrate that science is fun.
Walking Tall is an interactive educational theatre project that teaches learners the story of life on earth from its early beginnings to the present day – using physical theatre to cut across language and cultural barriers, and to explore complex subjects like human evolution and the origin sciences.
The Walking Tall project was launched by PAST in 2002 as a way to inform learners about Africa’s rich fossil heritage, and to establish origin sciences as an exciting career choice for young Africans. Africa boasts many of the world’s most important fossil finds of human ancestors and more ancient organisms, yet relatively few African scientists currently work in this specialised field.
Over the past decade, Walking Tall has performed to over 1 million learners around the world and worked with thousands of educators – helping them integrate scientific ideas into everyday classroom teaching and introducing learners to interesting career options in the field of origin sciences. Performances are followed by question-and-answer sessions, and teachers are provided with curriculum-based resources. Walking Tall also offers origin sciences workshops for educators. PAST monitors the educational impact of the Walking Tall project through a stringent learner and educator evaluation process under the management of its Chief Educational and Scientific Strategist.
Walking Tall is co-directed by Greg Melvill-Smith and Craig Morris, and is performed by three physical theatre performers, the current team leader is Buntu Tembani.
In 2011 the Walking Tall project expanded to include ReVerse, a theatre offering aimed at adult audiences. Please see the PAST website for more information on ReVerse.
Take the Walking Tall Journey
Should you wish to find out more about booking Walking Tall or ReVerse please contact:
PAST’s Executive Assistant Ann Smilkstein at ann@nullpastafrica.co.za or +27 11 717 6668 / +27 11 717 6689.
If you are reading this message, you are obviously aware that water conservation is a crucial issue in our county? However, did you know that through our Last Drop Show we have proved that we can change learner’s behaviour so that nearly 50% of the water your school currently uses can be saved?
Watch this video to get an idea of the power of The Last Drop.
With a Grant in Aid the Knysna Municipality engaged Lunchbox Theatre to bring their educational theatre shows to Knysna schools. And so, an exciting inter-school Water Wise Competition was launched.
Saving water was encouraged through The Last Drop, a fun and educational live theatre show followed by a Water Heroes Workshop to entrench the message and new behaviours.
The competition included Plettenberg Bay Primary and Formosa from the Bitou Municipality and Hornlee Primary from Knysna. The Bitou shows were funded through a crowdfunding campaign supported by the Department of Arts and Culture.
Water readings were taken at each school before the show and 3 times thereafter. Hornlee Primary School reduced their usage by 52.7% from May to June 2016 and won the title of the Water Wise School of the Year in Knysna. The winners certificate were handed over to teachers and kids at the school on 25th August.
Our story starts in the year 2060 and we have just found the last drop of fresh water.
There are no more trees, no fruit or vegetables, we can no longer build houses and everyone is suffering. Something must be done!!
Join Neptune and his younger brother Triton as they try to save us all from this terrible drought. They are joined by the mad professor and the villain Davy Jones on a fun, interactive and informative journey through time searching for ways to put an end to the problems so we can save our future.
This program includes a 30-minute theatre show followed by a 30-minute interactive theatre workshop. The workshop acts a reminder of the themes raised in the show. It offers the learners an opportunity to come onto stage and enact various scenarios that are relevant to water conservation.
Focusing on whales, this high energy physical theatre show explores the comparisons between whales and humans and lets us in on some of the secrets of these mysterious creatures of the deep.
The wondering whale watchers are on a quest to be like whales as they swirl their audience into an exciting adventure of juggling to catch food, bubbling underwater music and receiving e-whales from a whale called Wonder.
They explore the relationship between whales and people through the ages and look at how these beautiful creatures communicate, what they eat and how they form part of the ecology of the planet.
Through this fun adventure for the whole family the wondering whale watchers discover a new way forward for the relationship between whales and people.
This show was originally created by Jungle Theatre Company in 2001.