Kindur at BAM on March 23!

Over at the NYC Dad's Blog, I have a long post about the new initiative at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) to get more kid friendly.  This season they are presenting a number of really interesting kid's shows, and programs designed particularly for families.

Brian Dennihy in Peter Brook's The Cherry Orchard

As I say over there, BAM was one of my first theatre loves.  I saw lots of great shows over the years there, and some very memorable ones.  Including Peter Brook's 9 hour Mahabarata , and his amazing production of the Cherry Orchard, with Brian Dennihy (In it the sets are made up of wooden frames, and in his exultation over purchasing the Cherry Orchard finally, Dennihy knocks over all of the framed doors in a domino-style effect, thus foreshadowing the cutting down of the Cherry Orchard in favor of homes. (sound familiar, Barclays Center opponents?)

 Laurie Anderson

I've also seen Astor Piazzola marathons, Laurie Anderson,  Kung Fu Dancing, and an astonishing one man version of Hamlet, called Elsinore.

But all of those shows were shows aimed at adults.  BAM was part of my pre-kid life, but not my post-kid life.

Apparently they recognized this as well, and are striving to do something about it.  They've set up a whole program of Kid's programming.  One of the ones that interests me most is Kindur, a multimedia participatory show that kind of combines a story about Icelandic Sheep with avante garde theatre to create an amazing visual and aesthetic experience.  Kindur is by an Italian company who have been pushing the limits and definitions of children's theatre since they started.

Kinduris described as children's theatre in which "A fairy-tale landscape of glaciers, volcanoes, and flower-filled meadows is brought to vibrant life through touch in this interactive theater experience from Italy. Children are invited on stage to trigger the sounds, images, music, and colors that make up this enchanting world as three dancers take the role of kindur ("sheep" in Icelandic) to guide audiences on an immersive, magical adventure.

I can't wait for my son (who is very well versed in circus and clown performances) to see this show.  It sounds wonderful!  (See video below)  You can also read the FULL BLOG POST to find out more about Kindur.

Kindur runs on March 23 at 11 am and 3 pm.  Tickets are $12, and it is recommended for ages 4-10.  BAM advises that the Barclay's has an event that day, so public transport is highly recommended.

Other things BAM have going on this season are:

• an amazing public concert for Kindiefest, the Kid's Independent Musicians Conference on April 28.  
• A Spanish children's theatre group doing a multimedia show called In the Garden (May 2-5)
•  a week long workshop with members of the group Pilobolus. (March 25-28)

You can find out more and buy tickets online at the BAM website

http://www.bam.org

 Here's a video of Kindur from Youtube: