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‘Magic Tree House: Showtime with Shakespeare’ to appear Nov. 3 at Eisenhower

STATE COLLEGE–“Showtime with Shakespeare,” a new family theatrical production based on Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House adventure “Stage Fright on a Summer Night,” will make its Penn State premiere at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, in Eisenhower Auditorium.

Produced by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center with creative partner George Street Playhouse, “Showtime with Shakespeare” is a cheery romp through Elizabethan England infused with clever hip-hop rhyme schemes, energetic dance numbers and fun musical arrangements.

Tickets for the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State presentation cost $21 for an adult, $15 for a University Park student, and $21 for a person 18 and younger. They are available online at cpa.psu.edu or by phone at 814-863-0255 or 800-ARTS-TIX.

Tickets are also available at three State College locations: Eisenhower Auditorium (weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), Penn State Downtown Theatre Center (weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and Bryce Jordan Center (weekdays 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). A grant from the University Park Student Fee Board makes Penn State student prices possible.

Jack and Annie, the story’s protagonists, travel back in time to meet playwright William Shakespeare. The show accentuates the importance of Shakespeare to children and adults in an entertaining way and drops plenty of winking references to the Bard’s many plays.

Jenny Laird and Will Osborne wrote the show’s book and lyrics. Randy Courts composed the music and wrote additional lyrics. Janeece Freeman-Clark directed the show, which is choreographed by Gregory Omar Osborne.

The Magic Tree House series, written by Mary Pope Osborne, has been translated into more than 30 languages, has sold more than 135 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling chapter book series of all time. The author studied theater, mythology and comparative religion at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

McQuaide Blasko Endowment provides support for the presentation.

Kids Connections, which is free for ticket holders and includes a craft-centered, child-friendly activity, takes place one hour before the performance. Due to space and time restrictions, Kids Connections participation is limited.

MAGIC TREE HOUSE PARTY

The Center for the Performing Arts, in partnership with Schlow Centre Region Library, will have a Magic Tree House-themed party at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, in the library’s Downsbrough Community Room, 211 S. Allen St., State College.

The party is free and open to the public, but registration is required at https://tinyurl.com/y6mcetzw and attendance is limited to 50. Participants will have an opportunity to make lion masks, scrolls and more at the 90-minute event, which is recommended for ages 5-12.

Attendees will have a chance to win a family four-pack of tickets to see “Showtime with Shakespeare.”

Find the Center for the Performing Arts on Facebook at facebook.com/PSCPA, on Twitter at twitter.com/psupresents and on Instagram at instagram.com/psupresents.

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