In 1998, Capital Playhouse began a new program called the Page to Stage Theater-Literacy Program.
The Goal:
. . . to bring the written word to life on stage for students and families involved in literacy and reading programs throughout South Puget Sound.
The Hope:
. . . to spark their imagination and to inspire in them a desire to learn to read by uniting literacy and live theatre.
Capital Playhouse's Page to Stage Theatre-Literacy Festival celebrates its 12th year in 2009 featuring a magical production of Beauty and the Beast and an amazing puppet exhibition titled All Hands on Stage from the international collection of the Aurora Valentinetti Puppet Museum. The exhibition, curated by Mr. Stanley W. Hess, is sure to appeal to all ages. The festival culminates with Page to Stage in the Park, a fun and unique community-wide celebration of theatre, reading and puppetry held at Sylvester Park in downtown Olympia. The Beast, along with other cast members, will read aloud from Beauty and the Beast at Page to Stage in the Park. An event not to be missed!
To date some 6,000 students have participated in Page to Stage from throughout southwest Puget Sound including Thurston, Mason, Lewis and Pierce counties. In 2009 we have included students from Bremerton in Kitsap County, home to the Aurora Valentinetti Puppet Museum. The involvement of so many students is a result of the Playhouse's annual invitation to a variety of community-based organizations to partner with us on behalf of students who have little or no access to the cultural life of the community in combination with literacy-based activities. Among the activities are workshops presented by Mark Kratz, literacy teacher and the actor playing the Beast from San Francisco.
Over the years students have attended productions specifically dedicated to Page to Stage audiences including Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, The Secret Garden, Once on this Island, Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Jane Eyre, Oliver! and West Side Story based on Romeo and Juliet. Page to Stage 2009's Beauty and the Beast is sure to be an audience favorite as Belle and the Beast both discover the true meaning of love among amazing and magical events.
PAGE TO STAGE STUDY GUIDES for Beauty and the Beast
More information about ALL HANDS ON STAGE, PUPPETS AND PUPPETRY!
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS AND TO OUR FESTIVAL PARTICIPANTS!
Many thanks to our festival supporters, participants and volunteers: Mr. Stanley W. Hess, Aurora Valentinetti Puppet Museum, Dan Luce, Shawn Davis, Kathi Irwin, SSRF, Lucky Eagle Casino, Suzanne Klenk, Kathi Weight, Jennifer Williams-Forster, Carrie Dye, Cheryl Heywood, Rhonda Munsinger, Mark Kratz, Dave Marsh, Beauty and the Beast cast members, Elaine Smytha, Aurora Valentinetti, Pamela Cox, Marcie Pickett Johnson, Penny Keirsey, Jeanne Tranum, Griselda Perretz-Rosales, The Olympia Timberland Library, Friends of the Olympia Timberland Library, DeColores Books, WSECU’s The Vault Financial Literacy Program, Hands on Children’s Museum, Martin Hamilton for the terrific puppet exhibition logo, Friends of the Olympia Timberland Library, Kids on the Block/OJP, YMCA Arts Alive, Ellen Duffy, Olympia Downtown Starbucks, Deborah Housen, Kitsap Regional Library and Seattle Public Library reference librarians, H. Emily Moshay, the Capital Playhouse staff, and Page to Stage ushers and volunteers for the puppet exhibition opening.
Theatre-Literacy Festival Summer Activities
Come join the fun!
Page to Stage Festival in Downtown Olympia's Sylvester Park
July 11, 1 pm to 4 pm; Free and Open to the Public!
Activities celebrating reading, theatre and puppetry, celebrity readings, and appearances by Beauty and the Beast characters!
All Hands On Stage Puppet Exhibition From the International Collection of the Aurora Valentinetti Puppet Museum in Bremerton, WA
Curated by Mr. Stanley W. Hess
July 3 - August 16, Tues/Wed 1-5 p.m., Thurs-Sun 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Gallery, SPSCC's KJM Center for the Arts, Free and Open to the public!
Olympia Timberland Library's Celebrate the Art of Puppetry
Mini Companion Puppet Exhibition
July 1 to the end of August; Free and Open to the Public
Mon. & Tues. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Wed. & Thurs. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
OTL will feature Ariel Goldberger's Naked Puppets recent work, Sudden Orpheus, on Friday, July 17 from 7-8:30 p.m. Additional Information: 360.352.0595
Hands on Children's Museum Puppet Playhouse Camp for Grades 1 - 4
July 6th through 10th; Additional Information: 360.956.0818
For Page to Stage Participants and Community Partners
Performances of Disney's Beauty and the Beast:
- Dates: Wednesday, July 8, at 7:30 pm, or Thursday, July 9, at 10:30 am
- Where: KJM Center for the Arts, South Puget Sound Community College, 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia, WA 98512
- How: Reservations are required for Page to Stage participation. Please contact Ann King at Capital Playhouse to reserve your seats. If she is unavailable, leave a message with your name, phone number and the best time to return your call and she will call you back: 360-943-2744, ext. 14.
Page to Stage participants must arrive on time and be in their seats before the show starts!
For information about Beauty and the Beast attendance opportunities, events and activities please contact Ann King, Page to Stage Festival Director, at Capital Playhouse in Olympia WA: 360-943-2744, ext. 14 and/or ann@capitalplayhouse.com.
