The 5th Avenue’s Adventure Musical Theatre
Strikes Gold in Washington Schools
Klondike! The Alaskan Gold Rush Story
Brings a Piece of Northwest History to Kids
SEATTLE – This spring, thousands of students across Washington and Oregon will take a trip to the rugged mountains and gold-strewn fields of 19th-century Alaska with The 5th Avenue Theatre’s educational outreach program, the Adventure Musical Theatre Touring Company (AMT). Elementary and middle school audiences will follow two families’ journey north in pursuit of their fortunes in Klondike! The Alaskan Gold Rush Story.
The story begins on July 17, 1897, when the first ship full of Alaskan gold docked in Seattle. The rumors spread from coast to coast, and the Gold Rush was on! As students will discover, Alaska-bound prospectors helped put Seattle—once a small port town, which then boomed as a miners’ way station—on the map. Once they reached Alaska, they found triumph, tragedy, hardship and adventure awaiting them. Six hard-working actors and one piano player bring students this exciting new musical, written by composer David A. Austin (music & lyrics) and The 5th Avenue’s Associate Artistic Director, Bill Berry (book). Featured in Klondike! are local actors Christian Duhamel (Federal Way), Matt Shimkus (Gig Harbor), Shanna Palmer (Issaquah), Casey Craig (Issaquah), Jason Kappus (Issaquah), Dane Stokinger (Seattle) and pianist R.J. Tancioco (Bellevue).
At a time when art and music programs are being cut from school budgets across America, The 5th Avenue Theatre is working harder than ever to expose new audiences to quality theater. Considering the logistical and financial difficulties associated with transporting large groups of young children to a theater performance, AMT was formed in 1994 to take new musicals—created especially for K-8th graders—directly to schools. Today, AMT performs at more than 130 elementary and middle schools across Washington and Oregon, bringing live theater to 50,000 students each year. The musicals are created by Northwest writers and composers, and the subject matter usually has a Northwest connection. The shows are designed to travel and can be performed virtually anywhere, from gymnasiums to cafeterias.
Members of the press are invited to experience AMT. Klondike! will be touring the Northwest, with frequent performances in the Seattle area, through May 11, 2007. Any member of the press interested in attending a performance must contact Molly Fortin at The 5th Avenue Theatre, at (206) 625-1418 x274.
The intent of the AMT touring company is to do more than simply entertain an audience of children, but also to educate and inspire them in a particularly engaging way. The AMT experience is an introduction to the excitement, beauty and magic of musical theater. For many children, AMT is their first opportunity to experience live theater and interact with professional actors.
As part of its educational component, AMT provides schools with study guides that focus on the show’s themes, including fun classroom activities that teachers can easily incorporate into their curricula. And because theater naturally involves children in the immediacy of the moment and piques their curiosity, a question and answer period led by the actors follows each performance.
AMT shows are designed to be mobile. With a van, an easy-to-assemble set, bins of colorful costumes and props, six actors and one musician, the show can play anywhere.
A typical morning for AMT performers:
7:00 am – Drive to first school
8:00 am – Arrive at school, quickly unload, put together set & props, change into costume, & warm up vocally
9:00 am – The show begins
9:50 am – Question and answer period
10:00 am – Pack and load the van
10:30 am – On to the next school!
Adventure Musical Theatre also offers local artists—composers, writers and performers—a chance to develop and stretch their talents. By commissioning local artists to create musicals, AMT affords the Northwest’s talented composers and lyricists an opportunity to see their work produced and performed by a professional theater company.
Adventure Musical Theatre also offers local artists—composers, writers and performers—a chance to develop and stretch their talents. By commissioning local artists to create musicals, AMT affords the Northwest’s talented composers and lyricists an opportunity to see their work produced and performed by a professional theater company.
The 5th Avenue Theatre is Seattle’s premier musical theater. In 1980, the non-profit 5th Avenue Theatre began producing and presenting top-quality live musical theater for the cultural enrichment of the Northwest community. The 5th Avenue Theatre maintains a subscription audience of 24,000 and an annual attendance of more than 225,000. It ranks among the nation’s largest and most respected musical theater companies. The Theatre is committed to encouraging the next generation of theatergoers through its Educational Outreach Program which includes: The Adventure Musical Theatre Touring Company, The 5th Avenue High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Student Matinee Program and Spotlight Nights. Unique in its Chinese-inspired design, the exquisite theater opened in 1926 as a venue for vaudeville and film. Today, under the leadership of Managing Director Marilynn Sheldon and Producing Artistic Director David Armstrong, The 5th Avenue Theatre continues to achieve the highest standards in all aspects of artistic endeavors and facility operations, while preserving its artistic, architectural and historic legacy. Visit www.5thavenue.org.
Sponsors/Grants:
The Glaser Foundation
The Marsha and Jay Glazer Foundation
The Juniper Foundation
The Kobe Foundation
The Norcliffe Foundation
Plum Creek Foundation
The Picsha Foundation
PONCHO
Puget Sound Energy
Qwest
US Bank
Wyman Youth Trust