First Stage presents: THE DINOSAUR PLAY

By Mary Boyle

Milwaukee area families are beyond lucky to have a theatre company like First Stage.  While most people know about the First Stage Main Stage shows for families that take place at the Todd Wehr Theater, located within the Marcus Performing Arts Center in downtown Milwaukee, not everyone is familiar with their plays for very young children that take place at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center (MYAC), which is the true home of First Stage.  This season, First Stage offers a highly interactive show for children ages 3-9 called THE DINOSAUR PLAY by Steve and Kathy Hotchner.

Directed by Jeff Frank and Samantha D. Montgomery, The Dinosaur Play takes the audience on a time-traveling adventure with a Guide (Adrian Feliciano) and his Apprentice (Marko Van Slyke/Elea Marking) who discover a giant dinosaur egg in need of help.  With plenty of audience assistance, as well as the help of a triceratops named Tank (Jared Brandt Hoover), the Guide and his Apprentice do their best to come to the aid of the baby dinosaur (Emily Dalecky/Sawyer Felkey) and a lonely brontosaurus (Samantha D. Montgomery), while trying to steer clear of the T-Rex (Summer Laster/Juliette De Rosa)!

The Goodman Mainstage Hall at MYAC is the perfect venue for this type of production, as the intimate theater-in-the-round design allows for an up-close seat for young viewers; in fact, the chairs are taken out of the first two rows and replaced with mats, so kids can be both close and comfortable.  Come 30 minutes early to participate in some fun activities in the common area, such as voting for your favorite dinosaur, learning cool dinosaur facts, going on a ‘dig’, and more.

This show is unique in that kids have multiple opportunities to get on the stage to assist the actors, as well as “helping” from their seats.  Jared Brandt Hoover and Samantha D. Montgomery do an excellent job of embodying their respective dinosaur characters, while Adrian Feliciano is adept at his role of keeping young audience members on the right track without being patronizing.  Young performers are double cast; I saw the Brontosaurus Cast with Marko Van Slyke as the Apprentice, Emily Dalecky as Baby Tank, and Summer Laster as the T-Rex, who all did a great job.  

Any kid who is a dinosaur enthusiast is sure to enjoy this production, but that is certainly not a requirement.  Kids seeing other kids acting in the show encourages them to join in the fun on the stage and be a part of the show, which is a rare opportunity.  I took my 6-year-old niece to see it and she was invited on stage to say a line – she was positively delighted!  After the show, there is a talk-back where kids can ask the actors questions about the show, which is an excellent opportunity to learn more about what it takes to make theatre.  The Dinosaur Play is a great way to introduce young children to live theatre and an excellent way to spend a winter day for the whole family.

THE DINOSAUR PLAY runs through February 16th at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, located at 325 W. Walnut Street in Milwaukee.  The show runs approximately 45-50 minutes, with no intermission and is recommended for families with young people ages 3-9 and theater lovers of all ages. 

SPECIAL EVENTS

Pay What You Choose Performance is on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 3:30 p.m.
Sensory Friendly Performance is on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 3:30 p.m.
Sign Language Interpreted Performance is on Sunday, February 9 at 1:00 p.m.

Don’t miss out on the rest of the season productions coming soon! Find tickets and additional information at www.firststage.org/2024-2025-Season.

● Jan. 31 - Feb. 16 EMILY SONG AND THE QUEEN OF THE NIGHT
● March 8 - April 6 DISNEY & PIXAR’S FINDING NEMO
● March 28 - April 13 RIDE THE CYCLONE: HIGH SCHOOL EDITION
● May 2 - 18 ESPERANZA RISING
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For additional information about the 2024-2025 season and to order tickets, please go to firststage.org or call (414) 267-2961.
 
About First Stage
Founded in 1987, First Stage is one of the nation’s leading theaters for young people and families, and a driving force behind the creation of the best and most innovative plays for family audiences, theater training programs for young people, and education initiatives for its schools and community. First Stage ensures that all programming is not only accessible to its community but that it is reflective of the community it serves.  First Stage produces plays that honor the young person’s point of view, include diverse and traditionally underrepresented voices, and inspire meaningful conversations. First Stage has presented more than 70 world premiere productions that address important subject matters relevant to today’s youth. The Theater Academy is one of the nation’s largest high-impact theater training programs for young people (3-18 years old). Through a challenging curriculum taught by professional teaching artists, the Academy nurtures life skills through stage skills and includes the Next Steps Program that tailors Theater Academy classes to the needs of young people on the autism spectrum and with other developmental disabilities. As Wisconsin’s leader in arts-integrated education in schools, First Stage’s dynamic Theater in Education Programs cleverly blend theater activities with standard curriculum—allowing more than 10,000 students annually to learn traditional academic subjects through creativity and self-expression.
First Stage is a member of TYA/USA, the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, the Wisconsin Alliance for Arts Education, Milwaukee Arts Partners and is a cornerstone member of the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF). For more information, visit firststage.org.