Berenstain Bears coming to Lutcher Theater
Published 10:58 am Monday, October 20, 2014
The classic Berenstain Bears book series will come to life next week onstage at the Lutcher Theater Center for Performing Arts. Three books from the series will be performed live in the musical “The Berenstain Bears Live.”
Jim Clark, managing director of the theater, said the show is a top-class production that is part of the theater’s children’s series.
“Our children’s series brings in 12,000-15,000 kids per year,” he said. “This is the first time we have worked with this company. This show has been produced on Broadway and done exceptionally well. It is a well-known story for schools to see. It is a high-quality show.”
The show is being used to introduce children to the performing arts and to augment their classroom education.
“It brings the kids into an environment they are not familiar with and introduces them to the performing arts,” Clark said.
“When they leave here, they become our ambassadors a lot of times. It supplements their learning, gets them excited about reading and learning. It helps change the way they see things, which is exciting.”
Clark said the series of books has remained popular over the years because it appeals to a variety of readers.
The show is based on the books “The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers,” “The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food” and “The Berenstain Bears’ Trouble at School.”
“They are well-written and filled with life lessons,” Clark said. “It is universal. No matter who you are or if you read the books or see the play, it relates to you.”
The show is aimed at children in grades pre-K through 4. It will be staged at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21.
For more information, visit www.lutcher.org or call 409-886-5535.
