2008-2009 Folly Kids Series Season

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“Music Explorations: A Jazz Journey”
Friday, November 14, 2008
9:30 & 11:30 AM
Recommended for All Ages!

Back for a fifth presentation! Join with a group of stellar Kansas City musicians as we depart on a narrated journey of musical “time travel.” Starting in the early 1900s, we will explore how America's “melting pot” of many cultures provided the ingredients for the development and evolution of our country's original musical art form - Jazz! We will explore how Ragtime combined with Blues from the American South to create the earliest sounds of New Orleans Jazz. Journeying up the river to Chicago, we will discover hot jazz style of “The Roaring 20s.” Traveling into the 1930s and the Swing era, we will discover how the Kansas City style of jazz placed our hometown forever in the music history books. The exciting sounds of Bebop and beyond will take us to New York and around the world as we highlight the various styles of modern jazz right up to the present.

This Folly Theater Productionis great toe-tappin' fun!

Junie B. Jones
Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009 & Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009
Performances at 9:30 & 11:30 a.m. each day
Suggested for Grades Pre K-5

Watch out world, here comes outspoken, precocious, lovable Junie B. Jones, and she's definitely ready for a new school year! Follow her adventures as she writes down the story of her life in her “Top-Secret Personal Beeswax Journal.”

This colorful, rollicking, fast-paced, one-of-a-kind musical adventure is based on Barbara Park's wildly popular series of books illustrated by Denise Brunkus and published by Random House.

A Theatreworks USA Production

Butterfly: The Story of a Life Cycle
Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009
9:30 & 11:30 AM
Suggested for Grades K-4

Butterfly is supported in part by a grant from the Jim Henson Foundation.

This full-scale theatrical production from New York's award-winning Hudson Vagabond Puppets uses costumes and larger-than-life-size rod puppets up to 8 feet tall! Join us for a microscopic look at the insect world as we follow the whole range of the life cycle of a beautiful Monarch Butterfly from birth to death., from egg to caterpillar to the amazing metamorphosis in the chrysalis and her incredible 1,500 mile journey to Mexico and back as it is played out on the stage in this full-scale production. A host of other creatures from the insect world will join her on the way as they learn about her symbiotic relationship with the milkweed plant, which she depends upon for food, home, and her unique form of defense against predators.

I Have a Dream: The Life and Times of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009
9:30 & 11:30 a.m.
Suggested for Grades 3-12

The phenomenal impact of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is chronicled in
this compelling dramatization of the life and times of one of the most
influential and charismatic leaders of the “American Century.” As Dr.
King becomes the prime mover behind the Montgomery, Alabama
bus boycott, we will experience how he puts to work his philosophy
of non-violent protest. Your students will be inspired by the story of
this great leader's struggle and his dream of lifting “our nation from

A Theatre IV Production

Nate the Great
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
9:30 & 11:30 a.m.
Suggested for Grades 2-6

Who do you call when there's a mystery you just can't solve? Nate the Great, of course! This pint-sized young detective has found lost balloons, books, slippers, chickens, and even a lost goldfish. But when his neighbor Annie asks for help in locating her missing painting, it takes all of Nate's derring-do to solve the toughest case of his career! Although Nate believes that great detectives work alone, he finds that unraveling mysteries is easier (and a lot more fun!) with a partner. And a big plate of pancakes.

A lively new musical about teamwork and friendship (imaginary and otherwise) based on the first volume in Marjorie Weinman Sharmat's classic book series.

Theatreworks USA Production

And Justice For All
Friday, March 27, 2009
9:30 a.m.
Suggested for Grades 5-12

This special concert will combine narration, visuals, and music to create an amazing production by the Heartland Men's Chorus.

The Civil Rights Movement is the catalyst that has brought the idea of equality for ALL people to the forefront of our society and politics. What we have learned from history is that whenever any one group does not have equality--none of us are equal. Don’t miss this powerful concert experience.

About your field trip to the historic Folly Theater:

Performances last about one-hour.

Please note that you will NOT receive individual tickets to your Folly Kids’ Series performance. You will be sent a confirmation notice of your reservation that will serve as the “ticket” for all students and adults in your group.

Please plan your transportation arrangements carefully to arrive no earlier than 30-minutes prior to curtain time and no later than 10-minutes prior. Officers from the Kansas City Police Department will direct your bus to the proper location to park and unload. Your bus will remain in the same spot when your group leaves the theater after the show.

A member of Folly Theater staff will greet you outside the theater and ushers will lead your students to their assigned seats. Any late comers will be seated at the earliest opportunity. Please advise your students (and adults!) that chewing gum, food or beverages are not allowed inside the theater. Your group will be asked to remain seated following the performance; you will be dismissed by groups.

Please Note: If anyone in your group has any special needs (accessibility seating issues, listening-assist devices / signers, etc.), please let us know in advance so that we may make the appropriate arrangements.

The Folly Jazz Series is made possible through generous support from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, and the Arts KC Fund, a community-supported funding program administered by The Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City.