Cats out of the bag! Three Little Kittens comes to Maddy's Theatre
The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine (CMTM) presents the early-childhood production of Three Little Kittens in Maddy’s Theatre from December 2 through 30, 2022. Based on the nursery rhyme and adapted by Ernie Nolan, the 50-minute production follows three kittens who are faced with the ultimate predicament: they have misplaced their mittens, and they must be found before Mother Cat finds out! Especially geared for children from birth to age five, Three Little Kittens helps introduce young audiences to the theatre with sensory play, interactive dialogue, and age-appropriate themes.
Staging a professional performance for the community’s youngest members requires ample amounts of creativity and playfulness. The audience plays an integral role as fellow detectives in this interactive production. All young audience members will receive a complimentary, take-home “sleuth kit” filled with props that will allow them to help the kittens search for clues during the performance and then continue exploring the story through imaginative play at home.
Volunteers from IDEXX help to create “sleuth kits”.
The “sleuth kits” bring a tactile element to the theatrical experience, bringing the story directly into the hands of young audience members.
“Three Little Kittens is a story that celebrates sensory play, engages in our curiosity, and invites us to work together to solve our mysteries as a team,” said Director Erica Murphy. “I love creating new work for our youngest audience members: this show ignites joy from our youngest friends to our wisest detectives and sleuths. With our sleuth kits and physical play, I am so excited for these cats to inspire curiosity, joy, and participation from our audience members.”
The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine hopes to inspire more families with young children to venture into Maddy’s Theatre and to establish a theatre space that allows audience members of all ages to feel welcome to enjoy theatre on their own terms. Three Little Kittens grants permission to wiggle and use one’s voice as part of the whole experience, emphasizing that Maddy’s Theatre is a space for everyone.
Three Little Kittens looking for clues featuring (L to R) Danny Gay, Brie Roche, and Mackenzie Peacock.
Three Little Kittens is directed by Erica Murphy and features an ensemble of five adult actors: Mackenzie Peacock, Rachel Gallagher, Danny Gay, Brie Roche, and Juliet Moniz. Performances begin December 2 and run through December 30.
Three Little Kittens is produced with permission from Plays for New Audiences and is made possible by the generous support of Season Sponsor Northeast Bank, and Show Sponsors The Clarion Hotel, Cheese Louise, REMedy Pediatrics Sleep Coaching, and Birth Roots.The Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine is supported in part by an American Rescue Plan Act grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support general operating expenses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For showtimes and tickets, visit kitetails.org/threelittlekittens
For press images, contact Allison McCall, Theatre Company Coordinator, at allison@kitetails.org, (207) 828-1234 ext. 251.
About the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine:
The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine inspires discovery and imagination through playful
exploration, with a focus on science learning, community engagement, performing and visual arts, and early childhood education. The Museum & Theatre is an indispensable resource for families and educators, helping to create a broad community devoted to children's development and learning. The Museum & Theatre is committed to providing access for children of all economic means and all abilities through various access initiatives. With almost one hundred years of children’s theatre history and nearly fifty years as a children’s museum, the award-winning organization is considered one of the top children’s museums in the country. Visit kitetails.org to learn more.
About Maddy’s Theatre:
Maddy’s Theatre at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine is the oldest continuously operating children’s theatre in the nation. Just shy of what will be its one-hundredth birthday in 2023, Maddy’s Theatre has found its home at Thompson’s Point where it can truly “unleash magic” and inspire joy and discovery. Equipped with a teaching tech booth, a soundproof viewing gallery, its own dedicated lobby, and a green room and workshop backstage, Maddy’s Theatre is a state-of-the-art facility designed with young family audiences in mind. To learn more, volunteer, enroll in afterschool programs, workshops, and more visit kitetails.org/maddys-theatre.