Kyle is seven years old now and is at a great age for live theater. I took him to see two plays this year and he loved them both. So when I received an opportunity to take him to see a show at Shaw Festival, I knew he would want to go.
I’ve been to the Shaw Festival a few times but it wasn’t until this past weekend that I brought my kids with me. That’s right – there are several family-friendly plays that people of all ages will enjoy at Shaw. So if you’re planning a trip to Niagara, I highly recommend grabbing some tickets for this year’s family play – The Magician’s Nephew. If you’ve ever read the Chronicles of Narnia you will be very familiar with the story. Even though we haven’t read the book, we were still mesmerized throughout the entire show. The plot was easy to follow and the set was simple yet magical. Using mostly simple carton boxes and hanging drapes that were used to project different scenery and places, you are transformed from reality to a dream world. My favourite part was the cardboard animal masks and the accompanying music that brings us to the newly formed world of Narnia. The show is full of laugh-out-loud moments for both kids and adults. But what makes it truly special is the audience participation.
Prior to the show, you can attend a one hour workshop (for an additional cost of $5 per person) that gives you a more invested appreciation of the play. At the workshop we made crowns based on our region / dream world (we were ice and snow). We also learned a verse from a song, were taught how to make rain sounds with our hands and created a soundscape – all of which we were encouraged to do during the play.
Just before the play started, the cast (aka ‘dream detectives’) came around and spoke with the kids wearing the crowns and asked them to tell them about one of their dreams. Kyle loved seeing the actor he spoke with in person on the stage. Overall, it was a very interactive play, which made it even more enjoyable for Kyle. If you can, I highly recommend getting tickets for the workshop as well.
While the workshop and the play take up most of the day, there’s so much to see and explore in the area as well. So if you’re heading down for the play, I would recommend that you stay for the night and take in all of the various local attractions – like the Falls, Niagara Parks, the butterfly observatory and strolling along the main street in Niagara-on-the-lake. We stayed overnight at Great Wolf Lodge and the boys are already asking to go back. In fact, the morning after we got home Nate woke up and said “can we go back to the hotel now?” Between the amazing water park, magiquest, indoor bowling, outdoor mini-golf and the arcade, you can easily spend two days at the hotel and the time will just fly by.
Have you ever taken your kid to see a play and which one was it?
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Shaw Festival. In exchange for this post I received perks in the form of product and compensation. All opinions on this blog are my own.
Wonderful photos