Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples Partners with Gulfshore Playhouse on Winnie the Pooh KIDS

Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples Partners with Gulfshore Playhouse to Produce Winnie the Pooh KIDS 

Naples, FL – Jonathan Foerster, CEO of Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples (CMON), and Kristen Coury, CEO and Producing Artistic Director of Gulfshore Playhouse, announce the co-produced educational program and production of Winnie the Pooh KIDS at CMON this November. Students and parents alike will take a trip to the Hundred-Acre Wood with Christopher Robin and all of his animal friends.

On October 20, students aged 8-13 may audition for the program. Those selected will participate in a rehearsal process designed to encourage confidence and creativity through acting, singing, and dancing. At the end of two weeks, friends and families will be invited to a special one-night-only performance of Winnie the Pooh KIDS at CMON. Space in this performance class is limited and tuition is $200 per student. Tickets to the performances can be purchased here.

"The imaginative play CMON specializes in and theatre go hand in hand,” says CMON CEO Jonathan Foerster. “We can't think of a better way to use our Carol and Tom Lund Star Stage space than to partner with the professional theatre educators at Gulfshore Playhouse to create an opportunity for students to bring this wonderful story about the power of imagination to life on the stage."

“We take the work of play-based learning very seriously, so this partnership with Gulfshore Playhouse is a wonderful way to bridge from playful learning to creative performance,” states Bonnie Thayer, CMON Chief Operations and Education Officer. “We have been looking for a way to bring our Star Stage to life and this partnership gives students the opportunity to do just that - bring the classical Winnie the Pooh characters to life!”

“From the moment I created the first mission for Gulfshore Playhouse it included a focus on the importance of education,” says Kristen Coury, CEO and Producing Artistic Director of Gulfshore Playhouse. “Nearly two decades later, Gulfshore Playhouse Education continues to expand and grow, and this new venture with CMON is a delightful way to continue to serve our region’s children.”

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

AUDITIONS: 

October 20, 2022 at Golisano Children's Museum of Naples from 5:00-8:00 PM, register to audition here.

*Students will be required to audition because limited spots are available. Please prepare a 32-bar cut (approx. one minute) of a musical theatre song. Bring sheet music in the correct key. An accompanist will be provided. If you do not have sheet music, accompaniment tracks will be accepted. 
If unable to attend the audition in person, please submit a video of your child singing a 32-bar cut (approx. one minute) of a musical theatre song to Steven Calakos, Director of Education at [email protected].

REHEARSALS

Monday-Thursdays at Golisano Children's Museum of Naples

November 7-10 and 14-16

5:30 PM-7:30 PM

TUITION: $200/student

PERFORMANCES ($10 Tickets)

November 17, 2022 at 5:30 PM & 7:00 PM at Golisano Children's Museum of Naples

Tickets can be purchased here

Connect with us:
Facebook: @childrensmuseumofnaples, @gulfshoreplayhouse
Instagram: @childrensmuseumofnaples, @gulfshore.playhouse, @gulfshoreplayhouseeducation

#GP #CMON

ABOUT THE GOLISANO CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF NAPLES
The Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples is a brain-building powerhouse and Southwest Florida’s first museum devoted for children and families to learn through play. With hands-on exhibit galleries, the accessible museum invites visitors of all ages to journey through the swamps of the Everglades, weave through a maze, climb a two-story banyan tree, or experiment with the water play station. Children can become a weather forecaster, a farmer, a chef, a fisherman, an artist, an architect, or a veterinarian; explore the cold of an igloo, the whoosh of the wind, the sound of the sea, and the effects of gravity. Throughout the day special activities encourage our guests to get involved, try something new and be energized. CMON offers a variety of interactive exhibits providing kids with education, play, learning, science, technology, engineering, inventions, space exploration, art, math, storybooks, creation, building, sensory, and child development.

ABOUT GULFSHORE PLAYHOUSE
Gulfshore Playhouse is passionately committed to enriching the cultural landscape of our region by producing professional theatre to the highest artistic standards and providing unique educational opportunities to diverse groups of people in a spirit of service, adventure, and excitement. The work of Gulfshore Playhouse is inspired by a belief in the magic of theatre to expand the imagination, challenge the senses, provoke discussion, and revitalize in its audiences an understanding of our common humanity. This belief drives the care with which Gulfshore Playhouse treats its artists, audiences, students, staff, and members of the greater community.

Gulfshore Playhouse recently began construction on the state-of-the-art Baker Theatre and Education Center. Located at the corner of Goodlette-Frank Road and 1st Avenue South, the gateway to downtown Naples, the facility will house a 350-seat mainstage theatre and a 125-seat studio space, in addition to numerous events, rehearsal, and educational spaces. Naming opportunities are still available.

For more information about Gulfshore Playhouse or its new facility, or to make a contribution, visit www.gulfshoreplayhouse.org or call 239-261-PLAY.