Auditions for Beyond Fidgety Fairy Tales – The Fourth Mental Health Musical

Performers ages 8 – 18.

Thursday, January 26th, 2012    6 – 7 PM (girls)  7:30 – 8:30 PM (boys)

or

Sunday, January 29th, 2012    1-2 PM (girls) 2:30 – 3:30 PM (boys)

Location yet to be determined.

No preparation is necessary.

To sign up for one of the auditions, please fill out our online form

 

Now Accepting Requests for Performances of  “Beyond Fidgety Fairy Tales – The Fourth Mental Health Musical

Through the generosity of the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, we are able to offer a limited number of FREE community performances within the Twin Cities in April 2012.  Stories will include Snow White (schizophrenia), Alice in Wonderland (eating disorders), and Jack and the Beanstalk (currently in development).

Please note that due to the nature of our funding, FREE performances are not available for K-12 settings during the regular school day.  Schools may still book a performance at our regular rate of $600 per performance.

If your organization is interested in hosting a FREE performance, please fill out our request form.

Go to FREE Performance Request Form

 

 

 

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Once upon a time…

familiar fairy tales were re-imagined to show positive portrayals of children with mental health disorders and to raise awareness about mental health! These two original hour-long musical theatre productions are performed by a talented cast of actors ages 9 – 18 both with and without mental health disorders.

Fidgety Fairy Tales – The Mental Health Musical includes:

Little Red Riding Hood, who has AD/HD and gets distracted on her way to granny’s house

Sleeping Handsome, who struggles with depression and wants to sleep all the time

Rapunzel, who has anxiety and is too afraid and worried to leave her tower

More Fidgety Fairy Tales  – Another Mental Health Musical includes:

A prince with autism whose hypersensitivity helps him feel a pea under 20 mattresses

Gretel, who has post-traumatic stress and suffers from horrible nightmares about what happened at the witch’s gingerbread house

Princess Rana, who gets into power struggles with the king, her teacher, and a frog who wants a smooch

Raising Awareness

More than 10,000 people have already seen a production of “Fidgety Fairy Tales” since it first premiered in 2008.

Our St. Paul, MN-based productions have done more than 70 performances throughout Minnesota and toured to Washington, DC.  Find out how to book a performance.

Other organizations have produced their own version of “Fidgety Fairy Tales” in northeast Minnesota and Guam.  Find out how to order the script.

We have performed for:

• elementary and middle schools
• churches
• community centers
• libraries
• malls
• hospitals
• early childhood family nights
• art festivals
• special olympics events
• children’s museums

We have performed at conferences for professionals:

• National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
• National Conference on Advancing School Mental Health
• Minnesota School Social Workers Fall Conference
• Education Minnesota
• Guardian ad Litem Conference
• Minnesota Social Services Conference
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Practical Review for Primary Care Providers and Mental Health Professionals
• twice at MACMH’s annual conference for professionals and parents

Fidgety in the News

Psychiatric News – “Kids Learn What Can Follow `Once Upon a Time…’”

Minneapolis Star Tribune – “A New Take on Fairy Tales”

Insight – Lee Valsvik’s radio interview with director Matt Jenson and actor Jared Smith

A blend of education and artistry

Fidgety productions provide accurate and accessible information about mental health.  Scripts have been reviewed by mental health professionals.  Fidgety has been recognized nationally by SAMHSA’s Resource Center to Promote Acceptance, Dignity, and Social Inclusion Associated with Mental Health (ADS Center).

Fidgety has also been recognized as a program of high artistic quality through grants from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and the St. Paul Cultural STAR Program.

Matt Jenson – Playwright/Co-Director In addition to being the Director of Arts Programming at MACMH, Matt is also a Teaching Artist at the Childen’s Theatre Company and a faculty member of the University of Minnesota Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.  Identified as one of the “100 People to Watch” by Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine, his work has been supported by the McKnight Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board, and the Jerome Foundation.

Marya Hart – Composer/Lyricist/Co-Director Marya Hart is a composer, pianist and music director, specializing in vocal and theatrical music.  After many years in blues, jazz and western swing bands and extensive work as a theatre music director and pianist, she began serious composition in 2005 and has since created eight major music theatre pieces in addition to incidental music, religious and secular songs, and a continuous stream of music for students at Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis, where she is a teaching artist.

Z Puppets Rosenschnoz – Puppets and Sets Z Puppets Rosenschnoz delight children and their adults with feats of imagination through puppetry, physical comedy, and live music. Based in Minneapolis, their family-friendly comedies have earned national recognition, including the Jim Henson Foundation, Puppeteers of America, and an IVEY award.

For more information about attending a performance, booking a show, or producing your own version of “Fidgety Fairy Tales,” please contact Matt Jenson at mjenson@macmh.org or 651-644-7333.

All photos by V. Paul Virtucio