It’s Child’s Play
Actor Brings Family-Friendly Fun To Forbes
Posted: January 10, 2013
Actor Michael Boudewyns is young at heart. That’s why, he asks audiences to draw on their imaginations to transport themselves to another world — and to recapture the whimsy of childhood.
After all, he says, “Everyone was, at one point, a little kid.”
Boudewyns will join James Madison University’s faculty Montpelier Wind Quintet to present “Peter and the Wolf” and “Toy Symphony” at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Jan. 13 at the Forbes Center for Performing Arts on the James Madison University campus.
With an aesthetic inspired by Charlie Chaplin yuk-yuks and pratfalls, the one-man show “Peter and the Wolf” is a “rare treat” in many ways: It’s the first performance with a wind quintet, and the first time a Forbes headliner has branched out to visit local schools while in the area.
Quintet Offers New Sound
Founders of Delaware-based Really Inventive Stuff production company, Boudewyns and partner Sara Valentine create vaudeville-inspired performances for orchestras and ensembles across the U.S. and Canada.
Throughout over 55 presentations of “Peter and the Wolf” with large orchestras and symphonies, the pair have taken the nearly 80-year-old composition “one step further,” says Boudewyns, with a physical narrative.
Traditionally, the roles are played by various instruments: the oboe as duck, the flute as bird, the clarinet as cat.
In this unique, pared-down performance, the Montpelier Wind Quintet will provide the soundtrack to Peter’s adventures as he explores the green meadow beyond his grandfather’s gates.
“Peter’s theme will be shared among the five,” says Boudewyns. “That’s a real rare treat.”
Looking to expand their family-friendly offerings, the Forbes Center chose to welcome Really Inventive Stuff “because it has an appeal to children, as well as adults,” according to Public Relations Coordinator Jen Kulju.
Although it was written for children’s theater, the classic’s music is complex enough for trained ears to appreciate, she says.
Students Benefit
Trunks in tow, Boudewyns and Valentine will visit Harrisonburg City and Rockingham County schools during the two days leading up to the Forbes curtain.
Director of Fine Arts for Rockingham County Public Schools, Kelly Troxell recently met with Forbes Center leaders to discuss professional arts in schools.
She’s grateful for the opportunity for Really Inventive Stuff to kick off a budding partnership between the center and schools. “Many [students] would never get an opportunity to go to the Forbes Center,” she says. “For students to be able … to be a part of a performance put on by the Forbes Center, I think that’s special.”
“We were also interested in Michael Boudewyns because of our mutual interest in engaging youth in the arts,” says Kulju. “Michael’s theatrical performances serve to entertain, as well as to educate.”
Boudewyns plans to perform several children’s storybook classics. He relishes the enchantment of children and adults alike as they watch their favorite tales come to life. “They get to rediscover a great story told in a way they’d never seen before,” he says. When he steps on stage with the signature Buster Keaton-esque flair, “they get that now this is something delightful, entertaining and delicious … purely in service of some great classic storybooks.”
For tickets, visit jmu.edu/JMUarts or call the Forbes Center Box Office at (540) 568-7000.
After all, he says, “Everyone was, at one point, a little kid.”
Boudewyns will join James Madison University’s faculty Montpelier Wind Quintet to present “Peter and the Wolf” and “Toy Symphony” at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Jan. 13 at the Forbes Center for Performing Arts on the James Madison University campus.
With an aesthetic inspired by Charlie Chaplin yuk-yuks and pratfalls, the one-man show “Peter and the Wolf” is a “rare treat” in many ways: It’s the first performance with a wind quintet, and the first time a Forbes headliner has branched out to visit local schools while in the area.
Quintet Offers New Sound
Founders of Delaware-based Really Inventive Stuff production company, Boudewyns and partner Sara Valentine create vaudeville-inspired performances for orchestras and ensembles across the U.S. and Canada.
Throughout over 55 presentations of “Peter and the Wolf” with large orchestras and symphonies, the pair have taken the nearly 80-year-old composition “one step further,” says Boudewyns, with a physical narrative.
Traditionally, the roles are played by various instruments: the oboe as duck, the flute as bird, the clarinet as cat.
In this unique, pared-down performance, the Montpelier Wind Quintet will provide the soundtrack to Peter’s adventures as he explores the green meadow beyond his grandfather’s gates.
“Peter’s theme will be shared among the five,” says Boudewyns. “That’s a real rare treat.”
Looking to expand their family-friendly offerings, the Forbes Center chose to welcome Really Inventive Stuff “because it has an appeal to children, as well as adults,” according to Public Relations Coordinator Jen Kulju.
Although it was written for children’s theater, the classic’s music is complex enough for trained ears to appreciate, she says.
Students Benefit
Trunks in tow, Boudewyns and Valentine will visit Harrisonburg City and Rockingham County schools during the two days leading up to the Forbes curtain.
Director of Fine Arts for Rockingham County Public Schools, Kelly Troxell recently met with Forbes Center leaders to discuss professional arts in schools.
She’s grateful for the opportunity for Really Inventive Stuff to kick off a budding partnership between the center and schools. “Many [students] would never get an opportunity to go to the Forbes Center,” she says. “For students to be able … to be a part of a performance put on by the Forbes Center, I think that’s special.”
“We were also interested in Michael Boudewyns because of our mutual interest in engaging youth in the arts,” says Kulju. “Michael’s theatrical performances serve to entertain, as well as to educate.”
Boudewyns plans to perform several children’s storybook classics. He relishes the enchantment of children and adults alike as they watch their favorite tales come to life. “They get to rediscover a great story told in a way they’d never seen before,” he says. When he steps on stage with the signature Buster Keaton-esque flair, “they get that now this is something delightful, entertaining and delicious … purely in service of some great classic storybooks.”
For tickets, visit jmu.edu/JMUarts or call the Forbes Center Box Office at (540) 568-7000.
Contact Samantha Cole at 574-6274 or scole@dnronline.com.