KIDS + FAMILIES

In the latest Kids On Stage production, Sherlock Holmes must face not only his nemesis Professor Moriarty but also an invasion of giant rodents! Sixteen Houston-area children ages 12 - 18, currently the students of Main Street Theater’s Kids On Stage Rehearsal and Performance By Audition class, present Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars, adapted by Thomas W. Olsen from the stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

The play will be performed Friday and Saturday, May 7 and 8, at 7:30pm; and Sunday, May 9, at 3:30pm. Performances are at Main Street Theater – Chelsea Market, located at 4617 Montrose Boulevard. For tickets, call 713-524-6706 or log on to mainstreettheater.com. All tickets are $5.00.

About the Play
Any fan of the world's greatest detective would love to get hold of the story of the Giant Rat of Sumatra …and that's only the beginning of this thriller! A derelict ship docks in London, its hold full of strange cargo and the only survivor on board raving with madness. The royal family faces scandal, and the Queen's niece, Princess Victoria, is kidnapped. The game is afoot for Sherlock Holmes, but before he can get far, a mysterious attack leaves him at the point of death. Fortunately Watson and the Baker Street Irregulars, a gang of scruffy urchins Holmes enlisted as spies, are ready to take over. Can they stop a madman from blowing up London?

About The Production
The cast is comprised of sixteen children from the Houston area and is as follows: Jazmine Blas, Ron Calzolari, Bailey Ethier, Margaret Glaser, Alyssa Hauser, Georgia Hutto-Friman, Emily Hwu, Marielle Issa, Jack Porter, Maggie Shackelford, Sutter Sharp, Gabrielle Shinholster, Logan Shoemaker, Alexandra Szeto-Joe, Chris Szeto-Joe, Catherine Tharp.

Professional artists direct and design all Kids On Stage R&P productions. Amelia Rico is the director. Macy Perrone designs costumes, and Art Ornelas is the set and properties designer.

About Kids On Stage
Kids On Stage (KOS), now in its 21st season, has been designed to spark a lifelong appreciation of theater by encouraging young people to participate in all aspects of play production, from movement and monologues to stagecraft and theater history. The curriculum teaches essential skills such as creative thinking, teamwork, self-confidence, and communication—skills that enhance the overall learning process. Through year-round classes, outreach programs, and camps both on-site and at satellite locations, students develop their voices, bodies, and imaginations in a challenging and fun curriculum, taught by professional artists and arts educators. 

Main Street Theater’s KOS program offers a wide range of classes for students of all skill levels, including individual audition coaching sessions, movement and dance classes, comedy improv classes, high school workshops, and a Summer Performing Arts Camp throughout the summer. The KOS Rehearsal and Performance system includes classes for students at two levels: those who are ready to audition for plays for the public and those who want to hone their skills by producing a play in a “lab” context for family and friends. The current Spring R&P Lab class will perform Briar Rose: the Tale of Sleeping Beauty. Classes range from $160 - $500; camp ranges from $260 - $520. For more information or to register for classes and camps, please call 713-524-9196 x 104 or log on to mainstreettheater.com.

Troy Scheid is Director of Education. Jonathan Gonzalez is Assistant Director of Kids On Stage.

Since 1975, Main Street Theater has produced high quality professional theater for audiences of all ages through its MainStage productions and Main Street Youth Theater. The Main Street Theater Kids On Stage program offers performing arts classes and camps for children 5 years to 19 years of age. The organization produces plays at two locations, 2540 Times Boulevard in Rice Village and 4617 Montrose Boulevard at Chelsea Market.

Main Street Theater is a member of the Fresh Arts Coalition, a collaboration of 25 arts organizations that work collectively to raise awareness of the size and diversity of the arts in Houston, and a constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization for not-for-profit theaters. Main Street Theater offers a lively year-round repertory of classic and contemporary plays for audiences of all ages and provides a much-needed showcase for Houston theater professionals. Main Street Theater is also a member of Actors’ Equity Association and of ASSITEJ, the world theatre network of theatre for children and young people. Main Street Theater is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston, the Houston Arts Alliance, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Pictured above:  L-R are Holmes (Ron Calzolari) and Watson (Chris Szeto-Joe). photo by www.RicOrnelProductions.com.