EQT Bridge Theater Series + ticket giveaways

My kids have edged past the toddler stage (yay!) and are starting to look for kid friendly shows that are still entertaining and fun, but don't feel geared towards younger kids. So our family is very excited about the EQT Bridge Theater Series this year! The EQT Bridge Theater Series tells extremely interesting stories, but teaches some cultural and historical themes as well. 

The EQT Bridge Theater Series is for children ages 7+ and their families. These shows will amaze, excite, and leave you wondering. Get ready for theater that moves, shakes, and shatters expectations! Shows take place in Downtown Pittsburgh’s Cultural District in the Byham Theater, Trust Arts Education Center, and one mystery location. The Bridge Theater Series will continue and expand upon the tradition that families begin when their children attend Children’s Theater Series shows at an early age.

Another great aspect of this series is that most shows are under an hour and tickets start at just $12!
Be sure you have your settings to our facebook page set to follow as we'll be giving away tickets for each show!

2018-2019 Season

Androcles and The Lion

Fri, Nov 2 - Sat, Nov 10, 2018

Trust Arts Education Center

A suspenseful tale as old as time itself. Even if you know the story, this version is a new experience that is told as the audience reclines in hammocks under a radiant sky. Androcles is a slave who must escape after being accused of theft. He flees to into the burning sun of the Libyan desert. So many creatures and sounds live in the desert. And in the middle of the pitch-dark night, a roar sounds so loudly that Androcles’ heart freezes. Experience this tale of danger, deception and kindness in this unexpected and immersive story.

Moon Shot

Fri, Jan 18 - Sat, Jan 19, 2019

Byham Theater

Biggest Story, Smallest Stage. To recreate the story of America’s Apollo 11 lunar landing, seven actors squeeze onto a 21-square feet stage nearly as tight as NASA’s original Mercury capsules. Using only their bodies and their voices, this astounding play brings to life one of the most daring times in the history of human exploration: the Space Race. From the Cold War to Sputnik, from Yuri Gagarin to Neil Armstrong, this action-packed show brings the company’s tongue-in-cheek humor to a whole new atmosphere—one where the rules of gravity no longer apply.

Leo

Fri, Mar 29 - Sat, Mar 30, 2019

Byham Theater

What would happen if the law of gravity were to suddenly change?
LEO is a mind-bending, funny, surreal, and surprisingly touching theater work that challenges the senses and tests perceptions of reality through the clever interplay of live performance and high tech video projection.
Universally appealing to adults and children, LEO leaves audience members wondering which way is up and which way is down.

Murikamification

Sat, May 18, 2019

Step into the daydream that unfolds before your eyes. Using the magical, surrealistic stories of Haruki Murakami as a source of inspiration, Kaiel creates an intensely physical and absurd performance trail. In each new city, the work is adapted to the local context. In each version of ‘Murikamification’, a diverse and curious audience is overwhelmed by surprising scenery in the streets of their own city. Follow the action on this moving theater piece throughout Pittsburgh’s own Cultural District.

Mark your calendars, purchase tickets + share with your friends! These shows are going to be fantastic fun! Go here to purchase tickets. 

Children’s Theater Membership benefits, including exclusive meet-and-greets with performers and priority seating, begin at the $100 Partners Membership level. You and your family can play a role in bringing outstanding children’s programming to Pittsburgh. Join today.

This post sponsored in partnership with Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. I may have received tickets or compensation in exchange for promotion. I don't promote venues that my family doesn't love! 

Photos courtesy of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

Our summer travel adventures

I've been quiet on the blog this summer because...kids. :) They are now 9, 7, 6 & 5 which is still a very full time job! 

Summer. It's an awesome thing. It's a frightening thing. My kids don't do great with extended periods of time without a consistent routine. So summer can be a challenge at times. This summer I started a new experiment.....travel! Although most of the time I lament that our extended families all live far away, the one advantage is that travel to see them gives us some new adventures + a free place to stay! So this summer's agenda became visits to family in 4 states:

North Carolina

New York

Minnesota

Colorado

The first two states were individual trips, the second two states were put together in a 55 hour road trip! Our saving grace? Kid's podcasts! (More on that later.)

First stop was The Outer Banks in North Carolina. 9 cousins + surf + sand = win win!

Our next trip was to NYC. We had a very special reason for our trip there! As you can see, two of our children joined our family through adoption. But we have worked hard to maintain personal connection with their first family and so it was a joy to travel there and spend some time with some of them, including their sister.

Governor's Island was an awesome find! It's a $3 ferry ride (free for kids) to a car-free island with playgrounds, slides, a 30-park hammock, food vendors + a great view of the Statue of Liberty.

Maintaining connection with their first family is a whole blog in itself, but it is a beautiful gift to see these siblings spend time together!

Next it was off to Minnesota! I grew up in Minneapolis and my siblings all still live there. My kids had a great time with all their aunts & uncles. Also, travel tip....scooters are great! They fold compactly, but are great for saving little legs on treks. 

One more 15 hour car ride and we arrived in Denver, where my parents now live. The beauty of the mountains is so spectacular!

We did tons of biking and hiking in Colorado....it was the best!

My husband was able to fly out and join us in Denver, just in time for the 25 hour ride home. :) Which we stretched out into a 5 day drive to make it less difficult.

Riding the street car in Kansas City, you never know what creatures you'll run into!

Our next stop was St. Louis which had lots of fun options. I think if we do this drive again, we would definitely stay longer in this city. The City Museum was highly recommended!

Our final destination on the way home was the Ark Encounter. It's a life-sized ark according to the Biblical record and wow, it was big! They also have a small zoo outside, restaurants, zip line tour + more. Tickets are a lot for adults ($48!), kids are more reasonable at $15. But overall, it was an interesting experience!

 So, a 55 hour car trip....how does everyone keep their sanity? 😉 That is the question! We definitely had our moments of insanity. The biggest difference in our travels now is simply that our kids are getting easier in travel as they get older.
We try not to rely on screen time, but we did get a kindle for each of our kids in traveling. The thing I love about kindles is that you can do a variety of activities on them - movies, music, books & podcasts. So we would rotate activities on them. Our kids really fell in love with podcast listening this summer - and actually learned some cool stuff! Their favorite podcasts are:

Brains On

Wow in the World

Smash Boom Best 

Story Pirates

Storynory

Short & Curly

Fierce Girls

Stories Podcast

Chompers

Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian

This Podcast Has Fleas

Highlights Hangouts 

Eleanor Amplified 

Travel is one of my favorite things to do with kids. I know that my travels throughout high school and college really helped expand my world view and I want my kids to experience the same. We don't have unlimited funds and often look for free things to do in the places we visit. We try to pack a lot of our food or stop at grocery stores. We're definitely always looking for ways to cut costs and save money. The more we are able to do this, the more places we'll be able to travel. Everyone had their own rolling suitcase which they were able to manage on their own. The nice thing about summer travel is that summer clothes don't take up as much space as bulky winter items!

So, till next summer, when I hope we'll be able to experience more travel adventures!

Kennywood Adventures + Discount

We've hit a big milestone in our family.....that's right, our kids are out growing Kiddieland! 😅 I love that my kids are getting older and bigger and ready for new adventures. So this year, Kennywood was a different experience as we didn't even enter the kids area. It's a little bit tricky, because they're not all tall enough or ready for some of the big rides, but we found a balance with the "medium-sized" ones. :) 

As my kids get older and into faster rides, I'm also getting older and into much slower rides. 😰 This was my one and only time on this one. 😂

 Um, no thank you. But this ride does provide the best photos!!

 My kids loved, loved this ride!!

This is a classic!

The brand new Thomas the Train exhibit wasn't open for us, but I'm hearing it's going to be great! (Opening at the end of July.) We've got a discount on tickets for anyone that is looking for a family fun day this summer. Go here to purchase!

My family received tickets in exchange for a review. All opinions remain my own as I don't promote venues that my family doesn't love!

Countdown to Summer Fun!

If you have school-age kids, no doubt you have been counting down the days till summer break! In our household, we're down to single digits which is both exciting and terrifying. :) It will be awesome to have a break from the early morning routine of school, but at the same time...so many hours to fill! 😌 My kids love school and so I am probably more excited than they are at the break from school routine for a few months. But with four kids ages 5-9, I also know it's important to keep routine to our summer as well.  Summer is a great time to schedule less, hang out more and enjoy fun activities together. I am excited to use pghsummer18.org as a resource for our family this summer. We chose not to do many summer camps and will be traveling a bit throughout the summer, so this website is going to be the perfect resource for me to find daily activities on our free days.

We say a big thank you to Mayor William Peduto, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, the United Way’ of Allegheny County's Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST) and all the various child-serving organizations who are teaming up for Summer18 Dream! Explore! Do! The youth-centered campaign will provide thousands of local children, grades K-12, with fun, educational learning activities. 

I love that summer is a time to experience new activities, check out new (or new to us) venues, and most of all, have all the art projects done outside my home! (#amiright? 😅)

What is on your summer bucket list? Ours includes:

• Activities from the PghSummer18 Calendar
• The roving art cart
• Free movies in the park 
• Free indoor movies 
• Hiking at Fall Run Park 
• Free Super Summer Sports Camp
• Swimming at Raccoon Creek Beach
• Checking out new (to us) parks
• + much more! 

{Don't forget that kids under 15 can swim for free at Pittsburgh city pools when you register for a Recreation Center Membership pass.}

So here is to many happy summer memories! I hope you and your family have a great summer and find fun, unique and creative ways to enjoy our great city! Don't forget to stay updated with the PghSummer18 calendar for great ways to engage with your kids.

This post sponsored by the Summer 18 campaign. All opinions remain my own as I do not endorse venues that my family does not love!

#PGHSummer18

EQT Children's Theater Festival Ticket Giveaway

Happy May! We are so excited it's May because we *think* it has to warm up eventually. 😃 Besides the prospect of sunshine, my second favorite reason for excitement in May is the EQT Children's Theater Festival. We have loved going to this Festival each year as a family. There are always unique shows that come from around the world and we love seeing our kids enjoy these interesting options. This year there are 6 sensational performances with a Sensory-Friendly performance of The Rainbow Fish as well. 

• Who and What: The Cultural Trust presents the 32nd annual EQT Children's Theater Festival which continues to bring the best international theater for children of all ages to Pittsburgh.
• When: May 17-20, 2018 | Thursday, 10am-2pm, Friday- Sunday 10am-5pm
• Where: Downtown Pittsburgh's Cultural District

Here is a list of some of the great shows in this year's line up. Tickets are only $9 and kids 2 and under are free (a lap pass is still required). 

Featured Event!

Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience

Terrance Simien

In Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience, audiences will take a multicultural tour of the world and will feel the spirit and joy of Creole country.

Featured Event!

Panda's Home

Compagnia TPO

In this imaginary and interactive journey, audience members will explore China’s stories, tradition, and culture, following the footprints left by a panda. They’ll encounter bamboo forests, fireworks, kites, and more.

Featured Event!

The Rainbow Fish

Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia

The Rainbow Fish will enchant even the youngest child with his silver scales and heart of gold in this award-winning book about the beautiful fish who learned to share his most prized possession.

Featured Event!

Poggle

Barrowland Ballet

This warm-hearted performance uses live music, clapping rhythms, and comedy to engage the youngest audience members in an imaginative and adventurous exploration with Poggle, a friendly woodland creature.

Featured Event!

The Young King

Slingsby

The language of Oscar Wilde joins internationally-acclaimed theatre company Slingsby as we journey to faraway lands in this interactive experience.

Featured Event!

Zebras

Born In A Taxi

From Born in a Taxi in Australia comes a dazzle of rare chatty zebras sure to delight and amuse children and families of all ages!

Featured Event!

Sunjata Kamalenya

Experiential Theater Company

Sunjata Kamalenya is a completely interactive show about a magical world filled with sorcery and enchantment, celebrating the hero of West African legend, Sunjata Keita.

Besides the shows, there will be a ton of FREE activities for kids to enjoy! Imagination Playground, Free Mini Music Lessons, Play Boxes, Sticker Hut, Improv Workshops, Musical Entertainment, Eyeball Art, Hands-On History, Photo Booth Fun, Frog Stop Scavenger Hunt + so much more! 

Be sure the check the Children's Theater Festival website for all the info regarding Parking, Transportation, Food Options, Festival Guides, Restrooms, FAQ's + more. 

GIVEAWAY

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We are excited to giveaway a family 4-pack of tickets to one show to one lucky family! 

(The vouchers are not redeemable for The Rainbow Fish or The Young King.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post sponsored by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. All opinions remain my own and I don't endorse venues that my family doesn't love!