Family Friendly Events at Paradise Center for the Arts

August 13 at 7:00pm, August 14 2pm *ASL, August 14 7pm.

Adult $10, Student $5

Directed by Rachel Haider

Based on the original Broadway production that ran for over thirteen years and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, and the Academy Award-winning motion picture, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. is a fantastic adaptation of the story of transformation and tolerance. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. features some of the most popular songs ever written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice.

The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Thursday, August 26, 6:30 pm in Central Park with collaboration with the City of Faribault. Mixed Precipitation is a performance company exploring text, space, and form with festive theatrical events that inspire social engagement. This event is free to the public.

The Paradise Center for the Arts and the City of Faribault are bringing a new kind of entertainment to the Central Park Bandshell on Thursday August 26, at 6:30 pm.  Mixed Precipitation presents “Volume One:  The Odyssey.” This adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey uses selections from a 1639 opera and Dolly Parton and is told with the spirit of a country carnival, on the back of a pickup truck.  

The event is FREE to the public and is made possible by grants from the Faribault Foundation and program sponsor, Crossroads Professionals.

The production features the journey of Ulysses and his crew returning from ten years of war.  They encounter monsters, vengeful gods, sirens, and a cyclops in a colorful carnival fashion.  His wife Penelope contends with intruders in her home while holding out hope for Ulysses’ return.  Their son Telemaco faces the future:  inheriting a world recovering from war, families coping with long separation, and hopeful reconciliation.

The ensemble includes soprano Momoko Tanno, and actor Rodolfo Nieto.  The cast also features a trio of performers and instrumentalists on banjo, cello, fiddle, and pump organ anchored by artists Joni Griffith and Jason Kornelis.

Leading the creation of this project is music director and composer Gary Ruschman and staging director Jac Miller.  Rhiannon Fiskradatz is creating the puppets and costumes, and Duane Tougas is developing the sets and props for the mobile stage.

Please call The Paradise Center for the Arts at 507-332-7372 with any questions.