With its new production of "Around the World in 80 Days," Center Stage is launching on an odyssey as daring and fraught with peril as the one undertaken by Jules Verne's fictitious explorer, Phileas Fogg.
For the first time in the venue's 46-year history, the organization is trying to capture that most maddeningly elusive of creatures - young theatergoers. And the troupe is scooping them up one Mud Pie Mojo ice cream cup at a time.
"Never before in recent memory has Center Stage marketed a show to families and children," says David Henderson, the troupe's communications director. "We staged 'Peter Pan' in 2002, but that production was conceived of as the dark, grown-up version of J.M. Barrie's story. This is new for us. We're figuring it out as we go along."
So an ice cream bar operated by Cold Stone Creamery will be set up in the Center Stage lobby. Kids will be given crayons to color a place mat inserted into the program that features a treasure hunt. In addition, families can buy tickets at a discount.
Still, Center Stage officials are aware that the production is a gamble, especially since Baltimore's recent history of supporting family-friendly productions is mixed:
Last season, for example, the seven-play subscription series at the Hippodrome Theatre included two touring Broadway shows specifically aimed at kids - "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." Customers complained, so this year, there are none.
Theatre Project had a big hit during the 2007 holiday season when it mounted a British-style pantomime version of "Puss 'N' Boots." Shows sold out. Would-be audience members were turned away. Last year, Theatre Project brought back the same production with the identical cast - and lost so much money that company officials scrambled to pay their bills.
"The low attendance wasn't about people not having the desire to see the work," says Anne Cantler Fulwiler, Theatre Project's executive director. "I think it was because we opened at the height of the recession. Parents had to choose between spending $75 on a toy their kids could play with for a long time, or taking them to see a show."
But not all the stories are dire. The Lyric Opera House decided two years ago to load its season with family-friendly shows - and has thrived.
"We've aggressively gone after children's programming, and so far we've been fortunate," says Sandy Richmond, the Lyric's executive director. 'The Wizard of Oz' was just here in November, and did very well."
