Over March Break I went to see the wonderful Windmill Performing Arts production of AFTERNOON OF THE ELVES at Seattle Children's Theatre. My youngest daughter had just finished studying this book in school, so she was very excited to see it on stage.

The Seattle Children's Theatre has a stellar reputation, and is considered to be one of the top children's theatres in America. It is a beautiful, bright, colorful, open and very large building with two spaces (we were in the larger Main Space).

The building is located in the Seattle Centre, the grounds of the 1962 World's Fair, that also houses the Pacific Science Center, Science Fiction Museum, the Experience Music Project (more on that in another post!) and the Space Needle.

The two season sponsors of Seattle Children's Theatre (SCT) are Microsoft and Boeing, so that's got to come in handy! There is a "Quiet Room" at the back of the theatre where you can take your child if he/she starts crying or acting up. It's a soundproof, comfortable room where you can still see the stage, and the sound from the show is piped in. What a great idea!

AFTERNOON OF THE ELVES was based on the book by Janet Taylor Lisle, Adapted by Y York and directed by Linda Hartzell. All the cast members, (except for Jennifer Lee Taylor, who plays Sara Kate Connolly) are Australian and were headed home the very next day!

The set was designed in Australia and at the end of the show, the cast did a Q&A and pointed out the telltale features of the Australian backyard set. The sets were beautiful (and quite lavish for children's theatre, in my experience!) and revolved to transition smoothly from backyard to backyard to kitchen. The elf "village" was utterly charming, and the little huts really gave the impression they really were "found" structures.

From the Artistic Director's note:

Playwright Y York has managed to capture the essence of wonder and delight so often found in childhood. Even when this enchanting tale shows us the pain and fear some children live with day to day, we are reminded of the hope and resilience inherent in so many kids. It is a tragedy that many of the world's children are forced to learn to survive, taking each day as it comes, instead of being nurtured and allowed to take their time learning and growing into adulthood. Childhood should be full of friends playing and laughing together, discovering an elf village in the backyard.

It was beautifully acted and produced. My daughters loved it and so did I. Bravo SCT!

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