Back in the days when I was a full-time professional bass player, one of the many occupational hazards I faced was playing what we called “kiddie concerts.”
The vast majority of “kiddie concerts” I played were, in my view, ineffective. Despite the best of intentions, what should have been a "show" became a "class." The kids were often bored (the orchestra more so), and I just couldn’t see how training kids to think of orchestra concerts as dull was really good for my professional future.
Anyway, long story short, I was complaining to someone one day about a particularly gruesome kiddie concert, and she challenged me to write one myself. Long story short, I created nine such programs, and two of them have taken off. They are titled “Peter VS. the Wolf” and “The Phantom of the Orchestra.” (You can read the full scripts on these links.)
I am proud to say that "Peter VS. the Wolf" is listed in the Wikipedia “Peter AND the Wolf” page, along with the arrangements by Alan Sherman, Peter Schickele, and weird Al Yankovic. Pretty fast company, I dare say!
Most of the orchestras who do these shows are those who do not have a guaranteed audience, and must deliver enough promise of fun and entertainment to sway individual ticket buyers (i.e., parents) to attend.
The shows are designed to be done on the shoestring budgets that most orchestras have for their family concerts. They are offered as "produce them yourself" packages, requiring 4-5 actors (1-2 of which are kids), and require minimal sets if any (benches, chairs, tables, etc). Of course, some orchestras, mostly those in Europe and South America, have "done them up big."
I have lost track of all the many orchestras that have performed these pieces over the years. The shows have been done on four continents and two island nations, in six languages. The Punta Gorda Philharmic does “Peter VS. the Wolf” every autumn, and I am rather excited that the State Theatres of Nuremberg and Dortmund are doing it this coming season as well.
“Phantom of the Orchestra” has also traveled the world. Here’s a picture from an annual production in Poland . . .
and a production of it at the Theatro Municipal in Río de Janeiro:
“Peter Vs the Wolf” was even done in the Manaus Opera House in the middle of the Amazon basin!
These programs are my pride and joy, they are fun for both the musicians and the audience, and I occasionally get a free trip to a wonderfully exotic locale to go see them produced.
To rent them, or just ask a question, please email or call. I rent them directly for the most part, however, in Europe, due to copyright issues, PVTW rents thru Sikorski Music Library.
