Children’s Theatre of Charlotte’s Tarradiddle Players Present “New Kid”  

Children’s Theatre of Charlotte’s Tarradiddle Players explore what it is like to adjust to life in a strange new country in “New Kid” (October 23-31). Both funny and poignant, this socially relevant story deals with issues of bullying, cultural assimilation, and overcoming preconceptions. Anyone who has ever felt a little lonely or out of place, or who has wondered how to treat someone who looks or sounds different will identify with this production.  

“New Kid” tells the story of Nick, a young boy from the fictitious country of Homeland, who moves to America with his parents to start a new life. He misses the friends he has left behind, and is confused by the new ways of speaking, dressing, eating, and behaving that he encounters in America . Nick, his mother, and the American students that Nick meets must learn how to communicate, share their customs, and make new friends.  

Playwright Dennis Foon wrote the script so that the American characters speak in gibberish, while the Nick and his mother speak in English. This unique theatrical device allows audiences to experience the frustration and uncertainty of being unable to communicate in a new world. “New Kid” evolved from a workshop Foon conducted with students at a Vancouver, Canada school who came from many different countries and language groups.  

“Because the audience identifies with the immigrant characters, we spend the performance in the shoes of a new arrival to this country,” says Director Matt Cosper. “This production is a rare chance for people to consider the perspective of a stranger in a strange land, just trying to fit in."  

“New Kid” stars the 2009-2010 Tarradiddle Players company: Salvador Garcia, Leslie Ann Giles, Darlene Parker and Stephen Seay. Fittingly, the newest member of the company, Salvador Garcia, will be playing the role of Nick.  

Performance times and dates are as follows:  

Friday, October 23                          7:30 pm

Saturday, October 24                      1:00 pm

Sunday. October 25                        2:00 pm

Saturday, October 31                      1:00 pm  

Performances will be held in the Wachovia Playhouse at ImaginOn, 300 East 7^th Street .  Front Orchestra tickets are $18.00; General Admission tickets are $14.00. For tickets to the production, call the Children’s Theatre Box Office at 704-973-2828 (10 am-5 pm, Mon.-Fri.) or visit our website: www.ctcharlotte.org.  Recommended for ages 7+/ Grades 2+  

Children’s Theatre of Charlotte is supported, in part, with an Operating Grant from the Arts & Science Council, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Inc. and the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Cultural Resources, and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.
US Airways: the 2009-10 Official Airline of Children’s Theatre of Charlotte

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