Today, I am sharing some personal bits about hubby and me throughout this post. When I first met my husband his cubicle was filled with action figures from shows such as The Simpsons, The Tick, and Ren and Stimpy – see he is the creative type who can get away with having animated toy figurines donning his workspace. I loved that he had no inhibitions sharing his adoration of animation. As I perused his toy collection, I remember seeing his CD collection of Schoolhouse Rock. “Are you serious?!,” I said maybe too excitedly, “I love Schoolhouse Rock!”
Schoolhouse Rock is one of those warm fuzzies from childhood. What’s funny is that I never looked at the animation shorts as educational, strictly entertainment…but, they actually taught me something. The catchy tunes such as Conjunction Junction or I’m Just a Bill still play in my head at times. If you are a little young to remember Schoolhouse Rock coming on during Saturday morning cartoons, I linked off on the song names – watch the videos and share them with your children. Educators use Schoolhouse Rock to help introduce a new lesson and get students interested (those catchy tunes!) in what’s on the learning agenda. A favorite student teacher moment of mine was observing students sing The Preamble song to help them answer a test question. Schoolhouse Rock rocks.
Well, imagine my surprise and glee when I found out CATCO is Kids was performing Schoolhouse Rock Live! I immediately 
marked one of the performance dates on my calendar and proceeded to jump for joy. CATCO is Kids is the baby of CATCO and The Phoenix Theater for Children. When I was a youngin’ I took classes from Steven C. Anderson who started Phoenix. I am thrilled that I get to share a little of my past and expose my children to his shows, and hopefully acting classes one day.
Schoolhouse Rock Live! was performed by a group of talented kids whose ages seemed to range from 6 – 16. The show was performed at the Shedd Theater downtown, which is an intimate theater, and was only $5/ticket (be sure to call ahead to reserve tickets). Parking was free directly across the street from the theater. Because it was a kids’ show, it was perfect for kids. The show was only about an hour, a perfect length for my preschooler and first grader, and they sold candy and snacks to help keep hungry kids satisfied. Besides the terrific singing and acting, child actors lined the hallway after the performance for high-fives, pictures, or autographs. My kids thought it was so cool they got to greet the “real” actors and speak with them.
CATCO is Kids offers summer acting camps and their series of shows typically run during fall, winter, and spring. Be sure to check out Boats, which is a maritime adventure for kids being brought to Columbus from Australia’s Terrapin Puppet Theater and the Wexner Center for the Arts. Should be fabulous – better get tickets! More information here: BOATS.
Get to a show!
CATCO is Kids
77 South High Street, Second Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Box Office: 469.0939
