Two Marys, Five Jacks, and One Very Big Shoe

by Joey Madia

One male, one female, simple arena staging. 37 minutes. For children 3 to 7.. $ 6.50

What can the children of the Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe do to stay up past bedtime? Why, act out the stories and poems of Mother Goose, under the direction of their brother, Wee Willie Winkie, using finger play, pantomime, sound effects, dance and dialogue. Early childhood teachers have called this clever retelling of the rhymes of Mother Goose "one of the most appropriate and inviting programs we've had the pleasure of seeing in quite some time."

"Two Marys, Five Jacks . . ." gives you an ideal vehicle for meeting the growing demand for preschool programming. Originally geared for 3 to 6 year olds, it has proved to hold the attention of children even younger and, because of its lively comedy and the opportunity to participate, engage 7 and even 8 year olds.

Production notes in the script include guidelines for making a success of participation theatre with the very young, based on a year of touring to this important age group. You need only two performers, and a station wagon for packing props and costumes to travel from library to preschool to early education centers to day camp. But most of all, you need a script of this high quality. As Joey Madia, playwright, observes, "In many cases, this is a child's first experience of live theatre, which makes it our responsibility to give them the best experience possible so they will come back.