Fifty Free Things to do in Madison with Kids, No. 6: The
Overture Center for the Arts.
They even print a brochure titled Free
& Low Cost Events at Overture Center.
With its big overture “O” in floor (r the ceiling depending
on your level) and curvy walls, the building itself is fun and artistic. Aurora often joins the other children
in running with her hand against the pillared walls.
Yesterday we took advantage of their Kids in the Rotunda series and watched one of the coolest shadow
puppet shows I have ever seen. A
Chinese sorcerer created a shadow so that the emperor could see his absent
wife. An old man, an old lady, a
young girl, a dog, a cat and a mouse successfully extracted a turnip from the
winter soil. A family of ants
saved a grasshopper from perishing in the snow. And thanks to the participation of some audience children, a
traveler did not go hungry, but instead enjoyed a delicious bowl of stone
soup.
The show captivated my daughter. She chanted to help save a couple’s prize pepper plant from
a hungry goat. She sang along with
an irresponsible grasshopper. She
gasped as the sorcerer turned the sky dark with a storm. She laughed and laughed and laughed every
time the farming family fell down in their early attempts to get the turnip.
We dallied on the way out and instead peaked at the artwork
in the galleries. It is hard to
leave a fun place!
