Bob Brown Puppets and the Maryland Youth Ballet at Wolf Trap's Theatre in the Woods

Today, the Little People and I headed out to Wolf Trap's Theatre in the Woods. We go here every year, and every year when I get there I am reminded that I totally love this place, as do the Little People. Today, Bob Brown Puppets and the Maryland Youth Ballet performed. Originally, I didn't figure I'd get my crew out the door in time to see the ballet, but I'm so glad we made almost the whole performance (we were a tad late). Helen has talked about dance, and she was very intrigued by the performance. Inspired, maybe? Connor was interested as well, though he did not express an interest in becoming a ballet dancer. Now they can add "ballet" to the types of performances they've seen this year which also include a children's opera written by Nancy Faber, a major Broadway show performed at the Kennedy Center, and our usual mix of children's theatre. It's been a busy year, and it's barely over halfway over!

I'd been reluctant to go to performances earlier in the year because of the heat, but I shouldn't have been. Despite the fact that it is a LOOOONG walk from the parking lot to the theatre (made longer for me by the fact that I kindly took them in the double stroller, rather than making at least one of them hike it on their own), the theatre is actually set in a bit of a hollow, and it's entirely shaded. Although, I have to admit that at least one person at the show didn't think the walk was that long, so don't let my recollection dissuade you. Connor, Helen, and I were the only ones wearing our ridiculous sun hats, and Connor and I took ours off pretty quickly. Helen, who never wants to wear hers, refused to take hers off. Will someone please explain what's up with that?

The theatre is open seating, and it's entirely outside, making for a beautiful setting. Unless it's raining. But they cancel shows when that happens. And after the performances, the performers actually take audience questions, which is a real treat! It's so nice when performers take an interest in making their craft more accessible!

Between performances, you can either hang out in the theatre, or head outside the theatre for a snack. My crew chose the latter. And lucky for us, we were joined by fellow blogger Jean and two of her three children. Connor instantly decided that her oldest child should be his friend (which he seemed willing to do, if only for the promise of a slice of watermelon we'd brought with us), and asked me if we could have a play date with him! Then the boys participated in some sort of tree inspired ritual. No sticks were put through Quinn's chest (the little guy on the ground), as far as I know. And if they were, he didn't complain about it.

The second show was Bob Brown's puppets, and rather than telling you how awesome both Helen and Connor thought they were, I think I'll just mention that we stayed around for a while and enjoyed a picnic lunch. About the time we were preparing to pack up, Bob Brown had finished cleaning up and was heading away from the theatre. Both Connor and Helen recognized him immediately and shouted while pointing directly at him "THERE'S BOB BROWN!", the same way teens do after a rock concert. I hope he knows how happy he made them. He smiled, waved, and answered a couple more questions for them, including the burning question on Connor's mind "where can we purchase dinosaur puppets?". Only, he said we'd see a stand on the way to our car, which we didn't see, so either we missed it because we took so long leaving (quite possible), or my car was parked in the wrong space (perhaps explaining my long walk?). Either of these is completely plausible, and I'm adding marionette to Connor's bday list because he patiently explained to me that he needed a puppet. A dinosaur puppet. With strings. Please?

At the conclusion of the show, Bob Brown not only answered several audience questions, but he also allowed kids to come up to the stage and touch one of his puppets, a true treat.

This summer theatre is a true DC area gem. If you haven't already gotten tickets for the remaining performances, I highly recommend doing so. In fact, we might just go attend more ourselves!

Full Disclosure: As a writer for the now defunct DCMetroMoms, I received free tickets to this show today. I was not obligated to write about the show or Theatre in the Woods. Many thanks to the kind folks at Theatre in the Woods who gave me these tickets. We had a ball!