Breath-taking. Those are the words that came to mind when we stepped into the open area of Modena’s Storchi Theatre for a family day at the theatre.
This theatre is everything my soul longs for a theatre to be, a frescoed ceiling, gold gilded balconies and lush red velvet curtains. Interestingly enough it was build in the 1800s to be a “popular” theatre for performances that were not appropriate for Modena’s historic City Theatre, the Theatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti. The outside is very simple and it was built with “second best” materials, even if the inside is magnificent.
Italy has so much cultural programming dedicated to kids and families, that it fills me with pride and a desire to get as involved as I can. I want to SUPPORT EVERYTHING I am able to and make a huge effort to mark my calendar with anything that is age appropriate for my son.
In the mid-sized city of Modena, where I live there is a theatre season for teenagers, a theatre season for families with kids and a music season for kids. I can’t wait until my son is in middle school, there is a whole theatre association the, ERT Giovani, dedicated to performances, classes and special events just for teenagers !!
The young kids theatre season is mostly recommended for kids that are 3 years and older, but often there are performances Per Tutti “for everyone”. The ERT, Emilia Romagna Theatre Foundation has a season as part of their youth programming called La Domenica Non Si Va A Scoula “On Sundays There’s No School”. All FOUR performances are only 26 Euro for an adult, if that’s not affordable I don’t know what is!
Last year, I learned that kids in Italy GO SCHOOL ON SATURDAYS!! So I guess that’s why Italians have more sex than everyone else on the planet! Sunday is the family day, with tortellini for lunch and a nice theatre performance in the afternoon, a perfect way to spend the weekend!
The performance we saw was 20 Decibal a “circus” for everyone by the duo El Grito.
The two performers that put on the show were fantastic, with the simplest of props, a lot of creativity, amazing sound, lighting and clowning these two had a theatre of youngsters totally mesmerized.
How to Survive The Theatre with a Toddler!
It can be nerve racking taking a child that (at the time was under two!) can hardly sit still for 10 minutes to the theatre. I specifically booked us one of the balconies so that if he fussed too much we could leave, and so that we would have a better view of the stage. I also brought sugarless chocolate (taken OUT of the WRAPPER before the performance) so that he could suck on it if he got antsy and a pillow for him to sit on.
My plan backfired slightly because the balcony seats have their own door with a light that is always on, that he found pretty distracting. Thankfully the performance was mesmerizing enough that for a good 80% of the time he just watched the show and loved it! He laughed, he gasped when they catapulted the lady against the curtains and she slid down them grabbing onto the fabric, and he danced when they played glass bottles slightly filled with water as musical instruments!
Whenever he squirmed I gave him a piece of chocolate and he sat still for another 10 minutes! All in all he was captivated by the whole experience and we actually got to enjoy an afternoon at the theatre as a family!
I don’t think I would be comfortable taking him to a performance that wasn’t “for everyone”, since it really isn’t fair to the other paying customers if your child is too young to sit still throughout the performance. In this case I felt quite relaxed because there were a lot of young kids, and I think the other patrons were aware of the fact that this was a special day for families to come with children of all ages.
I even ran into a bunch of the street style moms I’ve met while doing the blog!! I saw my friend Dina, and the dad of the nice looking mom from the Library!
What I Wore
I’ve been wanting to try out wearing my midi pleated leather skirt with a tucked in sweater for some time now, so I used this as the perfect occasion. I paired it with a crocheted shoulder shawl that I bought online and high black boots (that you don’t actually see in these pictures!
I love sharing these experiences through this blog. A part of me hopes that out there in internet land I’m encouraging someone who is afraid to have kids because their “life will end” to just go for it! Your life is what you make it, and you can have incredible experiences (even cultural experiences) even with kids!!
Ever taken your young ones to the theatre?