reserve now email boxoffice@longwharf.org

Go back in time to a more chivalrous era at Long Wharf Theatre's 6th Annual Discovery Day, a fun family open house event taking place December 15 from 9 am to noon.

The title of this year's event is "Quest for Long Wharf Castle: A Day of Myth, Magic, and Monsters." Admission to the event is pay what you can. All donations from this event will go towards funding a family friendly Spring production entirely adapted, produced, designed, and built by the Next Stage residents, early career professionals training in specific fields of theatre.

Discovery Day has become a much beloved event for parents and staff alike over the course of its five year history. This year, kids ages three and up will have the opportunity to go on a quest. Led by a group of noble knights, kids will create their own stained glass windows, horses and unicorns, build their own armor and learn fierce battle cries, leading up to an interactive theatrical adventure.

"We look forward to this event every year and this year's theme we think will be particularly cool. There is something inherently theatrical and magical about medieval times. The swashbuckling adventures, the flowery words, the noble ideals create a great backdrop for all kinds of fun. This time period is a great one for our young theatre professionals to craft a world for kids to play in and enjoy," said Annie DiMartino, director of education and administrator of the Next Stage program.

Over the course of the day, through the various activities, kids will get a glimpse into the inner workings props, costumes and scene shops, and take a fun acting workshop with a member of the Long Wharf Theatre artistic team. "Ideally, we'd like to use this opportunity to introduce theatre to kids who would not otherwise be able to explore on their own," said Elizabeth Nearing, an artistic resident from Virginia. At the end of the day, they put all of their skills and knowledge together to contribute to our final performance," Nearing said. "We need everyone to work with each other to make everything work."

Long Wharf Theatre's 2011-12 Next Stage class is comprised of Elizabeth Nearing (Artistic), Sarah Chanis (Company Management), Britta McCaffrey (Scenery), Brittany Elias (Props), Sera Bourgeau (Costumes), Jake Adams (Electrics), Cynthia Simonoff (Sound) and Michelle Tuite (Stage Management).

For more information about Long Wharf Theatre's Education Department and Discovery Day, call 203-787-4282.