CORRECTION: The characters mentioned by Barrett are named Maroo and Swaroo, not Maroo and Flaroo.
The Ditty Bops aplenty? Check. Shadow puppets galore? Check. Magical storm drains, talking sharks and floating subterranean garbage islands? Triple check. There can only be one reasonable explanation for such a comprehensive shopping list of fantastic and playful imagination: children’s theater.
Children’s theater done by the Geffen Playhouse, to be exact.
Indie musical duo, the Ditty Bops, will perform “Storm Drain to Paradise” at the Geffen Playhouse on Saturday. As a part of the Geffen Playhouse’s “Saturday Scene” family series, the performance aims to both entertain and educate younger audiences, especially those who may not be regular theatergoers. The show brings together music, puppetry and storytelling in a family-friendly narrative.
“We’ve been working on this musical for about two years,” said Amanda Barrett, co-creator of “Storm Drain to Paradise” and a half of the Ditty Bops.
Along with partner Abby DeWald, the other half of the Ditty Bops, Barrett has seen various incarnations of their story arise.
“It’s had many versions. The one that we’re doing this weekend (is) a shadow puppet version of the show that we’ve been writing with Lynn Jeffries and Paul Zaloom,” she said.
Jeffries is the hands behind the shadow puppets, and Zaloom, also a veteran puppeteer, is the show’s director. The story is about two girls who fall down a storm drain, sail through underground waterways on their plastic boat, and journey home to tell their town to stop throwing trash into the ocean. Although Barrett and DeWald have already performed this rendition of “Storm Drain to Paradise,” they worked with Jeffries and Zaloom to do specific rewrites for Saturday’s show.
“The shadow puppets are representative of all the different animal characters and also Abby and my characters, Maroo and Swaroo. So we’re being portrayed as shadow puppet characters,” Barrett said.
“Interspersed between the story are these different songs, but they kind of move the story along, … so it’s sort of a musical. … But maybe not exactly. It’s our own version.”
The “Saturday Scene” family series is a part of the Geffen Playhouse’s outreach and education program. Not only are 20 percent of tickets to these shows complimentary to low-income families so that they can experience theater, but the Geffen Playhouse also often creates study guides to help younger audience members or those new to the theater get as much out of the performances as possible.
“We feel that a society that enjoys and respects the arts is a society that lives at its highest level. … It’s generally a very positive community that we try to encourage and develop,” said Gil Cates, producing director of the Geffen Playhouse. “(The “˜Saturday Scene’) gives something for parents, moms and dads to take their children to do Saturday at 11 other than taking them to see a crappy movie.”
Cates works closely with Debra Pasquerette, director of education at the Geffen Playhouse, to select performances that are not only entertaining, but that will also be positive forces in the community.
“I look for really unique and different theater shows that have elements that are more unique than the traditional, … not like Barney,” Pasquerette said.
Pasquerette often does the footwork necessary to scout out and invite talent to perform at the Geffen Playhouse. When looking for family fare, she seeks theater shows that have great depth and good storylines, emphasizing the need to find productions that appeal to intergenerational audiences.
“I have to enjoy it as an adult to book it,” Pasquerette said.
“I saw the show about a year ago and at the time, it was for adults. I went, “˜Wait a minute. This is a great story.’ So I talked to the Bops and Lynn Jeffries … and I said, “˜This would really be great. Would you guys be interested?’ And they were like, “˜We’ve actually been thinking of doing it as a youth show.’ It’s going to end up working out great.”
The eco-friendly storyline of “Storm Drain to Paradise” also coincides well with the Geffen Playhouse’s efforts to go green as a theater, Pasquerette said. In addition to changing all paper products and soap to recyclable materials, they encourage recycling all programs after the shows. They are even thinking about switching to electronic readers like the Kindle for script readings to avoid paper waste.
“We live on the planet Earth. So the healthier the planet Earth, the healthier we’ll all be. There’s a lot of easy small things that we can all do to make our surroundings cleaner and that’s what this show is kind of about,” Barrett said.
Pasquerette emphasized that “Storm Drain to Paradise” is not exclusively a children’s show, a notion supported by Barrett, who said that it pertains to everyone. Barrett, however, is very aware of the instructive function that the Ditty Bop’s Saturday performance will have.
“I’m excited to get to bring our music and the idea of connecting what we throw in the street or what gets released into the environment and how that affects things an ocean away,” Barrett said.
“If that can come across to kids, that’s an important thing for all of us to be aware of.”