Parenting on Purpose

I Theatre's spectacular production The Magic Paintbrush  starts its run this week. Parenting on Purpose goes up close and personal with the company's Creative Director Brian Seward, to learn more about why I Theatre is bringing back this popular play. Spectacular artwork from the original production of The Magic Paintbrush. Parenting on Purpose:  What made you choose this particular Chinese folk tale as the original inspiration for the play? Brian Seward:   It was an interesting story, with not too many characters, and with a very clear moral, that was suitable for younger children as well as older ones. A lot of Chinese folk tales can be quite long and involved. Others involve a lot of fighting and chopping off of heads. This story lent itself a bit more to a theatre adaptation - although we have the challenge of making things that are painted come to life! There were a number of different versions of the story - some more bloodthirsty than others....

It's been a pretty crazy year, as far as I'm concerned. Since Mark and I set up the training consultancy and the online store over two years ago, what used to be a pretty constant daily schedule with the kids has been thrown to the wind. And to be honest, so has much of our formal homeschooling schedule. (Which also explains why things have been pretty quiet on the blogging front with me - Mark has been doing most of the writing.) I must admit it has not been easy for me to deal with the guilt and tiredness that can come with trying to juggle all our different commitments in work, family and ministry, but looking back on the year I believe we have all grown from this time of unpredictability and change. There's always a bigger picture we can choose to find perspective in, isn't there? We are not only making do, but learning to continue extending roots in whatever season we might be in. I have learnt how much I could actually be stretched while rely...

I Theatre's The Magic Paintbrush is back in the theatres after 16 long years! Here are some fun facts about the acclaimed I Theatre production. If you read carefully and answer the questions below, you might just get a chance to win two free tickets to the play! 1)  In 2004 the play was made into a book, and published by Marshall Cavendish. It sold out! The books are now very rare as it was not reprinted. 2)  In 2000, I Theatre presented 13 performances in a 300 seater theatre. This time they are presenting 24 performances in a 609 seater theatre. 3)  The Magic Paintbrush was presented in 2000 by Imaginarts, the parent company that spawned I Theatre in 2001 - and the income from The Magic Paintbrush helped to launch the company. 4)  In 2000 they had a cast of 8 actors and 27 puppets. In 2016 they have 9 actors and… count to see how many puppets! 5) For 2016 there are two brand new characters - Peony Blossom and Lotus Flower. Exact...

The little star shone brightly in the living room of Cosmo and Celeste; a dazzling display of brilliance and enchantment. Lost in the midst of their squabbles, the brother and sister pair realise that there are better things to do than to fight - they need to help the little lost star find its way home! And so it's off on a grand adventure. Is the star's home beneath the deepest depths of the sea? Is it beyond the furthest reaches of the galaxy? Or is home really where the heart is? Little Star, Little Star, how can we help you find your home? Little Star  is I Theatre's second production intended for younger audiences between the ages of 2-6. The first performance, Round the Moon, Blue the Sky , was a regional collaboration with Asian theatre powerhouses in Hong Kong and Japan. But Little Star  represents a first locally for I Theatre in its outreach efforts to younger theatre audiences. It also represented an experiment by Artistic Director Brian Seward, who cre...

It was a musical thriller for the senses! Eddy, the Bird Who Was Afraid of Heights, was going all out to rescue his friend Matt the Rat from the clutches of the evil crow. The children witnessed the entire drama unfolding in front of their eyes via different mediums such as light play, wayang kulit , and human puppetry at its finest.  And the crowd of kids from preschools and special education schools across Singapore were completely mesmerised!  Coupled with catchy tunes, memorable characters and a large component of audience interaction, the performance was truly Children's Theatre at its best! Esplanade PLAYtime's  The Bird Who Was Afraid of Heights  has larger than life characters  that fly into the hearts of the kids. Kids were enthralled by the use of light play and other theatrical delights. The Bird Who Was Afraid of Helghts  is the third production from the Esplanade PLAYtime series this year which introduced sensory-friendly elements...