“When a lot of us think about ‘children’s theatre’, we think about happy, cutesy, silly stories that teach a simple lesson to kids…but I want to change that.” Lauren Jost, the founder and director of Spellbound Theatre, is a Brooklynite who combines her passions as an artist with her new-found experiences as a parent by creating theatre for her favorite age group – children ages 0-5. Lauren has worked for years as a teacher, director, and playwright in the New York children’s theatre scene, but after her second child was born she knew she had a special vision for a new kind of performance and founded her own company to follow her passion.
“I am so inspired by the complexity, beauty, and sophistication of babies’, toddlers’, and preschoolers’ curiosity and imagination and I want to make theatre that honors that kind of magic.” Lauren explains, “The shows we have developed at Spellbound Theatre are magical, imaginative, and almost abstract pieces that mirror the kind of wonder I see when my children discover a new idea or object. They are less of a ‘story’ and more of a dive into a child’s mind – what happens when we go to sleep? What kind of creatures live under this tree?” Spellbound is unique in that it is the only theatre company in NYC creating work exclusively for early childhood audiences – all their shows and classes are specifically designed for ages 0-5.
Spellbound Theatre, now in its third year, has produced shows at The Old Stone House, BAX, and South Oxford Space, as well as several preschools around Brooklyn. The company does not yet have a space of its own, but they are currently working on development of two new shows for 2014 in partnership with the Brooklyn Free Space and the Maple Street School. “It is so exciting to work with preschoolers, not just as our audience, but during the creation of a new show. That way we know we are truly making something that they find interesting and exciting.” Lauren isn’t doing this all on her own, of course – Spellbound collaborates with other Brooklyn parent-artists such as Jackie Wolff, Christine Dehne, Rachel Schneider, and Annie Montgomery, as well as artists from the wider NYC theatre scene.
NOT JUST SHOWS
Spellbound is not only a great company for live shows, but they also offer year-round creative play classes for families looking for ways to spark their children’s imaginations and curiosity. These classes are not your average baby class. Designed for babies and toddlers, Spellbound’s creative play classes use the art-forms of puppetry, dance, art, storytelling, and music to give children and their care-givers a hands-on experience. “Each week we dig into a new art-form as a way to explore our world – we move and touch and feel and sing and stomp. The baby class (Magic Moments) is all about sparking different senses through art-based play. The toddler class (Creative Journeys) introduces imaginative play by adding in a level of storytelling so that children get a chance to pretend that they are in a story while they explore the different sensory elements.” Lauren and other Spellbound artists also host drop-in weekly storytimes at Birth Day Presence and Crespella cafe.
Lauren has gotten a lot of ideas for her classes and shows by playing with her kids, but she also has over a decade’s worth of experience as a leader in New York’s arts education community, working with schools and theatres as a teaching artist and designing arts-integrated curriculum. “But I reached the point where I didn’t just want to be working for someone else’s vision – I wanted to pursue my own dreams and make art that I could share with my kids. As a parent, it is important to me that I can connect my work and my career – I want to share what I do with my kids, and nothing in my life has inspired me as an artist more than parenthood.”
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Trial classes will be running throughout November and December. You can register for a free trial class HERE, but hurry up because spaces are filling up quickly.
They also are partnering with Gumbo for one-day weekend workshops for families, November 16th (“Shadows Come to Life”) and December 15th (“Winter Dreams”). Call Gumbo to reserve a spot, 718-855-7808.
Spellbound in in development for two new performances that will debut in Brooklyn in 2014. To get on the mailing list for Spellbound’s upcoming shows, classes, and storytimes, mail them at info@spellboundtheatre.com. Their shows, storytimes, and workshops are also available to book for preschools, playgroups, and parties.