Over the next three months, E & M Presents will bring three extraordinary shows for kids and families to the Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center.
Here’s a sneak preview.
The Joshua Show
Sunday, January 30 | 1pm & 3pm
Napa Premier
Hailed as “The Ambassador of Joy” and “A Hipster
Mr. Rogers,” New York-based puppeteer Joshua Holden – with his puppet soulmate Mr. Nicholas and musician Jeb Colwell – brings warmth, wisdom and whimsy to the stage with a show recommended for ages five and above.
Using live music, physical comedy, tap dance, storytelling and acting, Holden aspires to make the world a better, happier place with his message of celebrating our differences, finding joy in everyday life and respecting the feelings of others.
“Joshua finds a way to allow every audience member to find a way in – to see themselves in the theater that’s unfolding,” said Aretta Baumgartner, education director at the Center for Puppetry Arts.
Holden reminisces about his entry into the world of puppets: “My mother took me to see ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Mass. when I was seven years old,” he remembers, “and by intermission I was begging to join the cast onstage. I began studying acting soon thereafter, but it wasn’t until after college that I was serendipitously hired to work with a master puppeteer on his newest puppet show.”
“At first I took the job because it was a good paycheck but I’ve gone from a reluctant apprentice to creating and managing my own award-winning one-man show” (joshuashow.com).
The Amazing Bubble Man
Sunday, February 13 | 1pm & 3pm
with Jet Black Pearl on accordion
See it to believe it!
If you missed the bubble art, tricks, science and fun in Louis Pearl’s first appearance with E & M Presents in 2016, you won’t want to miss experiencing his latest creations floating into Napa – the “Honeymoon Bubble” and “The Floating Caterpillar Bubble”!
Pearl is one of the world’s leading bubble-ologists.
He began in 1980 by making, demonstrating and selling a toy called the Bubble Trumpet on a street corner in Berkeley, CA. Eventually his toy company had 147 products with international manufacturing and distribution, but Pearl found that he preferred playing with the toys over selling them. He sold Tangent Toys in 2002 and has been touring the world performing hundreds of shows every year.
“Oh my lord” wrote a reviewer from the New Zealand Performing Arts Review, “science has never been such fun, so entertaining, artistic and cool. Louis Pearl is extraordinary, Geek-ish in a good way, low-key and almost shy; he is not your usual energized, overly-happy children’s theater performer. Quite the opposite.”
“Louis doesn’t try to hype up the kids or milk gags, or applause. Instead this fascinating and passionate bubble-lover chooses to let the bubbles speak for themselves. He could also be described as an accessible scientist who creates performance art or an unusual visual artist who creates science” (amazingbubbleman.com)
The Fitzgeralds
Sunday, March 6 | 1pm and 3pm
Napa Premier
Gorgeous fiddle music and top rate, absolutely exhilarating step dance routines – that just about sums up this unique sibling trio from just outside Canada’s renowned Ottawa Valley, a town with a heavy influence of Scottish and Irish culture.
Tom, Kerry and Julie Fitzgerald have come a long way from their small town Bancroft roots winning titles like Canadian Grandmaster Fiddle Champions (three times) and Ontario Open Step Dance Champions.
Their unique act features high-energy fiddling and mind-blowing dance – a rare combination that includes audience interaction, an obvious love of performing, and a genuine sibling connection that resonates with audiences.
“Music was never something that was forced,” Julie Fitzgerald said. “We all loved it. We’re fortunate that this is something we knew from an early age that we were really passionate about.”
“There was a community of musicians, kids we grew up with, who all fiddled, step danced, played piano and took part in a lot of fiddle and step dance competitions in Ontario. Every weekend in the summer, we would go to these competitions, but after they were over, it was just jamming and then we played soccer. It was just a really good environment.” (thefitzgeraldsmusic.com)
Tickets for all shows are available through Eventbrite.com beginning December 27. Doors
open one hour prior to each show. Tickets will be available for sale at the door.
Please visit the EandMPresents.org website for up-to-date information on COVID-19 protocols as required by Napa Valley College. Masking will be mandatory with seating in pods on a first-come, first-served basis. No eating or drinking is allowed once inside the venue.