If a popularity contest for the most recognized dinosaur took place today -- 65 million years after they roamed the earth during the Mesozoic Era -- the clear winners would surely be the two-horned Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus Rex, a popular “star” in movies, television as well as the namesake of an English rock band, T-Rex!
Dinosaurs -- their lives and times -- are every kid’s fascination. To celebrate, E & M Presents brings the interactive, “Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo,” to the Napa Valley Performing Arts Center for two performances, Sat., Oct. 7 at 1pm and 3pm. Doors open one hour prior to show times for free arts activities in the theater lobby. For tickets, visit eandm.eventbrite.com or call 707-224-4353. (The show is recommended for age five and over.) After the show, kids can pet a baby dino in the lobby and meet the performers.
Puppeteer and trainer Miron Gusso has been with “Dinosaur Zoo” from its beginning, and is proud that the show sends a positive message: “We deliver our work with skill and passion, and empower our kids,” he said. “As much as the dinosaurs are our catalyst to teach, kids are capable of doing so more than they think and overcoming their fears. Their thoughts and values are just as important as the grownups around them.”
Since 1990, the Sydney, Australian-based Erth Company has toured the globe with their productions, providing audiences with a menagerie of eye-popping, visual experiences using giant puppetry, stilt-walkers, inflatable environments plus aerial and flying creatures.
“The show comes off as extremely casual and improvised at times, but it’s highly calibrated,” Gusso shared. “Everything from the wording of a line to the position of the host is formatted. This helps when touring the show across the entire globe!”