BRUNSWICK

Brunswick’s Maine State Music Theatre debuted Magic Time: A Program of Story and Song at Curtis Memorial Library on Friday. The presentation featured passages and music from both the original versions and MSMT’s new musical versions of “Sleeping Beauty” and “Alice and Wonderland.”

MSMT will present hour-long stage versions of both plays this summer for their annual Theatre for Young Audience shows.

Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark and other local actors and musicians took turns reading passages to the children and singing songs, with the backdrop of pictures and movies on the projector guiding youngsters along the way. Prior to the performances, children were able to borrow reading materials and activity sheets to keep them involved in the stories. Clark frequently asked the children questions about the material throughout the performance.

Clark said that the experience was all about introducing children to theater in a fun and immersive way.

“Magic Time was a no-brainer,” said Clark. “If you get hooked on theater at a young age, it’s a done deal. You hook them on literature and arts, whatever that feeling they get when they show up at that age, they’ll remember that when they’re older.”

Clark said that parents also benefit from attending a program like Magic Time.

“When parents bring kids and enjoy what they’re seeing, the chances of them coming back to a show are times ten,” said Clark. “I remember last year after our first children’s show, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk,’ this guy stopped me out on Cook’s Corner and said, ‘you know, we just saw Jack and I had no idea I would like it.’ That means a lot because it means next time we have a show, there’s a better chance he takes his kid.”

Ashley Braley of Harpswell brought her son, Elijah, to see MSMT’s “Jack and the Beanstalk” last year, but said he hadn’t heard of either “Sleeping Beauty” or “Alice and Wonderland” before attending Magic Time on Friday.

“Now he’ll want to read the books and see the shows this summer,” Braley said of her son.

Kaylan Kotch of Brunswick brought her two sons, Gavin and Levi, to Magic Time and said the interactive presentation “was a great time.”

“The boys were familiar with the stories, but now they’ll want to see them again,” said Kotch.

Clark said that he would like to expand on Magic Time for next year and continue the presentation annually as a preview to the upcoming summer season, but is waiting on a grant to do so.

“I would like to bring in some more live music, and if we get our grant we could bring in more actors,” said Clark.

Clark said Magic Time fulfills his wish to give the Midcoast community a free presentation during MSMT’s off-season. MSMT uses Bowdoin College’s Pickard Theatre for 12 weeks out of the summer and, according to Clark, charges a premium for tickets to pay for use of the theater.

“Magic Time is nice for people who can’t afford the ticket price in the summer,” said Clark. “But the hope is to get somebody who, after seeing Magic Time, might want to go to a play in the summer.”