Go beyond the stage at Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts

Enjoy these opportunities for a new educational experience at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are available at TheCenterPresents.org.

Field trips make science fun

The arts and the sciences are sometimes cast as contradictory pursuits, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, they share the Payne & Mencias Palladium stage several times a year, entertaining crowds of cheering schoolkids.

It happens in a program called Science of Light & Sound, a fun and interactive educational experience Allied Solutions Center provides free to central Indiana schools and homeschool groups, thanks to support from Scientech Foundation of Indiana, Business Furniture Co. and Genesys.

In the one-hour presentation, our production staffers “Dr. Brian” Coon and “Dr. Rob” Glass – sporting white lab coats, goggles and fictitious academic credentials – employ the Payne & Mencias Palladium’s state-of-the-art lighting and PA systems to demonstrate key concepts in physics, reinforcing classroom lessons in alignment with Indiana’s fourth-grade science standards. Check out this video to see what it looks like!

This season, Science of Light & Sound is offered at 10:30 a.m. on eight dates from October through April for public and private school field trips, and registration is open now. The presentations on Feb. 3 and April 7 also are open to homeschool groups. Attending groups can even apply for Transportation Grants to cover the cost of vehicles and drivers.

And speaking of free performances for students …

Performances to celebrate Mexican culture

This season’s schedule of free Student Matinees for school groups includes an Oct. 29 musical and theatrical performance celebrating the Indigenous/Mexican practice known as Day of the Dead (officially observed Nov. 1-2). Hasta La Muerte, created by the Los Angeles-based troupe Las Cafeteras, features rich storytelling and elaborate costumes and dance.

Registration for the morning matinee is open now for public and private school groups and will open Sept. 15 for homeschool groups. Other folks of all ages can attend the evening show, part of the Telamon Passport Series, with reasonably priced tickets available here.

PB&J offers mariachi fun for families

On a related note, our new season of Peanut Butter & Jam performances for ages 1-7 opens Sept. 26 with Mariachi Sol Jalisciense de Indianapolis, bringing music and dance styles from the Mexican state of Jalisco to mark National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Sponsored by PEAS for Kids, the PB&J series is designed for youngsters to experience the joy of the performing arts. Just $10 gets one kid and two grownups in the door, so grab your tickets now before they sell out, as these fun and interactive shows often do.

For grownups, an American music merger

Luminaries, our weekday speaker series on the arts, kicks off Sept. 29 with Americana and Jazz Collide, featuring Sam Butler and Garrett Fasig of the Indianapolis-based Visions Jazz Ensemble. They’ll discuss their new commissioned album project that applies inventive new jazz arrangements to all-American standards like “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Ghost Riders in the Sky.” Tickets for the 2 p.m. program are just $10.

Bookies to take on The Beatles

New York Times best-seller John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs by Ian Leslie will be the focal point of the next Palladium Bookies gathering on Oct. 12.

The Bookies reading club is a casual, non-exclusive organization, open to anyone who can find a copy and show up at 6:30 p.m. Just RSVP to Outreach@TheCenterPresents.org.