Wexner Center Presents “Snowflake,” A Silent, One-Man Play About Homelessness for Kids Ages 5–12

Show Is Part of the International Performing Arts Series For Families; Panel on Homelessness to Be Held in the Afternoon

“No words are uttered in Snowflake...but the sounds of joy are immense.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch

The Wexner Center’s International Performing Arts Series for Families continues with the funny and poignant silent play Snowflake by Gale LaJoye on Saturday, April 29 at 10:30 am in Mershon Auditorium. Without using a single word, performer LaJoye plays an ingenious homeless man who teaches children how to turn sorrow into joy. Using the magic of illusion, he floats in mid-air, breathes life into toys, creates imaginative music, and dances The Nutcracker on skis. Drawing on his experiences with the theater, the circus (as a clown), and the Japanese art of Kabuki, LaJoye creates complex, compelling characters who face genuine adversity with humor and hope. Tickets for this show, recommended for ages 5–12, are $7 for the general public and $5 for Wexner Center members, available at the Wexner Center Ticket Office or by calling 614 292-3535. Snowflake is presented in collaboration with the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless.

A free public reception with LaJoye follows the performance, and a panel discussion entitled Connecting Snowflake to Our Community will be held that afternoon at 1 pm in the Wexner Center’s Film/Video Theater. The discussion, moderated by Bill Casto, co-director of the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless, will focus on the issues of homelessness raised in Snowflake and the ways those issues connect with realities in our own community. The panel includes central Ohio residents who have been or currently are homeless; representatives from the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless; and LaJoye. The discussion is free and open to the public.

Notes Wexner Center Director of Education Shelly Casto, “We hope that Snowflake will not only provide families with an alternative and entertaining cultural outing, but will also generate discussion among family members. We expect LaJoye’s joyous, insightful production to end this season’s International Performing Arts Series for Families on a poignant and thought-provoking note.”

Based in Michigan, LaJoye began performing silent comedies around the globe in the early ’80s. Snowflake, after premiering in 1990, has toured throughout Asia, South America, Australia, Mexico, Canada, and the United States. More information about Gale LaJoye can be found at www.lajoye.com.

EVENT SUPPORT

The Wexner Center’s International Performing Arts Series for Families is presented with generous support from Cardinal Health.

Snowflake is a collaboration with the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless.

SEASON SUPPORT

Youth programs are presented with support from American Electric Power, 12 1/4 Circle (a group of Wexner Center members), and the Corporate Annual Fund of the Wexner Center Foundation.

CALENDAR INFORMATION

Gale LaJoye performs a poignant, silent play about an ingenious homeless man as part of the Wexner Center’s International Performing Arts Series for Families. Recommended for ages 5-12. Followed by reception and discussion.

Date and time: Saturday, April 29 at 10:30 am. Free reception to follow. Panel discussion at 1 pm in the Film/Video Theater.

Performance location: Mershon Auditorium at the Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N. High St. (at 15th Avenue).

Parking: Available in the Ohio Union Parking Garage, just south of the Wexner Center on High Street.

Tickets: $7 general public, $5 Wexner Center members

Ticket outlets: Wexner Center Ticket Office (614 292-3535) and Ticketmaster (614 431-3600)

Public information: 614 292-3535 and www.wexarts.org