Fri 10/16-Sat 10/17
Fifteen years ago, local actor, director and costumer Alison Garrigan fulfilled her longtime dream of starting a professional children’s theater in Cleveland, something that had never existed on a long-term basis. Garrigan fulfilled her vision with exciting multi-media, multi-disciplinary productions based on folk legends, that included dance, movement, sound effects, music, elaborate costuming, masks, puppets and extensive audience interaction. She expanded its offerings to include classes, workshops and touring productions.
She retired as the theater’s artistic director in late 2019 due to family demands, and then the pandemic hit. So the theater stumbled a bit to find its footing. But now, with a new home at the Pivot Center for Art, Dance and Expression in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood, it’s forging ahead. However, its first production of the 2026-27 season will take place elsewhere, at Near West Theatre in Gordon Square.
It’s called The Remember Balloons, based on a book by Jessie Oliveros that uses balloons as a metaphor for a person’s memories and looks at how a young child named James copes when his grandfather begins to lose his huge bouquet of balloons.
It will have two performances with a special 15th anniversary celebration after the Friday show. It draws on some outstanding up-and-coming talent in the area. it was co-created by Akron-based choreographer/director Dominic Moore-Dunson, and Akron jazz pianist/musician Theron Brown who wrote the music for it. Movement, storytelling and visuals are part of the production, returning Talespinner to its creative roots.
“The Remember Balloons is exactly the kind of story we want to share with young people and families,” says Talespinner executive director Sarah Durham in the show’s press release. “It approaches a difficult experience with warmth, imagination, and hope. Many children have someone in their lives experiencing memory loss, and this production gives families a beautiful way to begin conversations about aging, caregiving, and what it means to carry someone else’s stories with us.”
The performances are sensory-friendly and Friday’s show will feature ASL. A performances are pay what you choose, and there are pre-short activities before the performances.
Go HERE for tickets and information.