PaintBox Theatre is a theatre of improvisation and                                        imagination for the whole family. Audiences young and old have called it unique, wild, zany, and even educational. Audience members range in age from 1 to 100 and include parents, seniors and other adults who love IMPROV. Every show includes problem solving, reading aloud, children’s artwork, and exuberant audience participation.

PaintBox Theatre is a non-profit, professional adult theatre company that engages children and adults in a passionate love of art, language, theatre, and play.  Our goal is to increase literacy, intellectual curiosity, and children’s connection to their unique voices through improvisational theatre performances, school and community residencies, and community workshops.

Artistic Director and founder, Tom McCabe begins with a well-known children’s story, adapts it, modernizes it and adds twists. Most shows feature just three actors. The actors work as a team, improvising, playing multiple roles, creating props and costumes, solving problems and drafting people out of the audience to help. Educationally speaking, every production models the joys and challenges of unstructured play.

Tom Tells the History of PaintBox

“The idea for PaintBox Theatre came to me as I was sitting in the office of my old friend and theatre comrade, Sam Rush, who runs New Century Theatre in Northampton. As we were talking, I noticed on the wall a line drawing of a pirate that Sam’s 3 year old had done. It was fantastic, and totally viable art. I wondered if instead of making lots of expensive scenery, we could ask children to draw pictures, then project the images over the stage as a part of the production. At that moment, PaintBox Theatre was born. In every one of our shows we ask between 20 and 30 kids to draw pictures. I provide a list of every location, character and object, and children pick one and draw a picture. We sometimes also create an art gallery in the lobby where the originals are displayed.  Children can write a message under their work if they wish, and even stand by it after the show and answer questions.”

The Coming Season:

PaintBox performs at 10:30am Wednesday thru Sunday in Theatre 14 in the Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts at Smith College. Tickets are $7 per person (or $5 per person if you come in a group of 14 or more) and can be purchased online.  

Little Red Riding Hood                                   July 3 – 7

Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude        July 17 – 20

 King Kong  jr.                                                     July 31 – Aug. 3

 

Parent’s Choice Award winning storyteller, educator, and creator and artistic director of PaintBox Theatre,  Over his career, Tom McCabe has shared his tales, classroom workshops, residencies and family concerts with more than a million people throughout the United States and abroad. His venues have included The USS Constitution, The Kennedy Center, a one room school house in Ireland and The White House.

 

 

 

For Adults – Tom presents seminars, key-note speeches and storytelling programs.

 

 

Click Below for More Info:

Tom’s Rave Reviews – Comments by teachers, parents and reading specialists

Tom’s School Programs – A detailed List of his many programs

Articles and Scripts – More than 100 pages of articles, scripts, lessons and suggestions for teachers and parents

Listen to Stories – Would you like to hear a story as you peruse the site?