It is a genuine ask for most young kids to sit still through an entire theater production, one that often ends in fussiness sometime during the second act. Enchanted Mini Theater in Cherry Hill was founded on a totally different idea, one where the fidgeting, singing, and dancing tendencies of a one to six year old were not seen as something to manage but were viewed as exactly what the show was all about. It’s a real children’s theater, interactive experience, and one of the more popular things to do in South Jersey, and it has become so popular by almost reimagining what a children’s production is supposed to be.
The production is by KN Dance and Entertainment, a local company owned by Broadway performer Katie Nanni whose own professional performance experience is evident in the high level of detail in every session. Nanni developed the idea for the Enchanted Mini Theater with a mommy and me type of idea in mind, focusing on a one to six year old range, something traditional theater does little with and often gets wrong. Instead of asking toddlers to sit as an adult might sit, the model is turned on it’s head, asking them to be a part of a show written around their length of attention, energy level, and need to move.
It’s the interaction that’s really what makes the show stand out from all the rest. Each session is about an hour in length, going between dance sequences, singing and dancing by characters, moving about with the children and then ending with story time, along with pictures with the cast of characters. No part of this experience is intended to be passive, with the children up and moving, singing, and engaging with the cast of characters.
The scripts are designed to incorporate literacy skills, as well as social connection and creative learning, but that part can sometimes be missed by those enjoying the show, but the children don’t need to miss out on the enjoyment of the show.
To keep things interesting, there’s a new theme every month. Last and upcoming shows include Pete the Cat and Sleeping Beauty, a Cinderella story and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and a couple of sessions around Toy Story. That gives the show, and the children, plenty of reasons to come back time after time. That’s also because the theater rotates through both the classic fairytale characters and the more modern, popular storybook stories, which is a blend that usually appeals to the variety of interests of a typical toddler and preschool-aged children of the same family.
The performances occur inside a studio at the ZZ Dance location at 2091 Springdale Road in Cherry Hill, which adds to the intimate experience and sense of participation rather than a traditional theater-style auditorium. Families will be asked to provide their own yoga mats or blankets, since most of the performance takes place on the studio floor, a small indicator of how much of the show involves being at floor level with the children.
Tickets are also reasonably priced at around $15 for each child, but free admission is given to the adults or to those under 1 year of age, so it can be an affordable option for parents with more than one child, such as bringing a toddler along with an older child.
Most of the performances are scheduled on weekdays during the day, with one show set for 10 a.m. on Wednesdays, which is a time that caters to the schedules and circadian rhythms of stay-at-home parents, working parents, and nannies, who all tend to have more time during the earlier part of the day when children are more alert and willing to participate than they are in the evening.
The tickets are also sold in advance via Eventbrite because the venue is kept small to ensure an intimate experience with more interaction, which has led to most sessions selling out in the show’s growing popularity in South Jersey.
Overall, the concept, execution, themes, and overall concept of the Enchanted Mini Theater are all very different than most other children’s shows, as every aspect of the performance, from its studio setting with the audience sitting at floor level to the rotation of different fairytale and storybook stories to its Broadway-trained artistic director, is designed around the specific developmental nature of children in a young age group.
The result for Cherry Hill parents and South Jersey families is a recurring activity that has evolved from a standard show to be an experience that feels more interactive and more participatory to the point of treating a room full of young children not as an audience to be entertained and to remain seated but as the focus of a very unique performance.
