ExtraGive Junior!

Why should adults have all the fun on ExtraGive night? Help us celebrate the annual Extraordinary Give one-day online donation drive with a fun event designed for kids of all ages!

Our young guests will get to experience a variety of free entertainment and creative table activities developed just for them by community benefit organizations – Advoz, Ambassadors For Hope, Church World Service, Imani Edu-tainers, Lancaster Shakespeare Theatre, Lone Oak Animal-Assisted Therapeutic & Educational Services, Music for Everyone, Rocky Springs Carousel Association, and of course, the Arts at Millersville, highlighting our vital community programming!

While you’re here, learn about the different community benefit organizations participating and how your support during ExtraGive can make a difference in your community!

Head to the Ware Center’s ExtraGive donation page on November 22 to support our vital community programming!

Why “Give Extra” to the Ware Center?

The Ware Center, located on Prince Street in the heart of downtown Lancaster, has grown into much more than a performing arts center in the past 14 years — it has become the cornerstone of diverse, inclusive, and accessible cultural arts in our community. For over a decade, the Arts at Millersville has been working to provide “Arts for All” at this vital community hub — to lift all voices, reflect all cultures, and open all doors through the arts. Our mission is to offer affordable cultural experiences authored by and for the diverse communities that make our region so vibrant.

Your support helps us to provide:

Free school performances
Arts camps for children and youth of mixed abilities
State-of-the-art performance and gallery spaces for local artists
Artist residency programs for schools and communities
Affordable Family Fun Fest events
Sensory-friendly performances
Accessibility services such as ASL interpretation, touch tours, and audio description
We the People First Friday series highlighting local artists
Free tickets for underserved communities to make the arts accessible to all

We build deep-rooted community partnerships to ensure our programming reflects the identities, needs, and realities of our citizens. We see the arts as a way of building empathy, understanding, and justice among the diverse people we serve – including children from underserved communities, BIPOC artists, individuals with disabilities, immigrants and refugees, senior citizens, veterans, and families.

Why do we need your support?

Our programs rely almost exclusively on grants and donations. This Extraordinary Give, we hope you will help us to expand the bridge we’ve built between our community and the arts! Head to our ExtraGive donation page on November 22 to make your gift and make your impact!

Family Fun Fest – Cirque Kalabanté: Afrique en Cirque – SOLD OUT

This performance is currently sold out.

Experience the beauty and artistry of African culture – en cirque! Inspired by daily life in Guinea, Cirque Kalabante’s Afrique en Cirque showcases the strength, agility, and joy of the country’s young acrobats with gravity-defying moves, human pyramids, and the sounds of live Afro-jazz. An unforgettable journey!

BEFORE THE SHOW:
Free children’s activities begin in the lobby at 2:00 PM with:

Imani Edutainers African Dance Company, Handwork House, PA Migrant Education Program, Girls on the Run, Lancaster Public Library, North Museum, Mental Health America, Millersville Early Childhood Organization (ECHO), and more!
Plus, a visit from Millersville’s mascot, Skully!

AFTER THE SHOW:
Following the show, guests can enjoy small bites of West African food provided by Upohar World Kitchen.

ACCESSIBILITY:

This performance will feature ASL interpretation and sensory-friendly accommodations. Please contact Barry.Kornhauser@millersville.edu for information about sensory-friendly accommodations for this event.

This engagement is made possible through the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

MU Students can receive up to one (1) free ticket with a valid MU ID. MU discounts are NOT available online and must be made in-person or by calling any box office location. Advanced ticket reservations are strongly encouraged. MU discount tickets are subject to availability on the day of the event.

Family Fun Fest – MAROONED! A Space Comedy

An astronaut traveling 87,000 light years into space crash-lands on an uncharted planet, where she must resort to emergency measures to seek rescue. From the award-winning team Alex and Olmsted, elegant puppetry design meets joyful, meaningful storytelling to delightful effect in a production that has been called “achingly beautiful.” This Jim Henson Foundation grant-awarded show is puppetry life support of the best kind.

LOBBY ACTIVITIES @ 12:00PM | DOORS @ 12:30PM | SHOW @ 1:00PM

ACCESSIBILITY • ASL interpretation and sensory-friendly accommodations are available upon request. Please use this form to request accessibility services at least two weeks prior to the performance.

This engagement is funded though the Mid Atlantic Tours program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Family Fun Fest – The Vanishing Elephant

A family-friendly theatrical performance featuring larger-than-life animal puppets and themes of friendship.

Opu, a young boy in Bengal, dreams of one day becoming an elephant trainer. When he befriends Janu, an Asian Elephant, their friendship is the first step on an adventure so huge, it spans decades and continents. On their separate paths, they face many challenges—fearsome encounters, stormy seas, and strange new worlds.

Years in the future, Opu, now an old man, hears that world-famous magician Harry Houdini will vanish an elephant live on stage in New York City. Could it really be Janu, Opu’s old friend, so far from home? He, too, must bravely make the long journey into the unknown to find out.

A moving story of friendship, belonging, and one incredible journey from Bengal to the bright lights of Broadway, presented by the beloved Cahoots theatre company of Belfast, Northern Ireland.

>> Family Fun Fest activities • The Family Fun Fest includes free children’s activities in the lobby an hour before showtime. Community organizations and Millersville University student groups will host tables offering children’s crafts and activities that are inspired by the performance. Children will leave with goodie bags filled with their creations!

>> Accessibility • ASL interpretation and sensory-friendly accommodations are available upon request. Please contact us with any specific needs!

SOLD OUT: Family Fun Fest – The Pack Drumline

This performance is sold out.

Blending Southern show-style drumming with intense upbeat choreography, The Pack Drumlinecreates an electrifying performance with dynamic rhythms and high-energy beats. From the opening notes to the final crescendo, these America’s Got Talent winners captivate with expert percussion, energetic choreography, and stunning visuals, showing incredible range and versatility. From the explosive rhythms of the bass drums to the intricate patterns of the snare drums, this production will have you dancing in the aisles!

LOBBY ACTIVITIES @ 2:00PM | DOORS @ 2:30PM | SHOW @ 3:00PM

ACCESSIBILITY: This performance will feature Audio Description and ASL Interpretation.

Family Fun Fest – Layer the Walls: Midcentury

What if you discovered an old apartment covered with forty layers of wallpaper? What if each layer revealed the stories of past tenants? Explore the living history of a tenement apartment in New York City that was once home to hundreds of new immigrants and migrants. Shadow and rod puppetry, along with half masks, bring to life the stories of Jewish, Chinese, and Puerto Rican families between the years of 1930-1970— stories that have shaped the America we know today.

LOBBY ACTIVITIES @ 12:00PM | DOORS @ 12:30PM | SHOW @ 1:00PM

ACCESSIBILITY • ASL interpretation, audio description, and sensory-friendly accommodations are available upon request. Please use this form to request accessibility services at least two weeks prior to the performance.

SOLD OUT – Family Fun Fest – iLuminate

This performance is sold out.

A family-friendly performance of glow-in-the-dark dance to upbeat pop music.

Since being hailed as the “BEST NEW ACT in America” on America’s Got Talent, iLuminate has toured the world, reawakening the senses and the imagination with their electrifying fusion of technology and dance. Watch in awe as dancers in electrified glow-in-the-dark suits perform dynamic routines to the music of chart-topping artists including Lizzo, Billie Eilish, and Michael Jackson, creating thrilling illusions on a darkened stage—a dance show unlike any you have ever seen!

Family Fun Fest – Dance of Hope

Dance of Hope passionately brings Africa’s sensational sounds and colorful choreography to global audiences of all ages, all swirling in gorgeous smiles of children; many of whom have come from the worst environments imaginable to turn negative stories into positive ones while they aim to inspire others to do the same. This vibrant music, dance and storytelling spectacular features young African performers with triumphant turnaround stories, showcasing a resilience born out of sounds that enhance creativity, persistence, and change.

Included with admission: LOBBY ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS @ 12 PM | DOORS @ 12:30 PM | SHOW @ 1 PM

MU Students will receive up to one (1) free ticket with a valid MU ID at a box office location. Advanced ticket reservations are strongly encouraged. MU Student discount tickets are subject to availability at the door.

Family Fun Fest – Japanese Storytelling with Magical Masks, Mime, and Music/Origami Tales by Kuniko Yamamoto

Kuniko Yamamoto enchants audiences of every age with dramatic storytelling using myths and fables from ancient and modern Japan, spiced with social revelations to educate and amuse. In Magical Mask, Music and Mime of Japan Kuniko uses traditional Japanese music, handcrafted masks, stylized movement, and a touch of magic to create an artistic balance of illusion and reality. Origami Tales uses folded paper animals and faces, which come alive in folk tales. Every program encourages audience interaction and participation, with each narrative carefully selected for cultural and moral perspectives.

Trained in dance and traditional arts in her native Osaka, Japan, Kuniko has received national exposure performing at the Silk Road International Exposition, The Kennedy Center (Washington DC); Disney Epcot Japanese Pavilion; Seattle’s International Children’s Festival/Giant Magnet; International Children’s Festival in Canada; National Storytelling Festival; LA Music Center /Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County and Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival. An engaging, entertaining, and educational show and fun for the whole family!

Free children’s activities begin in the lobby at 12:00 p.m. There will be a post-show workshop (limited availability) with Kuniko Yamamoto – please inquire at the front desk when you arrive to reserve a space!

Accessibility: This performance will feature ASL interpretation and sensory-friendly accommodations.

Family Fun Fest – POLI POP by South Korea’s BRUSH Theatre

Poli and Pola don’t want to go to sleep. The siblings start off playing with toys in their bedroom, competing against each other to be the leader of the room, but then their imagination takes them on a surreal dreamlike journey full of surprise and joy. BRUSH Theatre uses incredible technology and special effects to transform the set from an empty room to far away islands, roaring seas, the Egyptian desert, busy cities, dance parties, and more! But the duo doesn’t know there’s something else lurking in the shadows…a ferocious alien monster! What will they do?

This colorful and playful new theater production uses live musicians who perform the accompanying score and sound effects, stunning interactive animations and painted projection mapping, and an abundance of theatrical imagination. Fun for the whole family!

LOBBY ACTIVITIES @ 12:00PM | DOORS @ 12:30PM | SHOW @ 1:00PM