Free Library - Free Sundays on Stage

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Growing up in the 1970s, I remember going to the Free Library of Philadelphia with my parents to see the free children's show on Sunday afternoons. I still can vividly recall an Aesop's Fables puppet show, and a comedic Alice in Wonderland.
After the show, my parents would take my sisters and I to the library gift shop to buy a cool pencil or special pack of puffy stickers.

How psyched was I to open the paper a few weeks ago and see that Sundays on Stage still existed? I jumped at the chance to relive my childhood with my own daughter. The offering that week was the MUM Puppet Theaters: The Velveteen Rabbit. Okay, so we had already seen it in another location the year before, but hey, it was free!

Parking around the library can be an issue, but I found a metered spot. The shows start at 2pm, and the doors open at 1:30pm. We got there about a quarter to two, and got seats up front. But, the theater is tiny and intimate, so all the seats are good. By the time we left, the house was full.

The show was great. Even the second time around. Actually, it was better this time, since I think I spent about $12 a ticket to see it before. As with most Sunday on Stage programs, the performers do a Q & A afterwards. The MUM Puppet Theater gave away all of their secrets, much to the delight of the young audience. My only disappointment was that the library no longer has that cool gift shop.

Sundays on Stage are offered throughout the winter. You are supposed to be able to find a schedule on the library's web site www.library.phila.gov but when you check the site, it says that nothing is scheduled. I had better luck calling (215) 686-5372. Decembers offerings are a Hanukkah and Christmas sing along with Burton Young on the 3rd, Pages to Piouettes The Nutcracker on the 10th, and Mshindi Music Safari, a celebration of the African culture, on the 17th.

Free Library of Philadelphia Free Sundays on Stage:
2 p.m.
215.686.5372

Jeanine Waldron - has lived in Philadelphia her entire life - except for college in Massachusetts and a teaching stint in New York City. She is a high school English teacher who enjoys reading, running, and attending plays. Jeanine currently lives in a suburb of Philadelphia with her husband, Brian, (another Philadelphia native) and their children, Kaelin (two and a half) and Owen (six months).