Tips for Taking Kids to the Breathtaking Sight & Sound Theater

Every Sight & Sound show I have had the privilege of attending has been a heart-warming and enriching experience, filled with spectacular stories and imagery, accurately bringing the Bible to life!

This past week we were blessed to experience Jonah at Sight & Sound and it definitely did not disappoint!The first Act was incredible! The story was well presented and we always love the stage that wraps around you. It makes it feel like every seat is the best seat in the house! I’m amazed at the creative writing behind each show. I remember thinking while watching Jonah, “the writer for these shows does an incredible job!”

We found ourselves laughing at many of the scenes in the first act, especially the scene with Jonah and the donkey. My three year old was literally laughing hysterically, and I was too. I also found the first act to be very rich in color and styles—bright color costumes on that stage are just magnificent!

While we loved the first Act, we had absolutely no idea what was about to come in Act II!! Not to put the first Act down, but the show came alive in a whole new way in Act II. We were absolutely captivated by the creativity and beauty of the underwater scene. I wish I could have taken photos to give you even just a glimpse of how spectacular it was! Just trust me, you will not want to miss it.

This video gives you an excellent picture of some of what you’ll experience at the show, and I love how it describes the amount of thought that goes in to every word, scene, and movement in each production.

Tips for Taking Kids With You

I attended the show with my children (ages 3, 5 and 7). Last year we visited Samson when they were 2, 4 and 6, and both times went amazingly well. It is a long show, but it is definitely doable with kids. Here are some tips that worked well for us.

1. Pick a time of day that works for you. We attended the 11am show. I think its usually the most lightly attended show, and that’s part of the reason we choose it. Its also a good time of day for kids. They aren’t as tired or overstimulated in the morning, so they are more likely to sit still and abide by the rules. 🙂

2. Use intermission wisely. The intermission was almost exactly at 12 noon, which was when I served my kids a heavy snack / light lunch. We also started the show with a light snack. During intermission we usually take our kids outside and let them run for 1-2 minutes (well, more like we make them run, ha!). But for the Jonah show, we did things a little differently and I explain that more later in this post.

3. Pack an emergency bag for toddlers and preschoolers. This year, pretty much all I packed to help them get through the show was food. Last year when my youngest was only 2, I packed a few small activities to keep him entertained towards the end. Silly putty was a lifesaver for us last year (we had the regular Dollar Tree silly putty, but this glow in the dark silly putty would be neat for the dark theater). Just chewing a piece of gum helps the older kids get through a slower scene.

4. Interact with the show. Keeping my kids involved in the show, helps them to fight the thought that they might be bored, or hungry, or whatever other excuse they come up with! 😉 We interact by clapping after songs and impressive production moments, and by pointing things out around them that they might not see. Honestly, once your child reaches 5 or 6 years old, they will be pretty actively engaged in the show—I usually have to give a little more attention and cuddling time to my 2-4 year old kids to help them sit for that long.

5. Sit as close to the front as possible.  Let me tell you why this works best for us, but it might not work for you. It might seem scary because you don’t want to have to walk out with children acting up in the middle of the show, but when we sit closer to the front, everything is right in front of us so our kids naturally feel more involved.

Additionally, it is also nice because there are less distractions. You’re not seeing people get up out of their seats, or walk in the aisles or other kids acting up and needing to leave, because that’s all happening behind you. I know I get distracted and lose focus easily, and my kids are the same way! But you might be completely different, and thats ok.

The downside to sitting up front is that some of the show happens behind you and above you, so you might not see everything. We find it best to sit about 3-8 rows from the stage. You can still see a lot here, and for kids its really not that hard to stretch their necks around for a little.

A Special Note About the Jonah Show

We were given a tip before the show that you want to be sure to be on time to Act II, and its true!

Do not try to get in the doors at the last minute after intermission. Get to the bathroom, get your snack or whatever you need and get back to your seat. (At the Samson show, we took the kids outside for a minute and asked them to run around before the second act, but we did not do this at Jonah.)

Why? Because Act II starts with the underwater scene. In this scene, actors and actresses are in the aisles as part of the performance, so they are required to lock down the aisles.

They will not let anyone in late, and this is literally the best part of the show in our opinion, so please don’t risk it! Your kids will love the underwater scene and talk about it for a long time afterwards.

Sight & Sound does have an extensive concession stand, and snacks do come in very handy with children. If you can afford one concession item, be sure not to miss the roasted nuts. You will smell them as soon as you walk in the door, and they are even better than they smell! A true treat for the kids and for you.

Ways to Save on Sight & Sound Tickets

Did you know that Lancaster County residents can receive discounted tickets to Sight & Sound? I never knew until recently that the discount also applies to those who live and work in Lancaster County. You have to call the box office the same day as the show to see if any tickets are available.

The Jonah show will be performed until October 14, 2017. Tickets can be bought online, or you can call their box office at (800) 377-1277 between 8:30am and 5pm. Shows are at 11am, 3pm and 7pm, depending on the day. No performances are held on Sundays.

If you do want to see Jonah, please note that many of the performances in October (especially the Saturday performances) are already sold out, so don’t wait until the last minute to go! On November 3, they begin showing the Miracle of Christmas.

Our family received complimentary tickets in compensation for this post. All thoughts and opinions are entirely our own.