Kids love Jolie Canoli performances!

“Your show is their favorite event of the year.” 2nd Grade Teacher, Courtney Young

“My kids are reenacting the entire show for us in the living room.” Becca Thomas, Mother of 3

Kids will never forget heartwarming children’s theater from Jolie Canoli and her husband, Dr. Theo. Their hilarious and heartwarming kids shows and author visits are the perfect theatrical experience for your theater, school, festival, or library.

Theo and Jolie have traveled worldwide performing shows using mime, illusion, puppetry, music, and original stories. Library shows, school assemblies, and community events are perfect venues for their entertaining productions. Humor and audience interaction keep kids engaged throughout. Original songs like “You’re Uniquely You,” “If I Make a Mistake,” and “If I Were an Elephant” include audience dance moves and valuable lessons. It is an entertaining experience for the whole family!

Why live entertainment?

Live entertainment builds community and strengthens bonds with a shared experience that includes interaction and a tangible awareness of one another. Families and children step away from screens to discover the power of theater and live interaction. School assemblies and kids theater allow children and families to have a group experience that fosters communal agreement on the themes presented in Jolie Canoli's shows, such as being kind, respecting others, and working hard.

School assemblies are a valuable administrative tool for promoting school unity, recognizing students, and extending classroom learning.1

Elementary school assemblies have long been recognized as a valuable tool for fostering a sense of community and promoting positive values among students. One particularly effective approach to engage young minds during these assemblies is through the use of puppetry.2 Puppets have a unique ability to captivate students' attention and create a safe space for learning and self-expression. In these assemblies, puppeteers skillfully bring characters to life, addressing important topics such as supporting one another and striving for excellence.

Puppetry is unique method to develop social emotional intelligence. Puppeted characters can experience emotions and challenges in a broader manner, and also become villains and heroes without maintain a human element. This allows kids to assess conflicts and challenges in a less personal manner, engaging their reasoning skills while allowing them to laugh, too!

Through enchanting stories and animated puppetry kids retain powerful messages encouraging unity and excellence within the student body. These performances create a unique platform to address important values such as empathy, kindness, respect, and teamwork.

These experiences leave a lasting impression, inspiring kids to pursue their creative ventures. Kids are motivated to be creative, write, illustrate, and use physical expression. Kids' shows, author visits, and school assemblies invite participation. Kids will forge ahead into their own ideas, encouraged by someone who has gone before them.

Kids shows

Kids shows are excellent for elementary schools, preschools, kindergartens, local theaters, festivals, and more! Available Kids Shows include:

Uniquely You
Kids discover that they unique and dearly loved in this fun show brimming with puppetry and catchy songs. Jolie sings original songs like "Uniquely You" and “If I Were an Elephant.” Meanwhile kids are encouraged to appreciate the uniqueness in others as Buddy the Dog learns it is actually possible to love a cat. 

Folktales and Puppy Tails
Jolie uses physical theater and puppetry to share character-building folktales such as the an abbreviated version of Oscar Wilde’s “The Happy Prince” and the Turkish folktale “A Grain of Rice.”

The Wonder of Mime
Jolie uses traditional white face mime to teach kids that our actions speak louder than words. Sharing stories through playful physical theater and classical illusions, kids will discover this ancient art form and its ability to surprise and delight all ages!

Jolie Canoli Holiday Show
Jolie sings a dinosaur inspired “Jingle Jaws,” a hedgehog tune of “Icicles On My Prickles,” and shares fun Christmas stories for all ages.

SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES & Author Visits

Jolie’s shows are wonderful opportunity to build school spirit. Jolie’s storytelling and book themes encourage respect, personal responsibility and excellence to promote a healthy school culture.

Shows meet educational standards for the performing arts and social emotional learning. Topics covered include growth mindset, respect for others, responsibility with feelings, and celebrating diversity.

As author and illustrator Jolie encourages kids to dream big, write fun stories, and pursue artistic creativity. Jolie Canoli Author Visits include a book reading, a visit from a puppet version of the main character, an illustration demo, and sharing on the themes from the book. She concludes with Q&A.

Author Visits are themed by the featured book. Book options are below:

You Are Wonderful, Marzette—This heartwarming story reminds kids that they are wonderful and truly loved. Jolie brings a hand-crafted marionette of Marzette and also performs the story in mime. 

Bones—”Bones” is a hilarious early reader about perseverance. Buddy is a dog with a key to a treasure box that he will never lose. Of course, he loses his key, and he must search high, low, far, and beyond to find it again. Jolie shares about the importance of perseverance, what we seek for, and what we find valuable. 

But Mom Said No—Written in poetic verse, “But Mom Said No” tells of five friends who discover in surprising and humorous ways that not every animal should be a pet. But will these kids ever find a pet that mom will approve of? This funny kids' story demonstrates sometimes saying no is best. Jolie discusses the importance of honoring your parents, setting good boundaries, and saying no. Jolie also brings puppets of the five animals from the book. 

Kindergarten/Preschool Alphabet Book— Jolie Canoli Phonics books offer letters that look like their sounds, along with hilarious and tongue-twisting rhymes. Jolie reads her alphabet book along with Buddy the Dog and Pip the Hedgehog as puppets. She also reads her phonics story "Pop," about the prickly Hedgehog Pip and his attempt to blow up a balloon.