By: Emma Sonski - Grade 4, Hop Brook Elementary School, Naugatuck Are you into science? If so, then Professor Gizmo s Fun & Science Show is just right for you. But the Palace Theater is just right for anybody. When you enter the theater, you see gold squares on the ceiling in the lobby. There is a balcony in the lobby as well as in the theater. The bathrooms are also located in the lobby, which you will find almost hidden to the right. To get into the theater, you have the choice to go left or right through two big doors. Once you are in the theater, you are immediately surrounded by maroon reddish seats that are very comfortable. There are seats separated from the public ones that are for reporters just like me. Sitting in those seats, you can see the stage, which is as wide as five cars put together. The stage is very big, and so are the curtains that match the seats perfectly. You can t tell how big the stage really is because the curtains cover most of it. All of this fanciness made me feel like I was famous because it seemed like I was in a five star building! Before the show, I was able to go backstage with Karen Streeter, our guide. She showed us murals that were painted on the wall of all the plays that performed at the Palace Theater. Those murals were signed by the actors in each play. Some of the plays were, Beauty and the Beast, Shrek, The Wizard of Oz, and Mamma Mia. Next, she showed us dressing rooms where the actors in the play put on their makeup and get ready for the show. The rooms have lots of mirrors surrounded by bright lights. When Professor Gizmo entered the stage to start the play, I thought he looked like a mascot because he was wearing a yellow lab coat, decorated with many different things such as light bulbs and recycling signs. On the top of his head, he had a bald spot surrounded by wacky white hair. He also had a white moustache under his big fat nose. On top of that nose was a pair of glasses. On his hands, he
wore big bright gloves. For a top, he wore a striped shirt with an opening on his chest where you saw a white shirt covered with a large bow. He wore big baggy pants and shoes like a clown s, and on his right foot his toes were sticking out almost like the shoes were too small for him. Professor Gizmo did all types of experiments, like using electricity to stick spoons to a boy volunteer, turning a duck feather into a real duck through a DNA machine, holding a cup of water over a girl volunteer s head without any coming out, and turning dirty, polluted water into clear clean water. After each experiment, Professor Gizmo had the audience say, Awwwwwwww. Then Professor Gizmo said, But I have another one. After he said that, he had the audience say, Yay! The most exciting and interesting experiment was when Professor Gizmo turned the duck feather into a real duck. To do that, he had a girl volunteer come up and choose a feather from a line. The feather she chose was a duck feather, but he didn t tell the audience. He put it into a DNA machine to figure out what bird it came from. The DNA machine showed us what bird the feather came from by turning it into that bird, which was a duck. After he finished the experiment, I sat in awe, wondering how the feather turned into a duck. Not everything in the show was an experiment. For example, he took out a singing and talking plant that told the audience a very important fact: when you breathe out air, it turns into carbon dioxide, but when that carbon dioxide goes through a plant s leaf, it turns back into oxygen. I assume that by bringing out the plant, Professor Gizmo wanted to show the audience how important our trees and plants are. At the end of the play, Professor Gizmo had six or seven volunteers from the audience come up on stage where he asked them questions. If the answers were right, which all of them were, the volunteers received a medal. I think that is a great way to get the audience involved. After the show was over, Karen, our guide, took us backstage so we could ask Professor Gizmo, who was out of his costume, some questions. I asked him how long he has been doing science and his answer was thirty years. I also asked him what made him start doing science. He said because he likes magic very much and science is related to magic. He likes science because it shows the truth and helps you understand it. He also thinks it s very cool and is like a puzzle. Another question I asked him was if he gets nervous before he performs. He said he got nervous when he was young, but now he gets happy instead of nervous. I love performing, said Professor Gizmo. It is the only thing I like to do. I also asked him what his favorite part of the performance was. He said it was when he sprinkled the
audience with a liquid he said was poisonous, then realized he did, and shot toilet paper out of a tube that he called elephant s toothpaste. At the beginning of the show, I thought I was a little too old for it. But as the show went on, I was very entertained and wanted to come back again. I recommend this show to people of any age because it is the best show I ve ever been to. By: Elma Rahman - Grade 4, Hop Brook School, Naugatuck My experience at the Palace Theater was great. The Palace Theater has interesting history, like when they have something called a ghost light. It is a simple light bulb on a tall lamp that is left burning all night. There are 3 stories on why the theater has a ghost light. One story is that back in time of Shakespeare candles were burned to scare away ghosts and they continue this tradition today but the theater uses electricity. Another story is that the ghost light will prevent anyone walking across the stage in the dark from getting hurt on set pieces. In the theater there is also a place called the Grand Foyer. The Grand Foyer is a room with stairs and mirrors. The stairs are made out of marble but the walls look like marble, but are actually hand painted. It took 4 men to paint the Grand Foyer walls. They even signed the railing. So I went to the Palace Theater to watch a show called Professor Gizmo s Fun and Science Show. This is what I thought about: I thought that the show was educational and funny. It kept kids laughing (especially me). I learned about oxygen, bird feathers, and bird eggs. But most importantly I learned that you could learn and have fun at the same time!
By: Natalie Jones - Grade 4, Prendergast Elementary School, Ansonia Hi my name is Natalie Jones and I am in Ms. Bilodeau s fourth grade at Prendergast Elementary School. I would rate this experience as being amazing. I interviewed Professor Gizmo from Professor Gizmo s Fun and Science Show and he happily answered all of my questions. He said that he always wanted to perform on stage because he loved the sound of the crowd clapping. He was good in school and great in science, which is why he decided to perform a science show. His favorite part of the show is when he gets a lot of kids on stage and asks them questions. Personally, I liked it when he pretended that two kids were married. He likes science because it is like a puzzle. He also said that he likes to visualize. Professor Gizmo takes his show to many places. He got the name Professor Gizmo from a show. How does he not get nervous when he performs? Professor Gizmo says the secret is to just like what you are performing. While at the Palace Theater, I learned many facts. The Palace Theater was built in 1922, which means it is 90 years old. It was torn down in 1987and then reopened in 2004. Downstairs the lead actor will paint the name of the play then have all the other actors sign it. When you walk in you might notice cracks on the floor, they are there because a river flows under the theater. Most people do not look up but if you get a chance than you should look up because it is gorgeous. The Palace heater is meant for people big and small to watch something. I definitely recommend visiting the Palace Theater to see any show but it would be even better if you could see Professor Gizmo. By: Julia Fraulo - Grade 4, Prendergast Elementary School, Ansonia I met Professor Gizmo after the show with some other students. We asked him some questions and were able to learn more about what goes on before, during, and after the show.
By: Milan Yorke - Grade 4, Prendergast Elementary School, Ansonia Hey it is Milan Yorke reporting from Prendergast Elementary School in Ansonia, CT. On October 24, 2012, I went to the Palace Theater where I met a new friend called Gizmo. The Palace Theater was a great and exciting place. Gizmo showed me around the building and talked to me. He told me he was born with a passion for theater. Gizmo had a great sense of humor and made me laugh. His favorite subject in school was science. When he was a kid he liked to do experiments. His parents and friends influenced him to pursue his acting and science. They believed in him. He fully believes in himself. Can you believe he makes sounds and voices and has played in Mr. Malakal, Bing Bong, Boom and of course Professor Gizmo s Science and Fun. Gizmo s dream is to do more shows. I just want Gizmo to know that I really appreciate what he did and how great it was to walk around and see the whole Palace. It was a great experience and I hope I go there again. The next digest show is going to be Peter Pan which I can t wait to see for my birthday. By: Morgan Lock - Grade 4, Prendergast Elementary School, Ansonia Oh my gosh! I loved it! The decorations were wonderful and I loved the detail on the ceiling. I was so glad that I got picked. I have to write an article but I know it s worth it. We saw the wig room, the actor s dressing rooms and we even went backstage! I loved being at The Palace Theater. I will never forget the day that I was there. I also loved the show. Dr. Gizmo is so funny. He s funny in a science way. I learned a lot from him. I liked the fact that we were the Press. We were sitting in a special Press section, we had Press passes and the music came from right next to us. I liked interviewing Dr. Gizmo. After the interview I knew that he likes science because experiments change things just like magic does and he likes magic. After the interview I also learned that Dr. Gizmo has been acting for 30 years and the mascots at games inspire him. I learned a lot and it was so much fun. I hope I can go again.