Saturday, April 5, 2025 - Saturday, June 7, 2025
Family Saturdays continue through the spring, offering workshops and activities that provide a family-friendly perspective on the visual and performing arts presented to all audiences. A collaboration between the programming, library, and language center teams, Saturday events are carefully selected to complement L’Alliance’s cultural and educational missions.
Discover our featured artists and programs, as well as the detailed weekly schedule, below.
In Bloom: A Nature-inspired Family Art Making Workshop with Studio in a School (ages 3+) – Join studio artist Leigh Ruple on April 12 for a colorful celebration of the four seasons inspired by our April gallery artist, Fabrice Hyber, and Earth Month! Studio in a School is a visual arts organization partnering with public schools and community organizations in NYC. Their team connects teaching artists with schools to organize classes in drawing, printmaking, painting, sculpting, media tech, and more. Studio in a School also partners with cultural organizations to connect schools and arts educators with current exhibitions, curators, museums, among others. RSVP Here
Broken Box Mime Theater (ages 3-12) – BKBX (Broken Box Mime Theater) is a contemporary physical theater company that tells original stories beyond language barrier. L’Alliance New York has welcomed the troupe for performances and workshops in past seasons of TILT Kids festival and the Young Audience Program. Special this season! Broken Box Mime Theater will perform My Little Eye: A Show About Climate & The Earth on April 26. Buy Tickets
Family Screenings (ages vary) – L’Alliance New York presents three beautiful, family-friendly films for audiences this spring. First up is the astounding documentary Whale Nation on April 26—a breathtaking journey into the lives of whales and their vital role in our ecosystem. On May 10, you won’t want to miss the classic The Red Balloon, the beloved French short film that has enchanted audiences for generations with its simple yet poetic storytelling. And on June 7, view the latest film from French auteur Jean-François Laguionie—A Boat in the Garden, an animated film about an imaginative boy and his stepfather. Buy Tickets
Little Red Riding Hood (ages 5+) – It’s one of the first—and most popular—stories read to children, featuring such spellbinding charm that generations have grown up loving it. In this production for young viewers, Das Plateau brings the time-honored Brothers Grimm tale to life through immersive imagery, unforgettable characters, and an empowering interpretation. Buy Tickets
Weekly Storytime (ages 4-9) – Drop in on Saturdays for free family-style French story time at the Haskell Library! Held in the main reading room and featuring books carefully curated from the library’s collection, each week will focus on a different fun and inspiring theme. No advance registration required.
Coloring in the Library (ages 3+) – After Storytime, coloring activities will be available to students and families throughout the Library’s usual Saturday hours. L’Alliance New York’s arts and cultural programming department will provide a family guide that includes coloring pages and kid-friendly information about L’Alliance’s visual and performing arts programs. No advance registration required.
*Please note there will be no Family Saturday programming held on Saturday, May 24, 2025.
Workshops:
Members: $10
Non-members: $15
20% discount for multiple tickets with code FAM20
Coloring and Storytime:
Free
11:30am-12:00pm: Story Hour (Ages 3-7)
12:00pm-2:00pm: Coloring/Drawing in Library (Ages 3+)
1:30pm-2:15pm: BKBX Workshop (Ages 3-9)
Silent Storytelling with Broken Box Mime Theater
L’Alliance Skyroom
Join BKBX teaching artists in a weekly class, exploring ideas that complement L’Alliance New York’s language class curricula. This semester, the theme will be related to nature and climate. Theater artists from Broken Box Mime will explore how we tell stories without words! In this weekly series, we will learn the basics of mime, play with body language, and learn how to tell stories as an ensemble. All levels of experience and access needs are welcome. Come play!
10:15am-11:15am: In Bloom: A Nature-inspired Family Art Making Workshop with Studio in a School (Ages 3+)
11:30am-12:00pm: Story Hour (Ages 3-7)
12:00pm-2:00pm: Coloring/Drawing in Library (Ages 3+)
1:30pm-2:15pm: BKBX Workshop (Ages 3-9)
In Bloom: A Nature-inspired Family Art Making Workshop with Studio in a School Artist Leigh Ruple
L’Alliance Skyroom
Join studio artist Leigh Ruple for a colorful celebration of the four seasons inspired by our April gallery artist, Fabrice Hyber, and Earth Month! Participants will explore oil pastels to capture the abundant gifts of each season. Instructor Ruple will model approaches for making marks, dynamic lines, layering colors, and combining shapes, along with different ways to use oil pastels. Take home your drawings and future ideas for making art at your home.
All children must be accompanied by a parent, caregiver or guardian at all times.
About Studio in a School – Studio in a School is a visual arts organization partnering with public schools and community organizations in NYC. Their team connects teaching artists with schools to organize classes in drawing, printmaking, painting, sculpting, media tech, and more. Studio in a School also partners with cultural organizations to connect schools and arts educators with current exhibitions, curators, museums, among others.
About Leigh Ruple – Leigh Ruple was born in Ohio and lives and works in New York City. She received her BFA from the Cooper Union in 2006 and her MFA from Bard College in 2014. She works in painting and drawing. She has been exhibiting in New York City since 2009 and has been an Artist Instructor with Studio in a School since 2014
Silent Storytelling with Broken Box Mime Theater
L’Alliance Skyroom
Join BKBX teaching artists in a weekly class, exploring ideas that complement L’Alliance New York’s language class curricula. This semester, the theme will be related to nature and climate. Theater artists from Broken Box Mime will explore how we tell stories without words! In this weekly series, we will learn the basics of mime, play with body language, and learn how to tell stories as an ensemble. All levels of experience and access needs are welcome. Come play!
11:30am-12:00pm: Story Hour (Ages 3-7)
12:00pm-2:00pm: Coloring/Drawing in Library (Ages 3+)
1:30pm-2:15pm: BKBX Workshop (Ages 3-9)
Silent Storytelling with Broken Box Mime Theater
L’Alliance Skyroom
Join BKBX teaching artists in a weekly class, exploring ideas that complement L’Alliance New York’s language class curricula. This semester, the theme will be related to nature and climate. Theater artists from Broken Box Mime will explore how we tell stories without words! In this weekly series, we will learn the basics of mime, play with body language, and learn how to tell stories as an ensemble. All levels of experience and access needs are welcome. Come play!
10:30am-11:15am: BKBX Performance: My Little Eye: A Show About Climate & The Earth (Ages 2-6)
11:30am-12:55pm: Whale Nation Screening (Ages 6+)
11:30am-12:00pm: Story Hour (Ages 4-9)
12:00pm-2:00pm: Coloring/Drawing in Library (Ages 3+)
My Little Eye: A Show about Climate & The Earth with Broken Box Mime Theater
L’Alliance Skyroom
Follow our speaking emcee (who might be…a caterpillar?!) as she guides us through the mimes’ silent stories and interactive games. What is climate change? What big feelings come up around big changes of any kind? Audiences will leave with an activated imagination, and a reminder of how powerful we are when we all work together.
Screening: Whale Nation
Florence Gould Theater
Director Jean-Albert Lièvre’s documentary follows the plight of a beached humpback whale and weaves in interviews with myriad experts and underwater footage of whales in their natural environment. A poetic homage to Heathcote Williams’ book Whale Nation and a rallying cry, urging viewers to consider the effects of their actions.
11:30am-12:00pm: Story Hour (Ages 3-7)
12:00pm-2:00pm: Coloring/Drawing in Library (Ages 3+)
1:30pm-2:15pm: BKBX Workshop (Ages 3-9)
Silent Storytelling with Broken Box Mime Theater
L’Alliance Skyroom
Join BKBX teaching artists in a weekly class, exploring ideas that complement L’Alliance New York’s language class curricula. This semester, the theme will be related to nature and climate. Theater artists from Broken Box Mime will explore how we tell stories without words! In this weekly series, we will learn the basics of mime, play with body language, and learn how to tell stories as an ensemble. All levels of experience and access needs are welcome. Come play!
11:30am: The Red Balloon Screening (Ages 3+)
11:30am-12:00pm: Story Hour (Ages 3-7)
12:00pm-2:00pm: Coloring/Drawing in Library (Ages 3+)
1:30pm-2:15pm: BKBX Workshop (Ages 3-9)
Screening: The Red Balloon
L’Alliance Skyroom
Albert Lamorisse’s classic has been beloved by both critics and audiences for nearly 70 years, winning hearts every time it is discovered anew. Pascal Lamorisse (the director’s son) is a young boy who finds, and is soon followed around Paris by, a playful balloon with a mind of its own, which gets him into all kinds of adventures. A rightfully beloved masterpiece of childhood and humanity.
Silent Storytelling with Broken Box Mime Theater
L’Alliance Skyroom
Join BKBX teaching artists in a weekly class, exploring ideas that complement L’Alliance New York’s language class curricula. This semester, the theme will be related to nature and climate. Theater artists from Broken Box Mime will explore how we tell stories without words! In this weekly series, we will learn the basics of mime, play with body language, and learn how to tell stories as an ensemble. All levels of experience and access needs are welcome. Come play!
11:30am-12:00pm: Story Hour (Ages 3-7)
12:00pm-2:00pm: Coloring/Drawing in Library (Ages 3+)
1:30pm-2:15pm: BKBX Workshop (Ages 3-9)
Silent Storytelling with Broken Box Mime Theater
Tinker Auditorium
Join BKBX teaching artists in a weekly class, exploring ideas that complement L’Alliance New York’s language class curricula. This semester, the theme will be related to nature and climate. Theater artists from Broken Box Mime will explore how we tell stories without words! In this weekly series, we will learn the basics of mime, play with body language, and learn how to tell stories as an ensemble. All levels of experience and access needs are welcome. Come play!
11:30am-12:00pm: Story Hour (Ages 3-7)
12:00pm-2:00pm: Coloring/Drawing in Library (Ages 3+)
12pm-12:45pm: Little Red Riding Hood Performance (in English with French supertitles) (Ages 5+)
Theater: Little Red Riding Hood
Florence Gould Theater
Little Red Riding Hood is one of the first—and most popular—stories read to children, featuring such spellbinding charm that generations have grown up with. In this production, Das Plateau brings the time-honored tale to life. With thoroughly immersive imagery—the landscapes, the forest, the red stain, the sun bursting through the dark canopies—and unforgettable characters—the wolf, the child, the mother, the grandmother, and the hunter—this new production promises to charm a new generation of audiences.
This powerful interpretation of the Brothers Grimm story emphasizes Little Red Riding Hood’s valiant and courageous spirit. The result is a rediscovery of the narrative, much more subversive than one might think, which asserts the right to mystery, pleasure, freedom, and fear. Or as Little Red Riding Hood says, “Let’s walk in the woods while the wolf is away.”
Buy tickets for French performance.
(Friday May 30 – evening)
Buy tickets for English performance.
(Saturday, May 31 – matinee)
11:30am-12:45pm: A Boat in the Garden Screening (All ages)
11:30am-12:00pm: Story Hour (Ages 3-7)
12:00pm-2:00pm: Coloring/Drawing in Library (Ages 3+)
Screening: A Boat in the Garden
L’Alliance Skyroom
Come see the latest beautifully animated family film by French auteur Jean-François Laguionie. It’s 1950’s, France, by the serene banks of the Marne River. François, a daydreaming child of boundless imagination, has his life changed when his father decides to start building a boat in the garden. Thus begins the family’s grand odyssey, a collective venture to construct a boat that would carry them away – somewhere between reality and reverie.
Saturday, April 26, 2025
Saturday, May 10, 2025
Saturday, June 7, 2025
Every month, our curators handpick an exciting film that’s perfect for all ages – so grab your loved ones and join us for a fun-filled movie everyone can enjoy!
Le Petit Chaperon rouge
Friday, May 30, 2025
Followed by a Q&A with the artists
It’s one of the first—and most popular—stories read to children, featuring such spellbinding charm that generations have grown up loving it. In this production for young viewers, Das Plateau brings the time-honored Brothers Grimm tale to life through immersive imagery, unforgettable characters, and an empowering interpretation.
Le Petit Chaperon rouge
Friday, May 30, 2025
Saturday, May 31, 2025
It’s one of the first—and most popular—stories read to children, featuring such spellbinding charm that generations have grown up loving it. In this production for young viewers, Das Plateau brings the time-honored Brothers Grimm tale to life through immersive imagery, unforgettable characters, and an empowering interpretation.
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