Conan Isitt, 7, plays a computer game at Kids Co. while his mom and dad treat themselves to “Date Night” at Intiman.
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IF YOU GO
Where: Kids Co. at John Hay Elementary, 201 Garfield St.; Intiman Theatre, 201 Mercer St., Seattle
When: Remaining Date Nights include July 18 (Othello), Sept. 12 (The Year of Magical Thinking) and Oct. 17 (Abe Lincoln in Illinois. Childcare drop-off begins at 6 p.m.; curtain is at 8 p.m. Cost: Childcare: One child $35, two children $45, three children $55. Pre-registration required. Show tickets: Single tickets $47.25 (includes 15 percent Date Night discount), Double Date tickets $44.75 (includes a 20 percent Date Night discount). Double Date pricing valid for groups of four or more.
Intiman Theatre is making it easy for parents to have an evening out. During select Date Night performances, local childcare-provider Kids Co. will entertain your little ones while you enjoy some grown-up time with discount show tickets and a pre-show reception with appetizers and wine.
My husband and I attended the first in a series of Date Nights that began in early June, and we caught a performance of A Thousand Clowns. The childcare drop-off location at nearby John Hay Elementary was quite easy. (If you go, be sure to note the Kids Co. entrance is separate from the main elementary school. Enter off Garfield Street.)
Staff members Mike and Eileen greeted us warmly and offered my son, Conan, a choice of many fun activities. Mike set him up on a computer game that was right up his alley. They later played gym games, read stories, ate pizza and enjoyed a movie with popcorn.
From John Hay, it’s a quick drive over to the Intiman at Seattle Center. The wine and hors d’oeuvres reception provided a fun VIP feeling. We had a very light dinner just beforehand, which was perfect because the food would not be quite sufficient as a dinner on its own. Conversation with other Date Night couples was easy because our kids were the built-in topic of conversation. In fact, a couple arriving a little bit later than we did gave us an update on how our son was doing on the computer game!
The show was great fun and well up to the high-quality standards one expects at the Intiman. When we picked up our son, the movie was already over and all the kids were lounging quietly on a couch enjoying a story. Because it can be a late night, the caregivers make sure to have quiet activities so that tired kids can wind down and relax.
Not wanting the good times to end, Conan didn’t want to leave right away. He wanted to tell us about playing in the gym and show us all the different toys he played with that evening. He played with “stuff” more than the other kids because he happened to be the only boy out of the seven kids there. Trying to get him out the door so that Mike and Eileen could lock up, we asked him if he’d like to do this again. We got a resounding “Yes!”
Machelle Allman is a Seattle educator, actor and mom of a first grader.
