Join Circle Round and WBUR in San Francisco for a live recording of a brand-new tale and to celebrate the kickoff of the 2024 national tour in the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center For Arts & Culture. Created and produced by parents of young children, WBUR’s Circle Round adapts carefully selected folktales from around the world into sound- and music-rich radio plays for kids ages three to 103.

Each tale explores important issues like kindness, persistence, and generosity. Beloved voices from the stage, screen, and podcast/public-radio worlds bring these stories to life with the help of narrator, writer, and veteran public radio host/reporter Rebecca Sheir. Eric Shimelonis, composer for the stage and screen, creates original music for each story.

Performances occur on Saturday, February 24, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. (sold out) and 4:30 p.m. Gather in the Cowell Theater lobby after the event for a meet-and-greet with Rebecca and Eric along with exclusive Circle Round tour merch and a book-signing.

About The Artists
Rebecca Sheir has brought thousands of stories to life as a public radio reporter and host, appearing on such shows as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Here & Now, The Splendid Table, and Marketplace. She’s hosted several weekly news programs, including AK (Alaska Public Radio Network) and Metro Connection (WAMU 88.5), along with podcasts for the Folger Shakespeare Library and Slate Magazine. Rebecca holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Iowa. Her first book, Onions and Garlic, was adapted from a Circle Round episode and published by PJ Library. She’s also the author of the Circle Round picture books series, published by Storey Publishing.

Eric Shimelonis is a composer, musician, and audio producer whose work has been heard on stage, screen, and over the airwaves. Audiences have enjoyed his classical compositions at the Juilliard School, the Rattlestick New Music Series, the Kennedy Center, and at a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall. With more than 300 sound designs in the theater, Eric has won a Helen Hayes Award, and has been nominated for Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Big Easy, and Henry Hewes Design Awards. Film highlights include the features International Falls and Winter Passing, for which he performed a duet with Will Ferrell.

About WBUR
WBUR is Boston’s NPR. A public media leader committed to exceptional journalism on-air, online, on-demand and on stage. WBUR’s mission is to produce high-quality journalism and enriching experiences that foster understanding, connection, and community for an expanding circle of people. WBUR’s vision is to become a daily habit for every person in Boston and beyond who seeks to engage with the most consequential issues of our times. Some performances feature favorite tales from the archives; others include a live recording of brand new tales.