Introducing your kids to the arts at an early age is one of those things that’s not only fun and good for them too—and the Dallas Children’s Theater is a fine place to start. Considered by critics to be one of the top theatre companies performing for young people, the DCT, as it’s often abbreviated, puts on nine to eleven main-stage shows a year and tours nationwide as well.
The Dallas Children’s Theater performs on two stages at the Rosewood Center for Family Arts—the 400-seat Baker Theater and the 150-seat Studio Theater. Their shows are primarily classic children’s literature, popular picture books or fairy tales, adapted for the stage as straight plays or musicals. The 2013-2014 season spans the entire range, with Charlotte’s Web and Little Women as well as Go, Dog, Go! and The Cat in the Hat. Many of the DCT’s most magical shows are collaborative efforts with the Kathy Burks Theatre of Puppetry Arts, such as the ’13-’14 season’s Beauty and the Beast and The Nutcracker. One of the missions of the theater is their commitment to increasing the repertoire of shows intended for child audiences—since their founding in the mid ’80s the Dallas Children’s Theater has staged the world premiere of more than 40 shows, and the regional premiere of many more (such as the ’13-’14 season’s Mariachi Girl).
Accessibility and education are important to the Dallas Children’s Theater. One performance of almost every play features American Sign Language interpretation, allowing deaf kids to enjoy the show just as much as their hearing peers. And if you’re a teacher or home educator, bring your class to the Student Matinee Performance Series—10am shows at the steep discount of $9 per student, with post-show workshops and study guides available.
And if you live in the Dallas area, you might consider enrolling your child in a DCT Academy or Teen Conservatory class; a once-a-week program where kids learn all about the dramatic arts.
The theater can be found at 5938 Skillman Street, Dallas, TX 75231.
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