Dallas Children's Theater facts for kids

Dallas Children's Theater (DCT) is a special theater group in Dallas, Texas. It creates amazing plays and shows just for kids and families! Every year, about 250,000 young people get to enjoy their nine main stage shows, their touring plays that travel across the country, and their fun education programs. Time magazine even called DCT one of the top five theaters for young people in the whole country back in 2004.

About Dallas Children's Theater

DCT was started in 1984 by Robyn Flatt and Dennis Vincent. It's a non-profit organization, which means it uses its money to put on shows and help the community, not to make a profit. Since it began, DCT has grown to be the biggest family theater in the Southwest United States.

Where DCT Performs

DCT puts on its 11 yearly shows at the Rosewood Center for Family Arts. This center is also where they hold their youth programs, like their theater academy and reading programs.

New and Exciting Plays

The team at DCT works hard to create new and original plays for young audiences. Since 1984, their artistic staff has written or adapted over 40 brand-new plays and musicals. By April 8, 2018, DCT had presented 76 world premiere shows. They have performed 212 different plays in 356 individual productions, with over 12,944 performances for nearly 5 million people! Some famous shows include Yana Wana's Legend of the Bluebonnet, Teen Brain: The Musical, EAT (It's Not About Food), Treasure Island: Reimagined!, and Mariachi Girl. Besides new works, they also perform plays based on popular books, historical events, and classic stories.

Awards and Connections

Both Time and American Theatre magazines have recognized DCT as one of the best professional theaters in the U.S. DCT is connected with important theater groups like the Actors' Equity Association and the Theatre Communications Group. They are also part of international groups like ASSITEJ International, which focuses on theater for young audiences.

Learning and Outreach Programs

DCT offers many educational programs for kids and teens in Dallas. These include:

• A national touring show that visits over 50 cities each year.
• Special student performances where schools can attend shows at a lower price. This helps kids who might not otherwise get to see live theater.
• "Curtains Up on Reading," an arts-in-education program.
• Theater classes for kids and teens.
• After-school programs.
• Special programs just for teenagers.

DCT provides shows for families, year-round education, and a touring company that travels to over 52 cities and 26 states.

Meet Robyn Flatt, Artistic Director

Robyn Flatt has been the executive artistic director of DCT since she helped start it in 1984. In 2008, she created the Baker Idea Institute. This institute holds yearly meetings to talk about creativity and art in education.

Robyn Flatt studied theater at Baylor University. Before starting DCT, she was a member of the Dallas Theater Center's professional acting company for 20 years.

She has also served on the boards of important theater organizations. In 2007, she was honored by being inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre.

Exciting Programs at DCT

DCT offers many different ways for kids and families to experience theater.

DCT's Production Season

The main season features about nine plays for families. These shows cover many topics, from popular stories like Disney's Beauty and the Beast and Schoolhouse Rock Live! to classic children's books like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. For the holidays, DCT often presents favorites like The Very Hungry Caterpillar Christmas Show and Little Women. DCT performs musicals, dramas, puppet shows, and more to entertain everyone. They also have plays that deal with important topics for teens and their families, and shows for the very youngest audiences, like Balloonacy.

DCT on Tour

The "DCT on Tour" program sends professional actors to perform for over 100,000 students and families in 60 cities across North America. In 2006, the tour even went to Shanghai, China, and in 2014-2015, they visited Canada. The tour has performed at famous places like the JFK Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. They reach many kids in smaller towns and faraway places, like Joplin, Missouri, and Anchorage, Alaska. Their first touring show was in 1996. Popular touring shows include Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, Diary of a Worm, A Spider & a Fly, and Flat Stanley. In 2009, Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters was recognized as an "American Masterpieces Touring Artist" by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Student Matinee Performance Series

This program brings about 50,000 students and teachers to weekday performances of DCT's main shows each year. While tickets usually cost more, schools pay a much lower price. Free online study guides help teachers connect the theater experience with what students are learning in class. DCT also gives free or very cheap tickets to children and families from low-income areas and to schools that need extra support. In partnership with DISD Fine Arts, this program has included many performances to make sure all second graders get to see a live theater show at DCT.

DCT Academy for Theater Arts

The DCT Academy offers theater classes all year long for over 2,000 young people, from ages 3 and a half to 18. The spring and fall sessions last 11 weeks, with many classes for different skill levels. Theater professionals teach these classes, focusing on helping students develop their imagination, communication skills, teamwork, and acting techniques. "Showbiz Summer" offers over 50 classes. There are also special opportunities for older students in the Teen Conservatory. Scholarships are available to help students attend.

Curtains Up on Reading

This program works with elementary schools to combine drama, reading, language arts, social studies, and history. DCT artists work with teachers to use drama in the main school subjects. They create hands-on lessons that help students understand the material better, get excited about learning, and build confidence. This program is especially helpful for students who might have language barriers or learning difficulties. History comes alive when students act out characters and scenes.

Curtains Up on Literacy

This program partners with Literacy Achieves to connect adult literacy classes and pre-kindergarten children's classes with creative drama and professional theater shows. It's a free program for 30 to 40 families, bringing different generations together through theater.

Kathy Burks Theater of Puppetry Arts

The Kathy Burks Theater of Puppetry Arts started in 1973 and has been part of DCT since 1996. They use all kinds of puppets, including traditional marionettes, hand puppets, shadow puppets, and Black Theater rod puppets. Kathy Burks' puppets often appear in other main DCT shows.

The Kathy Burks Theater of Puppetry Arts keeps its huge collection of over 1,000 puppets, both new and old, at DCT's Rosewood Center for Family Arts.

DCT Performance Locations

DCT shows first started at El Centro Community College in 1984 and stayed there until 2003. In 1987, with help from The Rosewood Corporation and the Meadows Foundation, DCT moved its offices and some performances to the Crescent Theater in Dallas.

In 2003, DCT moved from the Crescent Theater into its current home, the 58,000-square-foot Rosewood Center for Family Arts. This center has two theaters: the Baker Theater, which seats 400 people, and the Studio Theater, which seats 150. It also has five classrooms, a community room, and space for costumes, sets, and storage.

Production History Highlights

Dallas Children's Theater has a long history of amazing productions. Since 1984, they have brought countless stories to life on stage. Their shows have included adaptations of classic books, new plays, and musicals. They have performed many different types of stories, from fairy tales to historical dramas, always keeping young audiences in mind.

Some notable productions over the years include:

• Babes in Toyland (1984)
• A Wrinkle in Time (1984)
• The Wizard of Oz (1985)
• Peter Pan (1986)
• The Miracle Worker (1987)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1987)
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1988)
• The Diary of Anne Frank (1989)
• Charlotte's Web (1990)
• The Little Mermaid (1991)
• Beauty and the Beast (1992)
• The Wizard of Oz (1993)
• Cinderella or Everybody Needs a Fairy Godmother (1995)
• To Kill a Mockingbird (1996)
• The Nutcracker (1996, Kathy Burks Theater of Puppetry Arts)
• Babe, the Sheep Pig (1998)
• Miracle on 34th Street (1999)
• Honk! (2001)
• Holes (2002)
• The Outsiders (2003)
• Charlotte's Web (2005)
• James and the Giant Peach (2006)
• The Giver (2007)
• A Year with Frog and Toad (2007)
• The Neverending Story (2008)
• How I Became a Pirate (2009)
• Tuck Everlasting (2010)
• Pinkalicious: The Musical (2012)
• Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat (2013)
• Miracle on 34th Street (2014)
• Seussical (2016)
• Goosebumps the Musical: Phantom of the Auditorium (2017)
• Disney's Beauty and the Beast (2019)
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar Christmas Show (2019)
• The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (2021)