Dallas Children’s Theater
Rosewood Center For Family Arts
5938 Skillman
Dallas, TX. 75231
DCT Box Office (214) 740-0051
www.dct.org
It is easy to let family time with the kids become routine and boring. You know what I mean – watching the latest Disney video for the fortieth time, your eyes glazed over, just counting the minutes until it’s over. Or sitting in a fast food restaurant listening to the shrill cries of caffeine wired children as they tear around on the playground equipment. Well, it doesn’t have to be like that. There is an easy way to spice things up. Treat the kids and yourselves to some family-friendly live theater at the Dallas Children’s Theater.
Every year the Dallas Children’s Theater puts on a number of high quality productions for children and young adults. Children marvel as they watch classic children’s stories and contemporary favorites come to life on stage. The experience is also quite enjoyable for most adults who haven’t completely stifled their inner-child. My favorite part of it all is simply glancing over at my children during the play and watching their reactions and expressions. They’re never bored. They laugh and smile and sometimes they just hold their breath in suspense and stare wide-eyed at the stage.
But the plays are not all for children. As I’ve said, there are also productions geared towards young adults. In other words, those dreaded teenagers. You may wonder how a play can compete with Saw XVI for your teen’s attention. You’d be surprised. Most young adults have had very limited exposure to live theater. Many find that they really enjoy it once they have the opportunity to experience it. And Dallas Children’s Theater is one of the best at what they do. In 2004, Time Magazine named the Dallas Children’s Theater as one of the top five theaters in the United States for families audiences.
Y.A.R.D. (Young Adult Relevant Drama), is the Dallas Children’s Theater’s attempt to entertain and educate teenagers and parents. The plays put on by Y.A.R.D. often deal with difficult, contemporary issues faced by young people and seek to enlighten parents, offer answers to tough questions, and show families where they can find help if they are dealing with such an issue. In the past, the Dallas Children’s Theater has dealt with such issues as eating disorders s and bullying amongst girls. The Secret Life of Girls, which deals with bullying, sold out all of its performances and was actually extended due to response it received. This year, Y.A.R.D. will put on a production called had 2 spel dad which deals with learning disorders and the struggle for self acceptance among youth who have to deal with dyslexia or similar issues. But it’s not all bullying and bulimia at the Dallas Children’s Theater. They’ve also put on very popular and entertaining production for teens such as Night of the Living Dead. This year they will also put on a play about the great Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play major league baseball. It is called Most Valuable Player.
Dallas Children’s Theater’s performances for the spring and summer of 2010 include The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which runs from March 19th – April 25th, had 2 spel dad, a Y.A.R.D. production, which runs April 9th – 25th, Carnival of Animals (Kathy Burks Theater of Puppetry Arts) May 7th – 23rd, Most Valuable Player (Y.A.R.D.) May 7th – 23rd and Giggle, Giggle, Quack, June 18th – July 18th. You may have noticed that some of the performances are going on at the same time. This is because the Dallas Children’s Theater, located in the Rosewood Center for Family Arts, has two theaters. One theater is for children and the other is for young adults. If you enjoy your experience at the Dallas Children‘s Theater and think you‘d like to see more plays, then there is a good option for you. You can pick out a mini-package of three, four, or five plays and get a discount. You pick the plays you want to see most and the day and time when you would like to see them. You can do this online at www.dct.org or call the box office at (214) 740-0051.
There are two sections in the theaters, section A which is closer to the stage and more expensive, and section B, which is further away but cheaper. Here are the prices of the mini-packages: three play package -$51.00 per person in section A, or $42.00 per person in section B. A four play package costs $68.00 per person in section A and $56.00 per person in section B. A five play package costs $85.00 per person in section A and $70.00 in section B.
Finally, if you’ve got an aspiring actress, singer, or director in your house then Dallas Children’s Theater is the perfect place to help nurture that dream. The Dallas Children’s Theater’s (DCT) Academy and Teen Conservatory offers theater and video classes to help your child do what they love and develop skills which may help in their future career. If nothing else, they’ll certainly have a lot of fun. If you’re interested call their Education Director, Nancy Schaeffer, at (214) 978-0110 ext.140.
