01-04-2025
'Wizard of Oz,' return of 'Grinch' highlight Children's Theatre's 2025-26 season
As it prepares to open a stage adaptation of Disney's "Frozen" on April 15, the Children's Theatre Company has unveiled its packed 2025–26 season.
The season, its first to be entirely programmed by new Artistic Director Rick Dildine, features the return of one of the theater's staples, whimsical creates, and an adaptation of a classic story.
'I am excited to share with you the incredible lineup for next season at Children's Theatre Company, a season that is all about mentorship, teamwork, confidence, and curiosity,' Dildine said in a statement. 'These shows have been carefully selected to inspire, engage, and challenge young audiences, while encouraging them to embrace their potential and explore the world around them.'
The season will start with "Treasure Island" on Sept. 9, a seafaring production where a young boy named Jim must decide whether the swashbuckling Long John Silver is a friend or foe. Adapted by Stuart Paterson, the play will be directed by Dildine.
It'll be followed by a production of "Roald Dahl's The Enormous Crocodile," a one-hour musical that was originally produced by the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, Roald Dahl Story Company, and Leeds Playhouse. It will run from Oct. 1 to Nov. 23.
That'll run into the return of the CTC's annual presentation of "Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas."
The new year kicks off with "Go, Dog. Go! Ve Perro ¡Ve!," a "spectacle" geared toward younger audiences that will be performed from Jan. 20 to Feb. 22, 2026. It's a bilingual adaptation P.D. Eastman's classic children's book Go, Dog, Go!
The CTC will then launch "Dinosaur World Live" on March 3. "Are you brave enough to face a T-rex? Do you know what it feels like to get sneezed on by a triceratops?" the event's description asks. "Find out when dinosaurs take over CTC! Feel the rumble of their rawrs as a young paleontologist takes you on a tour so up-close-and-personal you'll almost smell their stinky breath!" The event is followed by a 15-minute meet-and-greet with the titular dinos.
Then a tornado whirls into town, dropping what will liekly be a hot ticket. "The Wizard of Oz" touches down to close out the season (just months after Wicked: For Good arrives in movie theaters) from April 21 to June 14.
In the midst of the season, the theater will also present "Forts! Build Your Own Adventure" from Feb. 13 to April 5. It's an interactive experience where the audience is "surrounded by old sofas, crazy lampshades, piles of blankets, and towering towers of cardboard boxes," the CTC says. "It's like the coolest attic you've ever seen, where everything's up for grabs."
Season tickets for the Children's Theatre Company's 2025-26 season are on sale now.
