Dallas Children's Theater Blog

Astonishing Kids And Families With The Fun of Broadway-Like Plays and A Lot More!

Monthly Archives: May 2012

A “Blume”ing Rapport at the DMA

Author Judy Blume (left) pictured with DCT Education Director Nancy Schaeffer (right) at the recent DMA Arts & Letters Live event.

It was like listening to a conversation in someone’s living room.

In preparation for moderating a discussion with award-winning author Judy Blume to a sold-out crowd at the DMA’s Arts & Letters Live, DCT Education Director Nancy Schaeffer had studied all about Blume’s life and work.

“I’m so lucky I got to meet her and be on stage with her! She made me feel so relaxed – it was like we were long lost pals,” said Schaeffer.

In fact, Schaeffer had done so much research and was so prepared that at one point, she knew the answer to a question before Blume did! After the next question, Blume jokingly asked Schaeffer if she wanted to answer for her, and the whole audience laughed.

Among the many topics of discussion were Blume’s writing style.

“I loved learning about her writing process,” Schaeffer said. “Meeting her really reaffirmed my belief in the power of stories and also the work we do at DCT bringing books to life on stage.”

DCT is a big fan of the author. Her book Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, an audience favorite, has gone from page to stage at DCT twice.

The Dallas Morning News Arts Blog described the recent Arts & Letters Live event with Blume & Schaeffer as a poignant evening. You can read about it here: https://artsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2012/04/what-was-so-emotional-about-ju.html.

A great time was had by all, and DCT sends special thanks to the Dallas Museum of Art for involving us in such a special evening!

Diary of the (Cue)test Show


“They do things big at DCT, but this might be their biggest show yet.” –Dallas Observer

The multi-level set of DCT’s larger-than-life show Diary of a Worm, a Spider & a Fly magnifies the insect world into a fascinating place: It’s in the sky, It’s underground, It’s in a treehouse. There are over-sized juiceboxes, bottle caps, and a bug’s arch nemesis: the vacuum cleaner.

Ant uses his karate skills to try to fend off the dreaded vacuum cleaner. Photo by Karen Almond

While the audience watches all of the action happening onstage in the show, the backstage crew keeps busy with elaborate transitions, called cues.

Cues are signals used to prompt another event in a performance, such as an actor’s speech or entrance, a change in lighting, a sound effect or a video effect.

Did you know there are approximately 450 cues in the show, including 200 light cues, 120 audio cues and 100 video cues? Who knew the insect world could be so complex!

Diary of a Worm, a Spider & a Fly continues at DCT through Sunday, June 3rd! To purchase tickets for one of the upcoming show times, call the Box Office at 214-740-0051, or visit our website.

“Diary” Buzz


It’s the coolest ever rock-n-roll romp in a bug’s world! DCT’s current show Diary of a Worm, a Spider & a Fly is creating all kinds of buzz!

Check out the reviews for yourself:

Dallas Morning News: “The raucous, joyous show rapping spiritedly at Dallas Children’s Theater offers an intoxicating mix of educational and entertaining fare.”

Dallas Observer: “They do things big at DCT, but this may be their biggest show yet.”

TheaterJones: “Not only is the production quality consistently high, but you get to watch the young audience members as they respond to the actors with unfettered honesty.”

Diary of a Worm, a Spider & a Fly continues at DCT through Sunday, June 3rd. Call the Box Office at 214-740-0051, or visit our website to purchase tickets to one of the upcoming show times!

Introducing DCT’s 2012-2013 Season…


Have you updated your passport recently?

Get ready to be transported to another dimension! To a town called Pigsylvania! To a world where everything turns pink! And many other exciting locales!

DCT’s highly anticipated line up of shows for the 2012-2013 season features an exciting variety of imaginative adventures and classic tales.

Find out what our DCT Academy students can’t wait to see!

Also, visit our website for more information on each of the shows in the 2012-2013 season, as well as how to take advantage of DCT’s affordable season ticket packages, which are on sale now!

AnchorKids at DCT

Are you more Worm, Spider or Fly? Does your mother let you roll around in the dirt? Who is your favorite Beatle? (or beetle?)

These are just a few of the burning questions that DCT’s Anchor Kids, Maxwell and Zachary, asked the audience on Friday, May 4th during the Opening Night celebration for the show Diary of a Worm, a Spider & a Fly.

Check out DCT’s young Woodward & Bernstein in action!

One Actor, Six Characters

Grampa Spider is a world traveler. Mrs. Fly’s 327 children drive her crazy. Mrs. Spider is from Fargo, North Dakota. Aunt Rita, a fly, is a little bit Southern. Father Worm gives his son a timeout. And, the DJ, a junebug, keeps the catchy music going.

Six very different characters…all played by one actor!

The multi-talented actor B.J. Cleveland gives us an overview of each character in the insect world that he plays in DCT’s latest show Diary of a Worm, a Spider & a Fly.

Not only does Cleveland have many roles in the show, he actually changes costumes three times in one song to play three different characters!

Check out all of the characters and many more fun songs and surprises in Diary of a Worm, a Spider & a Fly, which is running at Dallas Children’s Theater through Sunday, June 3, 2012.

For more information on show times and ticket availability, visit our website at https://www.dct.org, or call the Box Office at 214-740-0051.

The Sixth Floor Museum and DCT Collaborate to Recount History

DCT actors Lloyd Harvey and Anastasia Muñoz rehearse their roles as D.J. and Angela in The Sixth Floor Museum recount of JFK’s assassination.

Nearly 50 years after President John F. Kennedy’s death in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963, Dallas Children’s Theater and The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza are collaborating on what is referred to as a museum theater piece, which uses live theater and personal recollections to put that fateful, historic event into context for the young people who were born long after the assassination.

“By combining history and theater, this collaboration with the Dallas Children’s Theater helps the Museum connect with multigenerational audiences,” said Nicola Longford, Executive Director, The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.

The result of a year-long collaboration between the Museum and the Dallas Children’s Theater, Shared Stories, written by DCT’s resident playwright Linda Daugherty and directed by Education Director Nancy Schaeffer, follows two people named Angela and D.J. as they investigate a mysterious old document while listening to memories of individuals who lived through that momentous day.

What makes this play unique is that the video clips that are incorporated into the show come from the Sixth Floor Museum’s Oral History Collection. The stories, told by people who recall what they were doing that day, give the young audience members a direct connection to this important historic event.

“History, literature and the arts are all critical to a child’s growth,” said Sharron Hunt Munson, Board President, Dallas Children’s Theater. “We’re pleased to be a community partner with The Sixth Floor Museum on this project; it is an amazing and unique opportunity to incorporate important historical  events into our mission of bringing literature to life.”

DCT actors Lloyd Harvey and Anastasia Muñoz rehearse in-depth with Schaeffer and Daugherty to ensure they do justice to their roles.

“The Sixth Floor Museum staff have been wonderful partners in this project,” said Schaeffer. “We have both enjoyed learning about each other’s worlds of history and theater, and we’re excited to get some audience feedback.”

Shared Stories, which is a pilot project, will be presented to the public on Thursday, May 17 at 11:30 a.m. on the seventh floor at The Sixth Floor Museum. The play can also be seen at the YMCA of Dallas and Woodrow Wilson High School on May 17 and 18, 2012.