At DCT, we fully believe that kindness is endless – it gives and it grows…and we can learn so much by passing kindness from one to another.

We miss you, and we send heartfelt wishes to you and your family for good health and good cheer in these challenging times. In the meantime, thanks to many of our colleagues, we’re sharing some creative resources from teaching artists around the country. Enjoy!

To start us off, we remember some of the words of our youngest, wisest patrons. We hope they give you a smile!

Treehouse Shakers Theater in New York, NY has offered the full footage of their show – HATCHED on Vimeo. Check it out! (recommended for ages 2-6)

Trusty Sidekick Theater is also sharing footage of shows for FREE every day, check them out here. (recommended for ages 2-5) Note: You can provide an email address or click “No Thanks” in order to access the videos.  

The incredible Kennedy Center in Washington DC is offering LUNCH DOODLES with Mo Willems every weekday at 1:00pm. Drawing lessons, Q&A’s, and interactive doodle-sessions make for a great afternoon! Missed the lesson? Don’t worry, you can watch the whole thing online! (recommended for all ages)

Have a wonderful day and remember…

Be safe. Be well. Be encouraged and most importantly…Be kind.

All season, we’ve had a “kindness table” set up in our DCT lobby, where children (as well as adults!) were asked to share what kindness means to them.

The answers have been incredible: touching, hilarious, and varied. We’ve taken great joy in compiling some of our favorites.

To begin with, we have the small sacrifices:

We have the facts…

We have older generations helping younger generations…

We have some appreciation for animals…

We have some wonderful poems…

And, we have some beautiful grown-up stories that show kindness is really for everyone…

This is by no means a comprehensive list of the loving words by our shorter and taller friends. There are so many more than what we can list in this e-news. We hope this brought some joy to your day!

 

DCT Mom, Sherry Ward, shares her thoughts and experiences with children and difference.

The book, Last Stop On Market Street, won several awards for many reasons. I loved finding a video of the book being read aloud by the author while on a city bus, and having everyone, of all ages, totally captivated.

There are so many times when we all go through the “haves and have-nots” comparison with our peers. Why do they have this, but I don’t have this…it feels unfair. But, one of the last lines of the book speaks to the perspective that Nana tries to encourage CJ to think about. “Sometimes when you’re surrounded by dirt, CJ, you’re a better witness for what’s beautiful.”

I have ridden a city bus several times because I am in a wheelchair, and I don’t have a car, and it’s given me a unique perspective that my kids just don’t have right now. However, my kids do know what it’s like to have a mom in a wheelchair, and this has organically passed to their friends who now know what it’s like to be comfortable around a grownup in a wheelchair.

When I see kids looking at me with curiosity, I always try to make eye contact and smile at them, and usually they smile back. It makes me happy when they don’t turn away quickly in that way kids do when their grownups tell them not to stare. It’s that human connection that we all want to have regardless of our differences.

Please come see this beautiful production. Hopefully you and your youngster will leave with a better understanding of how to also live with your minds and hearts open. We will see you at the theater!

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LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET
By Matt de la Peña, Illustrated by Christian Robinson
Winner of the 2016 Newbery Medal
Produced by special arrangement with GURMAN AGENCY, LLC, a theatrical literary agency. gurmanagency[dot]com. World Premiere Produced by Children’s Theatre of Charlotte November 2018. Adam Burke Artistic Director.
March 21 – April 5
Ages 4 and up

On a Sunday after church in a bustling, ethnically and culturally diverse American city, CJ and his Nana board the public bus for their weekly trip across town to help out at a soup kitchen. Along the way, CJ notices the many differences among people and asks tons of curious questions: Why don’t we have a car? How come that man can’t see? How come it’s always so dirty over there? How?…Why?…With Nana’s fearless and compassionate guidance, CJ discovers that everyone and everything has a unique rhythm and purpose; that the world’s got answers if we listen with more than our ears and see with more than our eyes. This inspiring and imaginative play is based on The New York Times bestseller that won a Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, and a Caldecott Honor.

Performance Dates and Times
Saturday, March 21, 1:30 PM
Sunday, March 22, 1:30 PM
Sunday, March 22, 4:30 PM (ASL)
Sunday, March 29, 1:30 PM
Saturday, April 4, 1:30 PM
Saturday, April 4, 4:30 PM
Sunday, April 5, 1:30 PM

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