Minneapolis, MN – Children’s Theatre Company is proud to announce its 2018—2019 Season, which includes eight productions, four commissioned premieres, three musicals, and one preschool production. The season consists of 3 ½ more weeks of performances over last year’s schedule and includes summer programming.

The season begins in July 2018 with the world premiere of The Best Summer Ever!, written and performed by local storytelling treasure Kevin Kling and will be directed by Peter C. Brosius. Kling has written for CTC in the past, however this will be the first time he takes the stage at CTC to perform in a work. This production is based on stories Kling has created about the true Minnesotan summer experience. Next is the new musical, Last Stop on Market Street, written by Cheryl L. West, directed by Henry Godinez, and music co-written by Lamont Dozier and his son Paris Ray Dozier. Lamont, who has penned and produced 14 #1 hits on the Billboard charts (such as “Baby I need Your Loving,” “How Sweet It Is,” “Reach Out, I’ll Be There,” and “You Can’t Hurry Love”), was a member of the Grammy Award-winning Holland-Dozier-Holland trio, praised for creating much of the Motown sound. You can learn more about the music-writing duo in this interview with Paris Ray Dozier. Third in the season is the world premiere of I Come from Arizona, written by Carlos Murillo and directed by Lisa Portes. The poignant and timely play explores the story of Gabi, a 14-year-old girl who discovers her parents have undocumented immigrant status, a secret they kept from her believing it would keep her safe. In today’s world of immigration raids and Dreamers, fear and uncertainty, Gabi inspires a modern-day lesson in bravery, courage, and finding power in what seems like a powerless situation. The holiday season brings the back-by-popular-demand return of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, starring CTC Company Member Reed Sigmund in his now-signature role of the Grinch and will be directed by Peter C. Brosius. January will bring the highly entertaining British tour of Mr. Popper’s Penguins, directed by Emma Earle. The New York Times praises its “snappy lyrics, ingenious life-sized puppets, and visual surprises.” Spring brings the final world premiere of the season, a new production of The Hobbit, created/directed by Greg Banks (creator of CTC’s acclaimed The Jungle Book, Huck Finn, and Pinocchio). The production follows the epic journey of the unlikely hero, Bilbo Baggins to save the fate of Middle Earth. Next will be a reprise of the favorite CTC preschool production of The Biggest Little House in the Forest, written by Rosanna Staffa and starring CTC Company Member Autumn Ness. It was recently announced that Ness is a recipient of the Theatre Communications Group Fox Fellowship where she plans to explore writing new works for early childhood/preschool audiences. The season will end with Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical. Based on the beloved book, the production won five Tony® Awards when it premiered on Broadway in 2013, running for over 1,500 performances, and multiple global tours. This will be the first time Matilda the Musical is produced by a Minnesota theatre.


“This season brings remarkable theatre from truly amazing artists—some we have already had the pleasure of seeing their work on our stage, and others we are excited to introduce to you,” stated Artistic Director Peter C. Brosius. “We are thrilled that in this season the amazing Kevin Kling will be performing his stories on our stage for the very first time. Cheryl L. West—who has delighted us with Akeelah and the Bee and Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy—returns with Last Stop in Market Street, a musical full of heart and discovery. Greg Banks who has brought us breathtaking productions in the past has adapted The Hobbit with verve and imagination. This season also introduces new playwrights to CTC, like Carlos Murillo with I Come from Arizona, a powerful and lyrical piece about facing your greatest challenge and new directors such as Lisa Portes, Emma Earle, and Henry Godinez, whose work has delighted audiences across the country and around the world. It also brings beloved productions back to our stage like Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Rosanna Staffa’s The Biggest Little House in the Forest. And we close with a wholly new CTC production of the Olivier and Tony® Award-winning Matilda the Musical from the extraordinary book by Roald Dahl. It is a season of surprises, of new voices, and of tales reimagined with energy, theatricality, and love. We can’t wait to share it all with you.”

“The power of stories told in a shared environment bonds families and creates powerful, lifelong memories,” stated Managing Director Kimberly Motes. “Young people are the most important audience as they are our future leaders. We take our responsibilities seriously to illuminate stories that create empathetic, global citizens. These eight important productions fully realize our mission to educate, challenge, and inspire young people, connecting them to their communities.”



Season subscriptions are on sale now at https://childrenstheatre.org/tickets/subscribe. Subscription packages include full season options to flexible packaging and value-priced preview and opening weekend packages. Single tickets for The Best Summer Ever! will go on sale April 25, 2018. Single tickets for the remaining productions will go on sale June 26, 2018.