TEMPE, ARIZ.: Childsplay has announced its 2017-18 season, featuring seven productions.
The season will start with The Phantom Tollbooth (Sept. 17-Oct. 15), by Susan Nanus and based on Norton Juster’s classic children’s book about a boy led on a magical adventure through a mysterious tollbooth that appears in his room.
Next up will be Tomás and the Library Lady (Oct. 21-Nov. 12), with music and lyrics by José Cruz González, and music arranged and performed by Adam Jacobson. The story, adapted from the book by Pat Mora, follows a young boy whose imagination widens through the discovery of reading.
Following will be Go, Dog. Go! (Nov. 25-Dec. 23), by Allison Gregory and Steven Dietz, with music by Michael Koerner. Based on the book by P.D. Eastman, the musical will contain clowning, singing, and six lovable dogs.
Just in time for the holidays will be A Christmas Carol With Katie McFadzen (Dec. 1-24), a one-woman retelling of Dickens’s classic tale.
The season will continue with The Snowy Day and Other Stories (Jan. 21-March 11, 2018). Jerome Hairston’s play, based on the book by Ezra Jack Keats, brings the magic of the first snowfall to life with shadow puppetry.
Next up will be Anne Negri’s Maddi’s Fridge (March 31-April 8, 2018), based on the book by Lois Brandt about empathy and learning to do the right thing when a friend is in need.
The season will conclude with John Glore’s Flora & Ulysses (April 22-May 20, 2018), based on the book by Kate DiCamillo, about a squirrel that is rescued by a 10-year-old from a vacuum cleaner and is reborn with superpowers.
Founded in 1977, Childsplay is a company of professional artists who perform for young audiences and their families.
