Playhouse Square welcomes families to experience the excitement of live theater with the return of its Children’s Theater Series for the 2025-26 season. From blasting off into space with Ms. Frizzle on the Magic School Bus to singing and dancing on a Día de Muertos journey and watching classic tales unfold in a new way, the Children’s Theater Series offers a special time for families to create new memories at Playhouse Square.
Individual tickets for all shows in the Children’s Theater Series are now available at playhousesquare.org or by calling 216-241-6000. Individual tickets for all performances are $17. Interactive, educational workshops, led by professional teaching artists, are also available with each performance for an additional $7. All performances throughout the series take place at the Mimi Ohio Theatre, and a sign language interpreter will be at specific shows in the series.
2025-26 Children’s Theater Series
The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System
Produced by TheaterWorksUSA
Performance dates: Oct. 18-19, 2025
When the class gets lost on the way to the planetarium, Ms. Frizzle saves the day by blasting into outer space for an epic interplanetary field trip! But when rivalries both old and new threaten to tear the students apart, our young heroes must learn to pull together or risk getting forever lost in the solar system. Hop on the Magic School Bus for a ride in this new musical adaptation based on the original book series published by Scholastic.
Sugar Skull: A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure!
Produced by Rhythm of the Arts
Performance dates: Nov. 1-2, 2025
SUGAR SKULL! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure is a touring bilingual/bicultural musical for young audiences and families that uses traditional regional music and dance from Mexico to tell the story of twelve-year-old Vita Flores. Vita thinks her family has gone loco planning a celebration for deceased loved ones. Why throw a party for the dead? But when a spirited candy skeleton suddenly springs to life, Vita finds herself on a magical, musical journey to unravel the true meaning of Día de Muertos.
Meet Sugar Skull, a charismatic skeleton with a secret or two. With her skeletal new friend, Vita dances with ancient ancestors, sings with a sorrowful sorceress and even meets the famous Catrina Calavera. But can this clever youth gather the missing pieces needed for her family ofrenda before it’s too late?
Billy Goats Gruff and Other Tales
Produced by Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia
Performance dates: Jan. 31-Feb.1, 2026
Sensory-friendly production takes place Sunday, Feb. 1 at 11:30 a.m.
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia’s newest production, Billy Goats Gruff and Other Tales, presents a fresh and engaging reimagining of three cherished children’s stories—Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Filled with adventure, humor, and heroism, the story follows a brave raccoon and clever mouse who are on a journey to collect treasure. Along the way, they unknowingly help the goats, bears, and pigs, preventing disaster—without any of the animals ever encountering a true villain. This imaginative retelling seamlessly interweaves three classic tales into a heartwarming adventure that celebrates friendship and courage.
The Adventures of Tortoise & Hare: The Next Gen
Produced by Lightwire Theater
Performance dates: Mar. 7-8, 2026
We begin with Aesop’s classic fable of The Tortoise and the Hare but continue the story which finds them 10 years down the road, now with children of their own and exploring modern day distractions. Smart phones and video games create a new landscape of lost connections to life experiences. The Next Gen features Tortoise Junior and Lil’ Hare in a whole new kind of race; where their adventures lead them into unexpected territory. Old man Tortoise and Big Daddy Hare must come together despite their differences to find and save their children. What hurdles will they have to overcome to make it to the finish line?
With dazzling visuals, poignant storytelling and the creative use of music from classical to pop, this production brings this tale into a new brilliant light.