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Performances for Young Audiences

Performances for Young Audiences

²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵÃâ·Ñ°æapp is home to compelling and captivating performances for every age group and their families, from wide-eyed toddlers to young adults.

Explore the Calendar

Upcoming Shows

Grey Skies Blue

Jan. 17 - 19, 2025

Dance and theater merge in SHAPESHIFT’s Grey Skies Blue. Join a group of friends as they uncover personal truths through dynamic movement in an inspiring show that resonates with audiences of all ages.

  • MyTix
  • Student Rush

National Symphony Orchestra

NSO Music for Young Audiences: 
Old MacDonald’s Symphony

Jan. 18 - 19, 2025

The whole farmyard is getting ready for a hoedown—but it needs your help! Presented in collaboration with Teller Productions and developed specifically for toddlers, this immersive show features puppets, a storyteller, and a string quartet from the National Symphony Orchestra.

Currently Sold Out

National Symphony Orchestra

NSO Music for Young Audiences:
M2 = (Math x Music)

Feb. 1 - 2, 2025

Comprised of National Symphony Orchestra musicians, the Last Stand Quartet performs a lively program linking the ways in which math is present in all music-making, creating music to move to and engage with on a deeper level.

The Other Children of the Sun

Feb. 22 - Mar. 9, 2025

This whimsical superhero adventure, based on Navajo creation legend, follows the journey of celestial siblings. Writer and co-director Rhiana Yazzie and co-director Steven Paul Judd offer a funny and thought-provoking world premiere play that challenges us to look at heroism through a new lens.

Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band

Sat. Mar. 15, 2025

Bring the whole family to enjoy smart, crafty lyrics with irresistibly fresh pop beats. Performing in Spanish and English, the award-winning Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band is on the pulse of all things kids’ music.

Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster

Mar. 28 - Apr. 6, 2025

Watch what happens when a terrible, not-so-scary monster meets the most scaredy-cat kid. Using hundreds of illustrated paper puppets, book pages, two-dimensional props, furry monster puppets, and songs, Manual Cinema brings Mo Willems’ books to life.

EARTH TO SPACE

Workshop: Design Your Martian Spacesuit

Mar. 29 & 30, Apr. 13, 2025

Step into the role of a space explorer and create a collaborative, personalized Martian spacesuit in this engaging, hands-on workshop with Spacewear and Textiles Artist Anurita Chandola. (UK / India)

Watch a Sneak Preview

Explore the new season of exciting theater, music, and dance performances for little and big kids alike!

Performances for Young Audiences 2024-2025 Season Preview

Watch a Sneak Preview

Explore the new season of exciting theater, music, and dance performances for little and big kids alike!

Go behind the scenes at the Kennedy Center and explore more about Performances for Young Audiences.

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Free On-Demand Performances for Everyone

Presto! The Case of the Vanishing Viola

Oh no! Elizabeth’s viola is gone. Will our musician friends find it in time for their next big performance? Possibly, with the help of a magician who also pretends to be a detective—and you. Get ready to hear some great music as you solve this magical mystery. All ages. 36 minutes.

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Presto! The Case of the Vanishing Viola graphic illustration of viola and magician's cape

The String Thing

Step right up to this daring double act of classical fun! Bassist Paul DeNola and violinist Heather LeDoux Green take a break from the NSO to introduce young audiences to some of the greatest music ever written. This “silent” comedic tag-team presents a hilarious program of music and mayhem. All ages. 34 minutes.

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Javier Starks

Emcee, songwriter, and poet Javier Starks paves a unique path all his own with 100% curse-free Hip Hop music, showing the world that success can come without negativity. Join Javier in this video concert as he performs original songs with a live band and DJ. Ages 10 and up. 25 minutes.

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Javier Starks on stage with a microphone in hand performing at the Kennedy Center in 2015 with a DJ at the turntables to Javier’s left who has the words and logo for Words, Beats, and Life Incorporated on his sweatshirt.

Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats in Concert

What if supernatural creatures were real and have been walking among us in disguise? What if the days surrounding Halloween are their days to shine just as they are? Find yourself bedazzled by this bewitching video concert. All ages. 23 minutes.

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Support the Families & Young Audiences program

Help us continue to provide quality family programming.

Sponsors

The Kimsey Endowment, Dr. Gary D. Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Ednah Root Foundation, The Bender Foundation,