Welcome to
Stages Theatre Company’s
40th Anniversary Season!

When I consider the life cycle of a forty-year-old arts organization that serves young people, it is humbling. You learn along the way and not unlike raising a child, you do what you think is right, try to lead by example, invest time and energy in them, all the while trying to balance what is best for them with what is just plain FUN!

Forty wonderful, inspiring and sometimes wacky years of bringing stories and smiles to countless young people and the adults who have brought them here. Looking around our world, it seems so much has changed since 1984, but much has remained constant. The Stages Theatre Company mission of enrichment and education of children and youth in a professional theatre environment that stimulates artistic excellence and personal growth is unchanged, and our 40th ANNIVERSARY SEASON reflects that and MORE!

This season celebrates some of our favorite titles from past seasons and introduces audiences to regional and world premieres. The first show Stages EVER produced back in 1984 was a play version of Beauty and the Beast, and our holiday production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. remains one of the highest attended productions in our history so we wanted to bring this gorgeous musical back for our audiences. We party with Dragons, re-visit our favorite square pumpkin patch and celebrate the young people in these stories who bravely teach us that ‘nobody but me is gonna change my story’. Through it all we continue to celebrate the collaborations with our amazing artistic partners - some new, some old - all working to center young people in what we do and how we do it.

There is much to celebrate this season, and YOU are why we celebrate! Stages Theatre Company has grown from serving 6,000 people in 1984 to more than 145,000 today. The circle has grown, and continues to get wider, by being a radically welcoming theatre, empowering young people to create a positive influence in their world. We have made the commitment to creating a space where diverse opinions, courageous dialogue, and community engagement is not only valued, but vital to our shared artistic and educational success.

Lean into the FUN and come celebrate with us all season long!

Sandy Boren-Barrett
Artistic Director