The world’s a stage for kids at Coterie Theatre in Kansas City

For over 30 years, the Coterie Theatre in downtown Kansas City (on Level One of the Crown Center) has showcased innovative theater productions for families. TIME magazine named it “One of the Five Best Theaters for Young Audiences in the U.S.”

Coterie has kids in many of the productions, kids in the audience, kids learning from professional actors in acting classes, and they stage works written by teens during their young playwrights festival. This is a truly impressive facility and a real treasure in the Midwest; I particularly like how they tackle a lot of plays for tweens and teens, who are often left behind after the typical “Charlie Brown” school musical experience.

Raise your hand if you wanted to be Snoopy. I thought so.

The 2010-2011 season at Coterie includes a sci-fi triple feature (Flowers for Algernon is one of the three) a 13-and-older Sorority House of the Dead horror play around Halloween, Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, the Bridge to Terabithia, a Greek Mythology Olympiaganza that sounds amazing, Ben Franklin’s Apprentice, the young playwright festival and a new version of the musical The Wiz.

The quick video clip below is from one of their latest performances, “Lucky Duck.” Here is the direct link to the Coterie video on YouTube if you can’t see the box below, and don’t forget to say hello on the Coterie Theatre Facebook Page.

My own parents took me to the theater – all sorts of plays – at every stage of my young life. I am forever grateful to them for that, so get yourself to Kansas City and give your kids the gift of a live theater experience made just for them.