The National Theatre Foundation sets dates for the premiere of fifteen co-commissions of plays for children and their families.

With a wide array of programs drawn from around the country and from the D.C. region’s own talented wellspring of artists, SATURDAY MORNING LIVE!, the beloved mainstay of The National Theatre’s education and community programs, returns for a dynamic season of all new work.

With the overarching theme of “Creating Tomorrow Together”, the series of 15 premieres co-commissioned by The National Theatre Foundation focuses on the eternal verities of kindness, joy, and resilience to be found within all of us and what we can do to make a brighter tomorrow. “Some of the best national work in family programming is being done at the university level, especially by the two organizations represented in this series. We were especially impressed with the work of Northwestern University last year, and are delighted to welcome the Indigenous Cultures Institute in partnership with University of Texas at Austin,” explained David Kitto. “We also welcome the remarkable Synetic Theater and Happy Theater to our series for the first time. As we reviewed productions and ideas being created around the country and here at home in the Washington metropolitan area, we believe we have found a way to provide programming that will not only entertain, but perhaps provide fresh inspiration and insights. This is a series that we believe is right for our times.”

Kim Peter Kovac once again served as Artistic Curator for SATURDAY MORNING LIVE! AT THE NATIONAL, and in commenting on the new season said, “The 2021-22 season of SATURDAY MORNING LIVE! AT THE NATIONAL promises to be exciting, educational, and empathetic for all the young people who experience these performances. The season is a partnership between The National Theatre Foundation, two of the nation’s premiere university theaters developing programs for young audiences, and two D.C. metro area companies. This engagement of innovative artists dedicated to performances at the highest level will work both individually and as part of the season’s overall theme of ‘Creating Tomorrow Together’” Mr. Kovac, who is a long-time veteran of Washington theater, was for more than 20 years Artistic Director for the Kennedy Center’s Theater for Young Audiences (TYA).

On the heels of their successful National Theatre debut earlier this year, artists from Imagine U, the popular family series for all ages from Northwestern University, will return with six all-new performances. Created by a company of artists with roots in theater specifically for young audiences, each episode is a mix of music, movement, crafts, and storytelling. Northwestern University’s first three programs are titled “Kindness,” “Home,” and “Stepping In.”

Synetic Theater will perform three programs collectively called “Jessica’s Journey.” Jessica and her family have just moved. She has left all of her old friends and classmates behind and she is starting at a new school. In each episode, using the magic of Physical Storytelling, we will see Jessica tackle a new problem at her school as she prepares for a better tomorrow!

Happy Theater’s Tia Shearer Bassett and Natasha Mirny create “Happy Soup” to chase away the blues, with a little help from the audience. From the coziness of your home, you are invited to gather with Natasha and Tia (a pair of very silly humans) to cook up a Happy Soup! They have the recipe, but they need YOUR creativity to bring all of these special and surprising ingredients together for the world. There will be antics, there will be teamwork, there will be HAPPY SOUP!

The Indigenous Cultures Institute in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin gives us Coki. Young Ana thinks she is too small for the super important job of picking the quenepas from the big, big tree for her abuelos. With the power of stories from her Puerto Rican Indigenous ancestors, and a little inspiration from nature, she is reminded that we can do anything we set our mind to— when we think BIG! GRANDE!

All performances will simultaneously appear at 9 a.m. Eastern Time on Facebook Live and on The National Theatre’s YouTube Channel.

Topic Season Announcement

The National Theatre Foundation Announces their 2021-2022 Line Up for SATURDAY MORNING LIVE! Centered Around the Theme “Creating Tomorrow Together”

Metro Theater Company Announces 2021-22 Season