The Hangar Theatre Presents KIDDSTUFF Shows For Young Audiences This Summer

The Hangar Theatre has announced its TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) 2022 KIDDSTUFF Summer Season! This year KIDDSTUFF productions will take place outdoors under a re-imagined canopied stage. Hangar outdoor performances were incredibly popular with young audiences and their families during the 2021 season.

"We heard from parents last year that the outdoor performance space really enhanced the experience for the whole family," Managing Director R.J. Lavine (she/they) reflects. "Live outdoor performances embrace kids' natural enthusiasm, and noise and movement, and create dynamic first experiences of theatre for young audiences. We are excited to work with the possibilities of the outdoors and are investing in improvements to make the experience accessible and inviting for everyone. Re-envisioning the outdoor performance space has included constructing a high-top canopy to cover the stage and audience, raising and raking the ground to prevent rain damage, and installing more comfortable seating. By making these improvements we are incorporating the feedback we received from KIDDSTUFF patrons last year. We are showing our community that we hear you and we are doing everything possible to continue making the Hangar a comfortable and welcoming place to enjoy live theatre."

KIDDSTUFF productions are led by a team of directors selected through a rigorous process in collaboration with the Drama League in New York City; designed by Hangar Theatre Design Fellows; and performed by Hangar Lab Company Performance Fellows from across the country. Our season incorporates the Hangar's mission to enrich, enlighten and entertain audiences of all ages, backgrounds, and interests. We are excited to welcome new audiences to an exciting season of live comedy, drama, music and performance.

The four productions in the 2022 KIDDSTUFF lineup include exciting musicals, daring journeys, fantasy food fights and re-explored retellings of classic fairy tales. KIDDSTUFF productions will grab the attention of young people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.

"Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) is leading the way when it comes to inclusivity and representation in the American theatre," observes Artistic Director Shirley Serotsky (she/her). "We want every young person who comes to the theatre to see characters that they recognize, characters that look like them; and also to experience stories about people who live in different places, eat different foods, have lives that are new and interesting to our young audiences, and that make them curious to know more. This may mean traveling to Jamaica to visit a young person who is learning to overcome their fears, or re-inventing Cinderella and her evil step-family to tell the story of a young girl from Puerto Rico breaking through being othered by her host-family on a student exchange trip. The 2022 KIDDSTUFF line up is centering the stories of people who have typically been under-represented on theatrical stages in productions filled with music, magic, mischief, meaning, and so much more (like dragons-did we mention there are dragons!?)"

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