Interview: Chad Bradford of DRAGONS LOVE TACOS at Arkansas Museum Of Fine Arts

We here at Broadway World love all sorts of theatre, but one of our favorite types of theatre is Children’s Theatre. We believe that going to the theatre during the developmental years is extremely important for the growth of our younger people, so when I was invited to visit the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 E 9th St, in Little Rock, to get a tour and chat with Associate Director of Children's Theatre and Performing Arts (and one of my favorite actors), Chad Bradford, I was elated. I knew this was going to be so fun.  

After taking me through the inner workings of the theatre department, we ended up in the main room where they were busy building the set for the upcoming production DRAGONS LOVE TACOS, which is a play by Ernie Nolan and based on the beloved children’s book by Adam Rubin with illustrations by Daniel Salmieri.  

Broadway World: Tell me about DRAGONS LOVE TACOS. 

Chad Bradford: The play is an adaptation, which follows the story but has added characters. Starting this weekend, you will be able to see a dog named Leroy that's played hilariously by Brandon Nichols. There's also the narrator. When you read the book, it seems that the story is communicated to you by an omniscient narrator. Here, you see Quinn Gasaway as that character, and we've created him as a cross between Mick Jagger and Obi Wan Kenobi. He's this kind of Rock'n'Roll mentor guide and speaks with a Liverpool accent. He's really great. Then Keith Harper is the Boy in this world. They are the leads. Of course, there are the dragons, and they are fantastic. Brian Earles and Katie Greer are our choreographers and they've done a fantastic job. So, it's going to be very bright and colorful and fun. Whether you are a tiny person or an adult, you're going to find something to enjoy.  

BWW: Why is having a children’s theatre so important? 

Bradford: You know, in some cultures they look at children's theatre as one of the highest art forms, because that's when you're really molding young minds. I believe that theater is one of the most transformative art forms, and being able to bring in students and letting them learn vicariously through the actions of the characters on stage is truly important. Studies have shown that kids that see theatre grow up to be more empathetic humans that want to do good in the world. The main theme of this show is said over and over - “With hard work and determination, amazing things can happen.” It not only teaches values like that, but also empathy and those soft, emotional intelligence kind of skills. 

BWW: What other types of development does introducing theatre at a young age provide? 

Bradford: My daughter is two and a half years old right now and when we were doing Flurffy, she came to a couple of those, and she got so excited about being able to play pretend and make believe. One of the ways the brain develops is through mimicking. Pretend play gets the synapses firing. So, it works on so many levels of emotional and intellectual development, and it's just a lot of fun.  

BWW: It is a lot of fun! What are the benefits of the Children’s Theatre being housed in Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts? 

Bradford: We are the only professional children's theater in Central Arkansas. We have school groups coming to see the galleries, and we've got hundreds and hundreds of students coming to see our show as well. We believe that being here at the museum highlighting the fine arts, visual arts and performing arts together is vital to a child's education, and having everything under one roof makes this facility a vital cultural center in Arkansas. 

BWW: When you pick out shows, what are you looking for?  

Bradford: I think one thing that we always have tried to do is find some kind of literacy connection. DRAGONS LOVE TACOS is based on a book. We’ve done other things in the past like Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. A few years ago, we did Frankenstein, and we have even done Odyssey. So, you know, we have a lot of variety. The last show I acted in here, which was nine years ago, was Puss in Boots. It had a very Parisian twist to it. 

BWW: Do you think adults enjoy these as much as the kids? 

Bradford: Whenever I'm directing, I think ‘well, the kids are here, but adults had to bring them,’ so I we really strive to make this fun for everyone in the family. Sometimes, people have preconceived notions about children's theater, but these, these are professional actors. I've worked all around the country and off Broadway. This is what I'm choosing to do. Quinn has been all over the country, been in movies, everything, and he chooses to be here. So, it's truly an art form and a genre unto itself.  

BWW: My friend Sandy Pinkstaff is coming on March 16, to do audio description for the low vision/no vision patrons. I think it’s great that you are making shows available to everyone with all sorts of abilities.  

Bradford: Yes, we're really working on making our shows as accessible as possible. On Sunday, March 10, we're doing a sensory friendly show. It’s a relaxed performance where the house lights stay a little brighter. We will take the volume down and open up the door in the back that goes to our lecture hall where it's quiet. They will have fidget things to play with while we live stream the play in there, so if kids need to get up and move around or just need a break from the action, they can go there. We're trying to make it really welcoming that way. We, of course, do an ASL show, and the audio description show. We’re really trying to make it to where anybody can come and see a performance here.

BWW: Some theaters let the low vision/no vision patrons touch the costumes to see how they feel.  

Bradford: Yeah, we're working on the timing of that right now. We're doing a little touch tour after the show. But we're working on seeing how we can do that before the show. Currently, we offer a little bit of a touch tour after every performance during the Q & A.  

BWW: After DRAGONS LOVE TACOS closes, what’s next? 

Bradford: We will start pre-production for our Sparking Dialogue Series which is geared more to upper high school and even college and adults. We tackle more serious topics related to race, injustice, and things like that. We are also one of the homes for Ballet Arkansas. We have our concert series, where we have acts from all over the world. Brother Brothers is a big indie band that's going to be here later, so there are events happening here all the time.  

BWW: Well, we can’t wait to see DRAGONS LOVE TACOS! I’ll see you Sunday! 

Recommended Age: 3 and up 

Run Time: Approx. 45 minutes 

Show Dates: March 9-10, 16-17, 19-23 

 A sensory-friendly performance of Dragons Love Tacos takes place on Sunday, March 10, at 2:00 p.m. The performance on Saturday, March 16, at 2:00 p.m. will feature ASL interpretation and audio description. 

For more information about other shows and events happening at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, visit their website at arkmfa.org.  

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