Live theater is an exciting way to enjoy new and classic stories, and it can be a great change of pace for families who typically watch movies and TV together. With so many cool theaters around the Ellisville area, including those that put on family- and kid-friendly productions, you can share this amazing experience with your kids. Here are seven awesome theaters in and around Ellisville that you can visit with your family to catch a wonderful show.

STAGES St. Louis

Image via Flickr by Alan Cleaver Licensed CC BY 2.0

STAGES St. Louis is the area’s premier destination for Broadway-quality shows featuring actual talent from the Great White Way and local Missouri theater artists. This theater puts on a variety of former Broadway shows, including classics like “Oklahoma!,” “Cabaret,” “Anything Goes,” and “A Chorus Line.” You can also catch more contemporary shows, including many Disney stories, “In the Heights,” and “Legally Blonde: The Musical.” 

In addition to the shows you can go see, this theater also hosts a fantastic theater education workshop program called the STAGES Performing Arts Academy. If your kids are interested in pursuing live theater as a hobby or a career, consider signing them up for musical theater classes and let them audition for upcoming shows. You could even audition, too, and make it a family affair.

Kirkwood Theatre Guild

The Kirkwood Theatre Guild puts on plays and musicals and hosts improvisational comedy shows, too. This theater has had almost 90 seasons of shows, making it one of the oldest-running theater companies in the area. Previous shows they’ve held here include “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Pippin,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” and “The Man Who Came to Dinner.” 

You and your family can also take part in various classes to improve your acting skills and even learn the basics of improv. This theater also holds auditions to showcase local performers in upcoming plays. 

Variety Theatre

If you’re looking for live theater that’s made by kids for kids, then your family has to catch a show at Variety Theatre. This theater promotes inclusivity and celebrates children and teens of all abilities through its casting process. It also puts on high-quality plays and musicals that are entertaining for the whole family. Shows you might see here include “The Music Man,” “Mary Poppins,” “The Wizard of Oz,” and “Peter Pan.” 

Variety Theatre also promotes theater and arts education. Kids and teens who participate in shows get to act alongside professional and amateur actors, a truly immersive learning experience. In addition, this theater has a children’s chorus that performs throughout St. Louis and dance classes that allow children of all abilities to have fun, practice choreography, and boost motor skills.

The New Jewish Theatre

The New Jewish Theatre is in association with the Jewish Community Center of St. Louis, also referred to as “the J.” It’s a small professional theater that explores a variety of themes from the perspective of the Jewish experience in America and around the world. The theater’s goal is to promote multicultural understanding and religious tolerance through the performing arts.

Some shows you might catch here include comedies like “Laughter on the 23rd Floor,” musicals like “Jerry’s Girls,” and original plays. This theater has five productions per year, with only 12 shows per production. Be sure to get your tickets ahead of time, or you can purchase a season subscription, which saves you money on single-ticket prices.

In addition to the New Jewish Theatre, the J also has its own Youth Theatre that puts on shows for kids by kids. This is a great opportunity to get your kids involved in theater, improve their creative expression skills, and help them meet lots of new friends.

Young People’s Theatre at St. Charles Community College

St. Charles Community College runs the Young People’s Theatre and its accompanying theater arts education programming that aims to help kids build self-confidence, develop creative thinking skills, and become better at working in teams. When kids participate in a show at YPT, they take performing arts workshops and get to be in a fully staged musical or drama. Parents are encouraged to participate during workshops and rehearsals to keep children engaged.

If your kids aren’t old enough to audition or are more interested in watching the show, you can also purchase tickets to see the performers’ hard work and enjoy a family-friendly show. You can see shows like “Elf the Musical,” a perfect holiday show, and “Oliver!”

Act Two Theatre

Act Two Theatre puts on musicals and plays the Performing Arts Theatre at the St. Peters City Hall Cultureal Arts Centre. This company has four shows each year, with six to eight performances for each production, and you can enjoy musicals, dramas, and comedies in the intimate, 318-seat theater. 

Some shows they’ve done in the past include “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” “Once Upon a Mattress,” “Steel Magnolias,” “Oklahoma!,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and “On Golden Pond.” They even host a few more family-friendly shows, too, including “Annie the Musical.”

What’s more, Act Two Theatre is another local theater where you can get involved in the show. Not only do they have plenty of volunteer opportunities, but they also have open auditions for many of their shows. That means the shows you see here feature local talent.

Theatre Guild of Webster Groves

The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves has been putting on shows since the 1920s. Many of this theater’s shows are meant for adults, with past productions including “A Few Good Men,” “The Children’s Hour,” “Ordinary People,” and “Rehearsal for Murder.” However, this theater also does children’s show around the holidays and even auditions local kids and teens to participate.

So there you have it — seven fantastic theaters in and around the Ellisville, Missouri, area. At Crème de la Crème of Ellisville, we incorporate storytelling and character development into our curriculum through the Coconut Theater, where your children can develop their language skills through storytelling, and Krem TV Character Education, where your kids can build confidence and critical thinking skills. Contact us today to learn more about how our daycare and after-school programs can help your kids thrive.