While many parents overlook it, the theater can be a great place to spend time with your little ones. Taking children to live performances can introduce them to a new creative outlet and form of entertainment. Kids are curious creatures, and it doesn’t take much to enthrall them into a story. If you’re interested in taking your children on a trip to the theater, you’re in luck. We’ve compiled a list of eight popular theaters in the Duluth, Georgia area where you and your kids are sure to have a fun-filled time watching top-notch local theater. 

Aurora Theatre

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Productions put on by the Aurora Theatre at the Lawrenceville Arts Center provide a great opportunity for your kids to watch live theater. Aurora Theatre is a performing arts company that offers a variety of performances for its audience, including popular Broadway musicals, plays, and contemporary theatre. The company also organizes various concerts, stand-up comedy performances, children’s shows, and even holds claim to the only professional Spanish language theatre in the area, Teatro Aurora. Past shows include “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Newsies,” and “In the Heights,” with kid-friendly selections such as “Moana Jr.,” “Cinderella,” “Pinocchio,” and “The Little Mermaid.”

Sugarloaf Performing Arts

Sugarloaf Performing Arts is a dance studio in the Suwanee area that puts on performances you and your kids can enjoy throughout the year. The talented Sugarloaf Ballet puts on signature performances for the community with past shows like “Cinderella” and their Sugarloaf Ballet Christmas performances. They also host an annual Youth Concert Series, where the studio’s resident choreographers present their work in collaboration with local studios, schools, colleges, and dance companies. If you or your young ones like what you see, you can ask about classes at Sugarloaf to get your kids involved.

Buford Community Center, Town Park & Theatre

At the Buford Community Center, you and your family can enjoy a multitude of shows and entertainment, all developed and performed by local artists. Within the community center is the Sylvia Beard Theatre, where actors, singers, dancers, and musicians share their craft with the audience. Throughout the year, the theater is home to various plays, musicals, and tribute shows, where people collaborate to recreate the musical stylings of their favorite artists. Some of the theater’s past tribute performances have been dedicated to iconic bands like Fleetwood Mac and the Bee Gees. 

Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

Atlanta’s Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre is another great option for a local trip to the theater. This professional venue puts on all kinds of performances throughout the year, hosting a variety of comedians, musicians, performance companies and more. The Atlanta Ballet and Atlanta Opera use this venue for many of their performances, and it’s also a favorite for high-profile comedians, like David Spade and Jay Leno. The venue itself is beautiful and hosts many traveling Broadway productions that visit the Atlanta area, with past shows including hits like “Hairspray,” “A Chorus Line,” and “Spamalot.”

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament

Medieval Times is a fast-paced entertainment experience where you and your family can dine on a traditional medieval meal while watching knights battle it out on horseback. Kids are sure to watch in wonder as the show’s professional duelers sword fight throughout the arena, while an impressive score further adds to the excitement of the performance. Be warned that meals at Medieval Times do not include cutlery (if they didn’t need it in the 1300s, why would you?). While you may feel silly gnawing on a chicken leg with your bare hands, your kids will probably feel right at home. 

Schwartz Center for Performing Arts

At the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, you and your loved ones can enjoy a variety of performances sponsored by Emory University. Watch as both professionals and newcomers alike put on impressive performances of music, voice, acting, dancing, and more. Some examples of events at the Schwartz Center include piano recitals, orchestra symphonies, chorale performances, poetry readings, and premiers of student and alumni-made films. The Schwartz Center also hosts outside performers and speakers, with many of these events being free for the public thanks to sponsorship from the University. 

Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra

For a more sophisticated outing, consider attending a performance put on by the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, which happens to be the only fully professional, part-time symphonic orchestra in the Johns Creek community. The group puts on three concert series per year with special events in between, all of which are performed by professional musicians from the greater Atlanta area. If you’re worried about whether your kids will stay entertained or not, the orchestra also puts on shows designed specifically for children. Consider attending one of the orchestra’s seasonal events, such as their annual Christmas Gala or Halloween Symphony Spook-tacular. 

Whole World Improv Theatre

If you’re looking for a more unique theater experience with your kids, improvisational comedy, commonly known as improv, may be a great option. At Whole World Improv Theatre, the actors have no idea what they’re going to do or say on stage and use suggestions from the audience to create entertaining and hilarious scenes. Whole World’s shows consist of some of the best young talent in the Atlanta area and have shows every Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. If you or your kid get inspired, you can both sign up for improv classes at the theater.

So, there you have it. Those are our top eight theaters in the Duluth area that we think have a lot to offer in terms of entertainment, convenience, location, and oftentimes, price. At Crème de la Crème of Sugarloaf, GA (Duluth), we’re committed to inspiring your children to expand their artistic mindsets and get in tune with their inner creativity. We offer an ancillary ballet program for young dancers in addition to our arts and music studios. We encourage children to explore different types of artistic expression, which can have widespread positive impacts on their behavior, confidence, and intellectual abilities.