Segerstrom Center for the Arts announces inspirational, vibrant, and entertaining 2024 – 25 Family Series
The series will feature the world premiere of The Musicians of Bremen Live! a Segerstrom Center for the Arts Co-Production alongside Cahoots NI.
New subscriptions on sale at scfta.org
Costa Mesa, CA – Segerstrom Center for the Arts presents an exciting array of family shows, brimming with entertainment and adventure for its 2024 – 25 Season. The lineup has been thoughtfully curated, with each show hand selected to bring an enriching combination of Discovery and Explorer productions for youth. Family series shows are created for young audiences to enjoy with their families with Discovery shows intended for age ranges of 4 – 8, and Explorer shows intended for ages 7+. This season promises a captivating mix of heartfelt narratives, daring discoveries, and meaningful life lessons.
The season opens with the art of live puppetry in Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch, a heartwarming puppet play based on the book by Eileen Spinelli, examining the effect that kindness can have on a dreary existence.
The fun will continue as Ashli St. Armant, the talented creator of Segerstrom Center’s previous commission in November of 2022, North, will return to perform a Crescent City inspired jazz adventure with her band at Jazzy Ash & The Leaping Lizards. This production will highlight and celebrate jazz as part of America’s music heritage.
A Center favorite will grace the stage once again with Journey to Oz bringing a clever, interactive adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s original stories, allowing the audience to be part of the action taking on the roles of familiar Ozian characters.
The new year will start on a high note with the world premiere presentation of The Musicians of Bremen Live! a Segerstrom Center for the Arts co-production alongside the Northen Irish theater company Cahoots NI. Set in the American Southwest and based on the Grimms’ Fairy Tale, this production will tell the story of four creatures who make an epic journey across the desert to a city where they become a famous musical band.
As the season moves along, it will explore themes of family, identity, and determination both in the timeless classic, Annie, which tells the tale of a young orphan who turns austerity to optimism; and in Manual Cinema’s The Magic City which uses overhead projectors, paper shadow puppets, actors on camera, and live music to tell the story of nine-year-old Philomena as she navigates the joys and complexities of building a new life with her stepfamily. Annie will be presented as part of the 2024-25 Broadway Series with one date, February 22, dedicated to the Family Series.
Tutti Frutti will introduce a new reimagining of Peter Pan, as told by Wendy Darling with Underneath a Magical Moon, featuring exquisite live music and songs, enthralling movement, and a sprinkle of fairy dust.
The season will conclude with another returning favorite, The Gruffalo’s Child, following an adventurous mission in Tall Stories’ enchanting adaptation of the much-loved picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
All performances include one hour of free, fun activities for families to enjoy together before the show. The Center offers these enriching experiences to provide young people and their families with opportunities to play together creatively, explore the themes and content of the performances, and connect with other patrons at the Center. Pre-show activities have included puppet making, drum circles, rubber duck races, and even a silent disco!
To give everyone in our community the opportunity to experience the joy of attending a live performance, the Center presents a series of Sensory
Friendly/Relaxed performances as part of our Family Series. These shows are designed for patrons with sensory sensitivities or anyone who may benefit from a more relaxed performance environment to enjoy with their families. These performances include pre-visit guides, a reduction of any overwhelming lighting or sound cues, low ambient lighting throughout the performance, and the ability to move around and use electronic devices as needed. This season’s Sensory Friendly/Relaxed series will include Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch, Underneath a Magical Moon, and The Gruffalo’s Child.
The Family Series is a subscription series, similar to our Broadway, Jazz, and Chamber ticket packages. During a full season, families can purchase a Discovery Series Package (intended for children ages 4-8 and their families) to create first-time experiences in the theater for children and families, or an Explorer Series Package (intended for children ages 7+ and their families) to engage older children in the theater, which usually includes one show from our Broadway Series.
Subscriptions for the Family Series are available now. Tickets for individual performances are $25 and will go on sale at a later date. Visit the Center’s Website www.SCFTA.org for more information. For Group sales call (714) 755 – 0236.This season, an additional 3:30 pm show on Sunday will be added to the Explorer Series shows to match the Discovery Series schedule. All family series shows will take place in Samueli Theater, apart from Annie, which will take place in Segerstrom Hall.
2024 – 2025 Family Series Lineup
Discovery Series:
Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch | October 12 -13, 2024
Sensory Friendly/Relaxed
“The BEST school performance I’ve seen in 27 years!” – Elementary School Teacher
Mr. Hatch lives a colorless, ordered life. He goes to work at the shoelace factory, eats his lunch alone, reads the paper, and then goes to bed…early. Until, one Valentine’s Day he receives the biggest surprise of his life, a candy-filled heart with a note that whispers “Somebody loves you.” This heartwarming puppet play from Vancouver-based Axis Theatre Company examines the effect that kindness can have on a lonely existence. Join washerwomen Betsy, Edna, and Molly as they bring Mr. Hatch’s story to life and help him search for his secret admirer!
Journey to Oz | November 23 -24, 2024
“It’s a tribute to the power of literature.” –The Charlotte Observer
The audience is in the middle of the action in this fun, experiential show as Dorothy and her friends battle the Wicked Witch to find the brains, the heart and the courage they never knew they had. Inspired by L. Frank Baum’s original stories, this clever adaptation puts the audience front and center by allowing children in the audience to take on key roles, including Munchkins, Winkies, and even Dorothy. If you are in the room, you are in the show! Come see Journey to Oz and find out why there’s no place like home.
The Musicians of Bremen Live! | February 8 – 9, 2025
Meet Ruffles – a hen with a voice that can stop a freight train. Lost at a crossroads, she meets Mule, Bobcat, and Coyote. Together they undertake an epic journey across the desert to the big city, following a big dream. They have hopes of becoming a famous musical band – but can they make it? Inspired by the much-loved Grimm’s Fairy Tale and set in the American Southwest, The Musicians of Bremen Live! is a brand-new musical play for the whole family featuring live music, story, song, and plenty of surprises. This engagement will be the world premiere of a Segerstrom Center for the Arts and Cahoots NI Co-Production.
Underneath a Magical Moon | March 15 -16, 2025
Sensory Friendly/Relaxed
“Every aspect of Underneath a Magical Moon has been lovingly crafted with the utmost care, and I have no doubt that the show will delight children and adults in equal measure.” British Theatre Guide
In this magical reimagining of Peter Pan as told by Wendy Darling, Wendy is the owner of stories, mother to the lost boys, a believer in fairies, and a young girl with her feet firmly on the ground. Come with us as we invite you to fly into a fantastical world of adventure, where time stands still, the impossible seems possible, and if you close your eyes and believe, then you really can make anything happen. This sparkling new production written by international award-winning writer Mike Kenny, scored with exquisite live music and songs, enthralling movement, and a sprinkle of fairy dust invites audiences of all ages to never grow up!
The Gruffalo’s Child | April 26 -27, 2025
Sensory Friendly/Relaxed
“The Gruffalo’s Child is a rare treat – an endearing and funny production that both children and their grown-ups can enjoy” – Cambridge News
One wild and windy night the Gruffalo’s Child ignores her father’s warnings about the Big Bad Mouse and tiptoes out into the night. She follows snowy tracks and encounters all sorts of woodland creatures, including a debonair snake, an eccentric owl, and a cunning fox. But the Big Bad Mouse doesn’t really exist, does he? And what will the Gruffalo’s Child do when she finds him? Follow the Gruffalo’s Child on her adventurous mission in Tall Stories’ enchanting adaptation of the much-loved picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. This production features Tall Stories’ distinctive style of physical storytelling combined with humor and catchy original music to create a lively performance.
Explorer Series:
Jazzy Ash & The Leaping Lizards | November 1 – 2, 2024
“Jazzy Ash fully connects with her own family’s roots yet incorporates those decade sold traditions into 21st century kids music.” – NPR
Jazzy Ash invites the whole family to come along on a Crescent City inspired, jazzy music adventure with her band The Leaping Lizards. She’s a talented and prolific songwriter as well as a musical treasure hunter, highlighting traditional songs, rhythms, and rhymes that have been handed down by African-American children, adults, and musicians for generations. This interactive program delves into the history and development of jazz from its origins in Congo Square to the present. Ash introduces twentieth-century jazz pioneers Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, and shares family stories about her grandfather’s work for voting rights and learning to make beignets with her mother. The performance includes a call-and response sing-along, an imagined Mardi Gras parade, and a grand finale that will have the audience up on its feet.
Annie | February 22, 2025
“One of the best family musicals ever penned!” – Chicago Tribune
Holding onto hope when times are tough can take an awful lot of determination, and sometimes, an awful lot of determination comes in a surprisingly small package. Little Orphan Annie has reminded generations of theatergoers that sunshine is always right around the corner, and now the best-loved musical of all time returns in a new production – just as you remember it and just when we need it most. Annie, directed by Jenn Thompson, features the iconic book and score, written by Tony Award®–winners Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin. This celebration of family, optimism and the American spirit remains the ultimate cure for all the hard knocks life throws your way.
The Magic City | March 1 – 2, 2025
“…it would be difficult to find a more wholly enraptured audience.” – The Chicago Sun-Times
Loosely adapted from Edith Nesbit’s 1910 novel, Manual Cinema’s The Magic City tells the story of nine-year-old Philomena, who must learn to build a new life with some unexpected characters. Her older sister and legal guardian announces that she is engaged and the two must now go live with her fiancé. Left alone in her new home and forced to make friends with her annoying stepbrother, Philomena secludes herself in the attic where she builds a huge miniature city. Later that night, she wakes to discover that the city has come alive! Using overhead projectors, paper shadow puppets, actors on camera, and live music, Manual Cinema’s adaptation of The Magic City is a modern retelling that explores the complexities and joys of building a family.
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Segerstrom Center for the Arts is an innovative, nonprofit arts organization committed to supporting artistic excellence, creating impactful educational programs, and dedicated to engaging a culturally connected, inclusive and vital Orange County community for all, through the power of live performance.
As the leading cultural arts hub, the Center presents a variety of programming with performances by international dance companies, Broadway national tours, jazz and cabaret musicians, chamber orchestras and ensembles, comedy, and speaker series. Through the Education and Community Engagement departments, the Center also delivers family-friendly programming and performances on the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza; these events include outdoor movie screenings, concerts, dance classes, diverse festivals and more.
With six venues on a beautiful multi-disciplinary campus, Segerstrom Center for the Arts proudly serves as the artistic home to three of the region’s major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, Philharmonic Society of Orange County and Pacific Chorale as well as two independently acclaimed organizations: Tony Award®-winning South Coast Repertory and Orange County Museum of Art. Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School and Studio D, Arts School for All Abilities.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds Kaiser Permanente, its Official Health Care Partner, the Charles and Mildred Schnurmacher Foundation and Pacific Life for their support of the Family Series and recognizes Parenting OC as media partner for the Family Series.
Information provided is accurate at the time of printing but is subject to change. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is a public, non-profit organization. “Segerstrom Center for the Arts” and “SCFTA” are registered trademarks.
