NEW YEAR, NEW STORIES FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY AT SEGERSTROM CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Winter 2026 Family Series Performances
The Great Race
January 31, 2026 – February 1, 2026
Hare and Tortoise
February 21, 2026-February 22, 2026
Doodle POP
March 14, 2026 – March 15, 2026
COSTA MESA, CA | Segerstrom Center for the Arts invites families to gather this winter for its Family Series performances, bringing the very best professional youth theater to Orange County. Curated for children ages 4 and up, these engaging productions feature artists from around the world and are crafted to delight young audiences while creating meaningful, lasting memories. With free pre-show family activities, Sensory Friendly/Relaxed shows, and American Sign Language interpreted performances, Segerstrom Center’s Family Series ensures that every family in the community can experience the joy, wonder, and inspiration of live theater together.
This winter’s Family Series lineup celebrates culture, imagination, and friendship through three enchanting productions. Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) will bring The Great Race from January 31-February 1, 2026, telling the beloved folktale about the origins of the Chinese Zodiac. UK based children’s theater company Tutti Frutti returns to the Center from February 21-22, 2026 with their adaptation of Aesop’s timeless fable Hare and Tortoise. From March 14-15, 2026, BRUSH Theatre from Seoul, South Korea will captivate young audiences with Doodle POP featuring live musicians, interactive animation, whiteboard drawings, and visual storytelling.
Tickets for Family Series performances are just $35 and are available for purchase online at scfta.org, in person at Segerstrom Center for the Arts Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, or by phone at (714) 556-2787.
All performances include one hour of free, fun activities for families to enjoy together before the show. Before The Great Race, stop by the Chinese calligraphy station to get your names written in Chinese characters and come craft paper lanterns to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year. Young audiences can dive into themes of friendship with a playful reflection worksheet and then enjoy an up-close encounter with live tortoises and rabbits before Hare and Tortoise. Budding artists will love getting creative ahead of Doodle POP, learning about illustration while making their own thaumatrope and watching their drawings spring to life.
To give everyone in our community the opportunity to experience the joy of attending a live performance, the Center offers 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. The Center will also offer American Sign Language interpretation at the Sunday 1:00pm performance of each show to make the performances accessible to patrons with any hearing impairments.
ABOUT THE GREAT RACE
Join our characters, Po Po and Kung Kung, as they celebrate Chinese New Year by making dumplings and sharing the story of the great race with their grandkids, Freddie and Ivy. The show weaves a family celebration with a re-telling of one of the most beloved tales in Chinese folklore – the origin story of the Chinese Zodiac. When the Jade Emperor needs a way to tell time, he decrees that there will be a Great Race. The first twelve animals to cross the mighty river will have a year named after them. This 12-year cycle will mark the passage of time. Which animals win the race? What are the traits that help them cross the river? Why do the Rat and Cat become enemies? Learn how each animal earned its place in the Chinese Zodiac through this new performance from Honolulu Theatre for Youth, featuring a cast of four, traditional Chinese music, Jingju, martial arts and a whole lot of fun!
Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) produces professional theater and drama education programs that make a difference in the lives of young people, families, and educators in the state of Hawaii. HTY believes that drama education and theater are unique, socially-based education and art forms that help their participants and audiences walk in the shoes of others, allowing them to expand their imaginations, enrich their lives, and discover the infinite possibilities in the world. Founded in 1955, HTY is one of the oldest and most respected children’s theaters in the country. HTY has served over five million people through school and family performances and drama education programs. Over 300 new plays for young audiences have been commissioned by HTY.
ABOUT HARE AND TORTOISE
Meet two competing friends in this fantastic adaptation of Aesop’s classic fable. Hare is ready to race, but Tortoise has many things to do before it’s the right time. And time moves so slowly! From sun-shining spring to snow-falling winter, the duo goes through all four seasons. Does Hare have the patience? When will they actually start the race? Brimming with charming characters, live music and singing, and wonderful physicality, Tutti Frutti brings you this much-loved story about opposites and friendship.
Tutti Frutti has been creating imaginative, visual, and meaningful story-based theater for children for over 25 years. They specialize in bringing fantastic, distinctive and carefully crafted shows to children aged 3+ and their families and teachers across the UK and the world. They commission award-winning writers like Mike Kenny, Evan Placey, and Emma Reeves to write new plays for children and adaptations of traditional stories. Over the years they have delivered high-quality touring productions and built an excellent reputation for inventive, creative, and highly physical productions for children and families. Tutti Frutti currently performs to around 37,000 children and their families giving over 250 performances per year. They were most recently at Segerstrom Center with The Boy Who Cried Wolf and Underneath a Magical Moon.
ABOUT DOODLE POP
A mischievous duo starts to doodle… and ends up creating a whole imaginative world! They invite us along on their sea adventure with a tiny little turtle. What will happen as we follow their vivid drawings into this beautiful watery world, and will they return the turtle to the sea safely? Doodle POP is a playful, non-verbal show that uses live musicians who perform the accompanying score and sound effects, stunning interactive animation projections and live whiteboard drawings, and an abundance of theatrical imagination.
BRUSH Theatre LLC, based in Seoul, South Korea, is a theater for young audiences, passionately driven by performing live internationally. BRUSH Theatre believes in the little child everyone has inside who loves to live out art in life. They envision the inner child growing into a powerful creator through boundless forms of art – the reason why children are their favorite audience! Inspiring children all over the world from different socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds through their out-of-the-box performances, they showcase one-of-a-kind acts built for audiences of every age, race, and culture.
Winter 2026 Family Series Performances
Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Samueli Theater
Tickets only $35
The Great Race
Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 10:00am (Sensory Friendly/Relaxed) and 1:00pm
Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 1:00pm (ASL) and 3:30 pm
Age Recommendation: Ages 4 -9 and their families
Hare and Tortoise
Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 10:00am (Sensory Friendly/Relaxed) and 1:00pm
Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 1:00pm (ASL) and 3:30 pm
Age Recommendation: Ages 4 -8 and their families
Doodle POP
Saturday, March 14, 2026 at 1:00pm
Sunday, March 15, 2026 at 1:00pm and 3:30pm
Age Recommendation: Ages 4 –8 and their families
In-Person –
Box Office
600 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Monday 10am to 2pm
Tuesday through Friday 12pm to 5pm
Saturday and Sunday: Closed
Phone – Monday – Friday 10am to 5pm (714) 556-2787
Online – SCFTA.org
Group Sales – (714) 755-0236
