The Lexington Children’s Theatre has been delighting audiences since 1938 and is excited to announce a wonderful lineup for the 2026-2027 season!
There is a great variety of shows planned for the season (note the Pay What You Will and Sensory Friendly Shows) as well as the annual Celebrity Curtain Call and Summer Family Musical in 2027!
Tickets can be purchased for single shows during the season or you can subscribe early with a family membership.
Click here for ticket info!
Super Cowgirl and Mighty Miracle
Family Weekend Performance Info
Saturday, September 19 – 2:00pm & 7:00pm (Pay What You Will)*
Sunday, September 20 – 2:00pm (**Sensory Friendly)
Saturday, September 26 – 2:00pm
Six-year-old Cory is sent to live with her grumpy grandma when her Papi must go away for work. But Grandmother Autumn’s house is different: soup for dinner, church on Sundays, and NO DOGS! When Cory meets a stray dog, she secretly takes him in right under her grandma’s nose. It’s love at first sight for Cory and positively the last straw for Grandmother Autumn. Will this dog bring this new family together or tear it apart?
Recommended for Ages 5 and up
Length of Show: Approximately 1 hour long
Pots and Pans
Family Weekend Performance Info
Saturday, October 10 – 2:00pm (Pay What You Will)*
Sunday, October 11 – 2:00pm
Saturday, November 14 – 2:00pm
Sunday, November 15 – 2:00pm
Saturday, December 12 – 11:00am & 2:00pm
Saturday, February 20 – 11:00am & 2:00pm
Saturday, March 13 – 2:00pm
It starts like any other Saturday: a bowl of cheerios in the kitchen. But thanks to a visit from an imaginary friend, the kitchen comes roaring to life with music, a fashion show, a dragon, and a bear hunt! Pots and Pans is a celebration of the power of imagination to bring excitement to the everyday.
Pots and Pans is a Theatre for the Very Young (TVY) production, which means it’s specifically designed to be a first-time theatre show for ages 2-5. With a shorter run time, fewer words in the script, and no shushing – it’s the perfect family outing for our littlest audience members!
Recommended for Ages 2-5
Length of Show: Approximately 3o minutes long
Mister E of Imagination: Tales of Edgar Allan Poe
Family Weekend Performance Info
Saturday, October 24 – 2:00pm & 7:00pm (Pay What You Will)*
Sunday, October 25 – 2:00pm
Saturday, October 31 – 2:00pm
The Tell-Tale Heart. The Fall of the House of Usher. The Cask of Amontillado. The Raven. Edgar Allan Poe’s poems and stories still excite imaginations with images that keep us up long after bedtime: a steely-gray eye gleaming in the darkness, an unceasing call from an unwanted winged visitor, and yearning for love long lost in a castle by the sea. Four actors bring the world of Poe to life and intertwine these stories to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Best enjoyed by Ages 9 and up
Length of Show: Approximately 1 hour long
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical
Family Weekend Performance Info
Sunday, November 29 – 2:00pm
Saturday, December 5 – 2:00pm & 7:00pm (Pay What You Will*)
Sunday, December 6 – 2:00pm
The Herdmans are known as the worst kids in the history of the world – so when they crash Sunday school and demand parts in the Christmas pageant, the whole town panics. In an effort to prove everyone wrong, director Grace Bradley gives the Herdmans a chance. But there’s not supposed to be biting or cigar-smoking in Bethlehem, and while these kids have never even heard the Christmas story, they definitely have rewrites! In this musical adaptation of the classic story, will the Herdmans step up and be a choir of angels or bring chaos to Bethlehem?
Best enjoyed by ages 5 and up
Performed at The Lexington Opera House
Length of Show: Approximately 1 hour long
Aesop’s Fables on Stage
Family Weekend Performance Info
Saturday, January 23 – 2:00pm & 7:00pm (Pay What You Will)*
Sunday, January 24 – 2:00pm (Sensory Friendly)**
Slow and steady wins the race. Don’t cry over spilled milk. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. These are just some of the lessons of Aesop’s Fables. With the energy of Saturday morning cartoons, three actors will become a tortoise, a hare, a grasshopper, an ant, a fox, a lion, a mouse, a milkmaid, a goose, and many more right before your very eyes. Learning your lesson has never been such a hoot and a holler.
Best enjoyed by ages 5 and up
Length of Show: Approximately 1 hour long
Tomas and the Library Lady
Family Weekend Performance Info
Saturday, January 30 – 2:00pm & 7:00pm (Pay What You Will)*
Sunday, January 31 – 2:00pm (Sensory Friendly)**
Tomás can’t sleep. He has a recurring nightmare about being asked to read in front of the class. When his family moves from Texas to Iowa, he meets a librarian who introduces him to the wonderful world of books. Tomás unlocks the secret of reading, and his imagination runs wild from the stories: giant dinosaurs, ferocious tigers, and aliens from space. This is the inspiring true story of Tomás Rivera, who grew up in a migrant worker family, befriended a librarian in Iowa, and learned to love books and the places they took him. Adapted from the well-loved book, this play can be readily understood by both English and Spanish speakers.
Best enjoyed by ages 8 and up
Length of Show: Approximately 1 hour long
Kentucky Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Family Weekend Performance Info:
Saturday, February 20 – 2:00pm
Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay our scene. Touring from Louisville, Kentucky Shakespeare’s professional touring company will bring this timeless tale of star-crossed lovers to life on the Lexington Children’s Theatre stage. Shortened to just 75 minutes, this production is perfect for a family member’s first introduction to Shakespeare and for a seasoned Shakespeare lover who is looking for more.
Romeo & Juliet is produced by Kentucky Shakespeare as part of their 2027 Shakespeare in the Parks tour. Kentucky Shakespeare serves communities through the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park, education programs for schools, public performances, and community outreach programs. Now in its 66th season, the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park is the longest-running free, non-ticketed Shakespeare festival in the United States. As the most comprehensive in-school arts education provider in the Commonwealth, Kentucky Shakespeare serves schools throughout the region with interactive educational programming directly tied to academic standards, helping impact student achievement. Our many community programs explore conflict resolution, empathy building, and communication, in a range of settings from parks to prisons, from preschools to senior centers.
Best enjoyed by ages 10 and up
Length of Show: Approximately 75 minutes long
Pete the Cat
Family Weekend Performance Info
Sunday, March 14 – 2:00pm
Saturday, March 20 – 2:00pm & 7:00pm (Pay What You Will)*
Sunday, March 21 – 2:00pm (Sensory Friendly)**
Saturday, Mar. 27 – 2:00pm & 7:00pm
For Pete the Cat, life is a groovalicious, beautiful adventure. For Jimmy Biddle, life has rules, structure, and order. When Pete becomes the Biddle family’s new housecat, Jimmy has trouble letting go of his uptight ways. But when he’s drawing a blank during art class, Pete’s open-minded, rock-n-rollin’ creativity is just the kick that he needs.
Pete the Cat is a part of the 4th annual “One Picture Book, 1 Lexington” – a partnership between Lexington Children’s Theatre, First 5 Lex, and the Lexington Public Library encouraging families across Lexington to read books together! Pete the Cat is taking over Lexington: join a story walk at the Arboretum, join a reading at the library, then see it come to life on our stage. Learn more at https://onepicturebooklex.com/
Best enjoyed by ages 4 and up
Length of Show: Approximately 1 hour long
Last Stop on Market Street
Family Weekend Performance Info
Sunday, April 18 – 2:00pm
Saturday, April 24 – 2:00pm & 7:00pm (Pay What You Will)*
Sunday, April 25 – 2:00pm (Sensory Friendly)**
Every week after church, CJ’s grandmother drags him all the way to the other side of town. CJ thinks it’s scary downtown. But his grandmother shows him how full of music and life the city can be when you learn how to listen to its unique rhythms. Based on the picture book, Last Stop on Market Street is a musical journey celebrating the many different personalities and cultures that make a neighborhood sing.
Best enjoyed by ages 7 and up
Length of Show: Approximately 1 hour long
Bookworms
Family Weekend Performance Info
Saturday, May 8 – 11:00am
Saturday, May 8 – 2:00pm*
Sunday, May 9 – 2:00pm
Saturday, June 12 – 11:00am
Saturday, June 12 – 2:00pm
Sunday, June 13 – 2:00pm
Saturday, July 10 – 11:00am
Saturday, July 10 – 2:00pm
Saturday, August 21 – 11:00am
Saturday, August 21 – 2:00pm
Sunday, August 22 – 2:00pm
A library is a space of wonder and imagination, but what goes on Beyond The Bookshelves? Little ones gather for storytime, but as the stories begin they find that something… or someone… has mixed them up! When the mischievous bookworms arrive from Beyond the Bookshelves and ask the Storyteller for help, the audience must decide what to do and write their own story!
Bookworms is a Theatre for the Very Young (TVY) production, which means it’s specifically designed to be a first-time theatre show for ages 2-5. With a shorter run time, fewer words in the script, and no shushing – it’s the perfect family outing for our littlest audience members!
Best enjoyed by ages 7 and up
Length of Show: Approximately 1 hour long
Pay What You Will
*New for our 2026-2027 Season: Pay What You Will tickets may now be purchased online, or through our Box Office during regular hours either in person or over the phone at 859.254.4546 x245. Let our staff know you are reserving PWYW tickets, how many seats you need, and what amount you would like to pay. PWYW tickets may also be purchased at the Box Office on the day of the show beginning one hour before curtain. Learn more on our Pay What You Will page.
Sensory Friendly Performances
**Sensory friendly performances are designed to be a safe environment for young people with sensory sensitivities or disabilities, as well as first time theatre goers. We encourage patrons to speak freely, respond, and move around the seating area in reaction to the story. Environmental elements including lighting and sound are also altered to make the space more comfortable for our sensory sensitive audience members. All Sensory Friendly performances are also Pay What You Will – call or visit our Box Office to pay whatever you would like for your tickets to these shows.