DALLAS: Dallas Children’s Theater (DCT) has announced a restructuring that will reduce their 2025-26 season to three mainstage shows and institute a temporary pause in the DCT Academy education program’s classes after the summer term ends on Aug. 8. The change has been undertaken to address the “significant financial challenges of the company’s current environment and to position ourselves for a stronger, more resilient future,” according to a letter shared by executive director Samantha Turner, artistic director Emily Ernst, and board president Leah Mora.
“Although our performances are well-attended and our community support is strong, ticket sales cover only a small portion of the true cost of producing theatre…This financial pressure requires immediate action to keep DCT viable—not just for this season, but for the years ahead,” the leadership team said in the letter. “We remain deeply committed to artistic excellence and to the 90,000 young people and families we serve annually. Though we will have fewer performances, we will continue to provide meaningful theatrical experiences that inspire children, nurture their imagination, and encourage connection with the world around them.”
Early in its four-decade history, DCT’s programmed as many 10-12 shows per season. More recently that number was closer to six shows a season; last year’s 2024-25 season offered five shows. The company had previously announced five shows for the upcoming season; the two that were cut were The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley and Jungalbook. The three remaining mainstage shows are the world premiere of The Pigeon Gets a Big Time Holiday Extravaganza, The Hungry Caterpillar, and Moon Mouse: A Space Odyssey, as well as one new developmental workshop envisioned by Ernst.
On the education side, the leadership team shared that families enrolled for the fall semester will receive a separate email with next steps. In response to the company’s announcement of the changes on social media, Dallas theatre community members shared disappointment for the education staff, run by women of color and LGBTQ+ folks. DCT is not the first children’s theatre company in recent history to restructure and pause programming for financial reasons; Oregon Children’s Theatre is one other recent example, with plans to pause all programming this coming fall to restructure.
“Without question, these are painful decisions that only come after a great deal of consideration,” executive director Samantha Turner shared with American Theatre. “We are fortunate that our performances are well attended, and we have not seen the decline in ticket sales that some of our peer organizations have. But our operating costs have skyrocketed while our funding remains flat.
“While we will be pausing Academy operations,” Turner continued, “we will be continuing our student matinee series, which serves 40,000 students annually, many of whom would not otherwise be able to experience live theatre. Prioritizing those students who need us the most was at the heart of this very difficult decision that will deeply impact our staff and our community.”
Co-founded by Robyn Flatt in 1984, Dallas Children’s Theater is the only professional theatre in North Texas focused exclusively on children and families. DCT aims to foster understanding across generations and cultures, and to nurture its audiences’ early love for literature, art, and the performing arts. As of 2023, they had a budget of $3.8 million.
