NEW YORK CITY: Theatre for Young Audiences/USA (TYA/USA), the leading national service organization for the professional field of theatre for children and families, in collaboration with Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, will present the 2026 TYA/USA National Festival and Conference, ILLUMINATE, May 27-29, 2026. This annual national festival offers the largest convening of Theatre for Young Audiences leaders, educators, artists, and organizations. Registration is now open.
“The theme of the 2026 National Festival & Conference is ILLUMINATE, casting light on the voices, visions, and innovations that will guide our community through uncertainty,” TYA/USA executive director Sara Morgulis said in a statement. “Together we’ll celebrate the courage to create and question, engage with the urgent questions facing our field, and spark the collective energy needed to envision a brighter, more equitable world for all young audiences. We are proud to partner with the prestigious Alliance Theatre, a true leader in the TYA field, for this landmark event.”
The all-ages festival will showcase 13 performances that range from immersive works for the very youngest audiences to bold new plays and musicals for teens and families, with a special focus on intergenerational storytelling and community connection. It will again be presented in conjunction with the Woodruff Art Center’s “Toddler Takeover,” and will feature the premiere performances of Helping Hands, created by Jack Romans and Cameryn Richardson for the inaugural TYA/USA and Alliance Theatre for the Very Young Development Program.
Toddler Takeover works include Birthday of the World by Jonathan Shmidt Chapman, inspired by the book by Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen; Rhythm & Thread by Andrea Washington, music composed by Eugene H. Russell, IV, inspired by Faith Ringgold, and in memory of Marquetta Johnson; DINOSAUR!, created by Olivia Aston Bosworth and Samantha Provenzano; and RAIN: for babies and their care, produced by Filament Theatre with Threshold.
Other performances include the Alliance’s TYA productions of Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit Tale by Mark Valdez and The Great Ant Sleepover by Madhuri Shekar, Christian Magby, and Christian Albright; the immersive play LISTEN by West Hyler, which will feature the Alliance’s teen ensemble; the new musical Young John Lewis by Psalmayene 24 and Eugene Russell IV; The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales from Atlanta’s Center for Puppetry Arts; and staged readings of plays by ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence writers and Sankofa: The SuperHero Project by Gloria Bond Clunie.
Attendees can learn new practices, exchange ideas, and advocate for the field by attending 21 breakout sessions led by TYA leaders, including three panels featuring the TYA/USA Research and Scholarship Working Group, designed to advance and diversify scholarship and publications that measure the impact of theatre programming. Sessions include “Commercial Producing and Nonprofit Partnerships in TYA,” “Playing the Long Game: Building Sustainable Partnerships Between Universities and TYA Theatres,” and “Spreading Wonder: Theater for the Very Young as a Tool for Community Impact.”
Other highlights include the annual “Song Slam” cabaret, featuring songs from a variety of new musicals for young audiences, music directed by composer Deborah Wicks La Puma. Its joint awards ceremony with Children’s Theatre Foundation of America will honor CTFA’s Orlin Corey Medallion Award recipients and TYA/USA’s recipients for its three awards: the Harold Oaks Award for Sustained Excellence in TYA, TYA Artistic Innovation Award, and TYA Community Impact Award.
