Podcasts about performances for young people

In an odd turn, the Broadway musical - exported by Walt Disney to cartoons in the 1930s - was returned to Broadway by Disney in the 1990s. Heather Nathans, Associate Professor of Theatre at the University of Maryland, explains this transition.

In this piece, Heather Nathans, Associate Professor of Theatre at the University of Maryland, is joined by Joe Stein and Sheldon Harnick, writers of "Fiddler on the Roof" and Stephen Schwartz, who wrote "Pippin," Godspell," and "Wicked" to talk about how a musical gets written.

As the rock musical gave way to the spectacle musical, shows like "Cats," "Phantom of the Opera" and "Starlight Express" came to rely less on story and more on technology. We'll talk about the changes in musical theater in the last forty years and where musical theater appears to be headed.

From The Beggar's Opera to Avenue Q., musicals have commented on social issues for as long as there has been musical theater in America.

Cuesheets, our free print performance guides, help kids and teenagers prepare for attending events at the Center (and on the road.) This informational piece, created by Fairfax County Public Schools, illustrates the ways Cuesheets help young people make closer connections to performances and events.

As America's national center for the performing arts, the Kennedy Center is committed to arts education. For more than 30 years, our Education Department has provided quality arts experiences for students, teachers, families, and the general public in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan community and throughout the nation. Each year, the Kennedy Center Education Department directly serves more than 11 million people, with a focus on Performances and Events for Young People, Families, and Lifelong Learners; Arts and Schools; and Career Development for Teachers, Aspiring Artists and Arts Managers.