LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET Comes To Dallas Children's Theatre

Dallas Children's Theater will bring LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET, to the stage March 18 - April 2, 2023 at the Rosewood Center for the Arts. With production halted days before the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, this heartfelt spectacular has been years in the making! Based on The New York Times bestseller that won a Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, and a Caldecott Honor, LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET is a compassionate tale filled with both the mature joy of a grandparent and the pure wonder of a child.

The story follows young CJ and his Nana on their journey as they board the public bus for their weekly trip across town to help out at a soup kitchen. Along the way, CJ notices the many differences among people and asks tons of curious questions: Why don't we have a car? How come that man can't see? How come it's always so dirty over there? How? Why? With Nana's fearless and compassionate guidance, CJ discovers that everyone and everything has a unique rhythm and purpose; that the world's got answers if CJ listens with more than his ears and sees with more than his eyes.

Directed by vickie washington (North Texas director, actress, and teacher at Booker T. Washington for the Performing Arts) LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET carries the poignant message of the picture book without ever losing the fun. While the premise appears ordinary, a trip to the soup kitchen across town, colorful stagecraft, and plenty of spectacle and music work together to create a memorable experience for the young and young at heart. "While riding the bus with CJ and Nana, we learn the value of meeting people where they are, and the joy of opening our hearts and minds to the experiences of others." washington says, smiling. "With all that is happening in our city and in our world today, these are very important lessons for all of us."

Playwright Gloria Bond Clunie was in Dallas for three weeks working with the team to further develop the play. Some of the scenes will make their debut here in Dallas.

Imaginative and hopeful in its capture of a genuine experience of everyday beauty, LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET is a gentle journey recommended for ages 4 and up. In the spirit of true kindness, these funders have stepped up to make this production a reality: The Howard Family in loving memory of Eleanor "Gammy" Howard, Jean Baptists(Tad) Adoue III Fund of The Dallas Foundation; TACA Donna Wilhelm Family New Works Fund; The M.R. & Evelyn Hudson Foundation; Capital One; the National Endowment for the Arts, the Cece Smith Lacy and John Ford Lacy Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and Southwest Airlines.

The DCT staff dedicates this production to the amazing Ms. Bonnie Jean Stoner who introduced us to this book almost five years ago. While she is no longer with us, Bonnie Jean will forever live in our hearts because of the gifts of advice, support and kindness that she gave to us over the years. DCT also dedicates the production to the March 2020 stage manager, Ashley Newman, a compassionate person and wonderful colleague that we lost way too soon.

 

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