2025/2026 Nicklaus Children's Smart Stage Matinee Series Announced for The Broward Center and The Parker

The Broward Center for the Performing Arts and The Parker will welcome students, families, and educators for the 2025/2026 Nicklaus Children’s Smart Stage Matinee Series, featuring school-day performances designed to inspire creativity and connect directly to Florida’s B.E.S.T. Standards.

The season will run from October through April and includes beloved titles such as Pinkalicious: The Musical, Seussical, The Nutcracker, She Persisted: The Musical, and Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!” among others. Performances will take place at the Broward Center’s Amaturo Theater and Lillian S. Wells Hall at The Parker.

Highlights include the return of magician Bill Blagg with The Science of Magic, Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida’s The Nutcracker, and musical adaptations of The Pout Pout Fish, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and The Emperor’s New Clothes. Each performance offers free downloadable “Curriculum Connections” study guides, and many include an optional Smart Stage Plus interactive learning workshop for groups. “Supporting curriculum-connected performances is vital to inspiring creativity, deepening classroom learning, and giving students meaningful access to the arts,” said DeAnn Hazey of Nicklaus Children’s Health System.