When I was a child I lived in a cozy little suburb close to NYC.  I went to Broadway shows frequently.   I loved going to the theater.  And when I could convince my mother she would take me to the local dinner theater.  What could be better than eating a meal AND watching a show.  I thought it was the height of sophistication.  It was something I had always hoped to pass on to my kids.

But I don’t live so close to Broadway any longer.  And holy cow have you seen the prices of tickets to Broadway shows, or even off-broadway shows?  Not to mention the traveling to get there.  Well, we have never gone.

I have been finding substitutes closer to home lately.   We saw Magic Treehouse: the Musical.  My kids loved it. We dressed up to make it more special and then got a treat afterward and discussed the show.  Earlier this month we saw another musical, The Underground Railroad, which tied in nicely to our history studies this year.  Today I brought my younger children to see Henry and Mudge, also a musical.  It was fun.

And I have begun looking around for other venues.  Theatreworks put on the last two.  If you have one of the performances near you, I can say that I highly recommend it.  And at $10 per ticket it is comparable to going to the movies.  If not maybe a local high school production or community college nearby.

I am hoping to build a love of theater in my children.  They already love art museums and history museums.  I hope this will help them grow up to be adults who realize the value of the arts.