Saturday Morning Live!

Let’s Go Exploring! After 45 years of entertaining and enriching young audiences, we’re still keen to discover new things. So this season, Saturday Morning Live! will be broadening everyone’s horizons through time travel and space travel, international music and innovative art. Kids love it, and parents do, too:

“Saturday Morning Live! is such a fantastic offering. Free, fun, and creative performances for children in the historic National Theatre. A wonderful way to introduce kids to the arts!”

“I think you do a wonderful job of curating a variety of entertainment programs and creating a comfortable space for families. Thank you!”

“Thank you for offering diverse performances. I am so proud to expose my children to theater and for them to see people like them in the performances. This is the highlight of our month. Thank you!”

All Saturday Morning Live! programs are interpreted into American Sign Language (ASL) and take place in a wheelchair-accessible space. Pre-registrations are taken via our Eventbrite page but we do accept walk-ups pending availability of space. Stroller parking is available in the lobby and best guidance on car parking comes courtesy of our commercial managers Broadway at The National. Read on to see what’s coming up next!

COMING UP NEXT

After dazzling us back in January, Jennie the Cat returns to The National Theatre with A Halloween Adventure! Catch this delightful creation from puppeteers Ingrid and Mollie in the Helen Hayes Gallery at 10am on Saturday, October 11th and Saturday, October 25th. Plus, come in your best costume for a chance to be part of our costume parade! Pre-registration and full details are now available via Eventbrite; click the button below to get started.

Head to Eventbrite

LOOKING BACK

Young women in ballet costumes pose near a light blue Saturday Morning Live! Behind them is a black wall with show posters on it.
Ensemble members from Virginia Ballet Company pose on The National Theatre Main Stage.
A woman shows several percussion instruments to children and a parent.
Latin music duo Cantaré shows off their instruments.
A woman sits on a stool telling stories to an assembled audiences. Young children are seated on multicolored mats in front, adults are seated in chairs behind.
Dovie Thomason shares “Grandma’s Stories from the Animal People.”
Three women perform a comic role next to a Punch and Judy stage. A puppet is on the stage, holding a large white sign.
Alex and Olmsted (and our ASL interpreters) performing “Happy Birthday, Mon Ami.”
Two young women with two puppets, one a mouse and the other a black cat, sit on a temporary stage smiling at the camera.
Ingrid and Mollie with Jennie the Cat and friend.
Four young women in African print uniforms sing, dance, and smile in front of an assembled audience.
A quartet from Taratibu Youth Association singing a selection from “Wawa Aba: Toughness & Perseverance.”
A man in an orange shirt plays a guitar and works a foot pedal while two young children dance in front of him.
Groovy Nate gets some of his fans in the groove.
Two performers in gray unitards and yellow and orange vests dance with a pair of doll figures in front of an assembled audience. Children are seating on multicolored mats and parents are sitting on chairs behind. The off-white set is backed by a black wall with show posters on it.
Imagination Stage’s presentation of “Paper Dreams” on The National Theatre Main Stage.
A woman kneels by a young child with a microphone and observes an ASL interpreter translating the child's question. Behind them are an ensemble of performers in black and white shirts and blue jeans.
The cast and creative team of “Yes, I’m Deaf, Too!” taking questions from the audience.

Enjoy some choice snaps from our last season, featuring Virginia Ballet Company, Cantaré, Visionaries of the Creatives Arts (VOCA), Taratibu Youth Association, and many more!

PROGRAM CORE VALUES

Saturdays are for great, big sparks

It’s been proven that early exposure to the arts can improve the lives of children. Live performance —which is what Saturday Morning Live! is all about—teaches self-expression and communication skills, fosters empathy, and allows kids to unplug and see the larger, real-life community that welcomes them. Good stuff, right? So come join us Saturdays and let’s spark kids’ imaginations.

Our artists encourage children to play along with them; whether that’s through singing, dancing, clapping, or call and response throughout the shows. Children’s theatre is inherently educational, but primarily fun!

Studies have shown that watching live performance can help students practice empathy by engaging in perspective taking with the characters onstage. Our programming is designed to promote student’s self awareness, self-regulation, and interpersonal skills.

We strive to offer programming that reflects the racial, ethnic, cultural, and social diversity of the DMV area and allows children to relate the narratives presented to their own lived experiences.

Missing the wonderful characters, creatures, and creators who lit up our last season? Take a trip down memory lane with these highlights from 2024-25! If you attended a show and want to share your experience with us, please fill out our end-of-season survey.

LOOKING FOR MORE?

Let’s Go Exploring! Click the button to read about this season, and keep an eye out for more updates!

Show Descriptions

Re-watch your favorite episodes or explore the performances that you missed from our two virtual seasons of Saturday Morning Live!

Past Performances

Saturday Morning Live! is made possible by The Jacqueline Badger Mars Next Generation Fund.