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Folly Kids Series

2026 - 2027 Season

The Folly Kids’ Series is a collection of national and international traveling presenters who produce quality, curriculum-based performances. Age-appropriate performances engage students in topics including children’s literacy, STEM, and social-emotional wellness. Students, parents, and school groups alike will enjoy programs which inspire and entertain, all from the stage of Kansas City’s most historic arts venue!

With themes such as language arts, social sciences, music, and science we’re certain you should be able to find a show or two to fit a variety of curriculum standards. As with previous seasons, our series capacity is on a first-come-first-serve basis!

Tickets are only $10!
$8 for groups of 20 or more. One free adult with 10 paid student tickets
To order field trip tickets for groups of 20 or more, please call the box office at 816-474-4444 or complete THIS ORDER FORM.
Title I schools have an opportunity to have ticket and bus transportation costs covered by supporters of the Folly Theater (subject to fund availability).

Show Duration: Approximately 60 minutes, no intermission

Monday, November 16, 2026 at 9:45am and 11:30am

Ms. Greer’s classroom includes three inquisitive out-of-the-box thinkers. Rosie Revere has big dreams. Iggy Peck has a relentless passion for architecture. And Ada Twist’s curiosity can lead her to solve any problem.

A fun musical based on the books Rosie Revere, Engineer; Iggy Peck, Architect; and Ada Twist Scientist by Andrea Beaty, which spotlights the STEM curriculum (focusing on science, technology, engineering and math).

Recommended Ages: Grades K through 4
Curriculum Connections: Communication and Language Arts, Music, Science, and Social Studies

Wednesday, January 27, 2027 at 9:45am and 11:30am

“Cows that type? Hens on strike! Whoever heard of such a thing!” Farmer Brown cries.

When his granddaughter Jenny comes for a visit, Farmer Brown declares the farm a tech-free zone. He takes her laptop in the cold barn with the shivering cows who use her computer to type messages requesting blankets.

“No way,” replies Farmer Brown. “No blankets!”

So the cows go on strike and the chickens join them in solidarity. No blankets? No milk! No eggs!

Will Farmer Brown give in to the animals’ demands? Will Jenny get her computer back? Find out in a hilariously moving musical about negotiation and compromise, based on the Caldecott Honor Book by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin.

Recommended Ages: Grades K through 4
Curriculum Connections: Communication and Language Arts, Music, Relationships and Family

Wednesday, February 10, 2027 at 9:45am and 11:30am
Thursday, February 11, 2027 at 9:45am and 11:30am

Experience the spellbinding stories and colorful characters of beloved author and artist Eric Carle in a whole new way, with The Very Hungry Caterpillar Interactive Show!

Created by Jonathan Rockefeller, this innovative stage brings to life four Eric Carle stories, through 45 magical, handcrafted puppets, world-class puppeteering and lively original musical that invites your little one to play along with their favorite stories!

Along with The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Interactive Show includes three additional Carle classics. Audiences will get up and move with From Head to Toe; dream and sing with The Very Quiet Cricket; and play along mischievous shapes of Little Cloud.

We invite you to take an unforgettable, hour-long journey full of color, wit, imagination – and one VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR.

Recommended Ages: Grades K through 4
Curriculum Connections: Communication and Language Arts

Tuesday, March 9, 2027 at 9:45am and 11:30am

Based on the book by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith. Poor Jack. He’s got to use his wits to save himself from the terrible Giant, but a host of familiar fairytale characters keep messing up his plans—and then there’s that annoying Stinky Cheese Man! The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales deconstructs the tradition of the fairy tale. Characters slide in and out of tales; Cinderella rebuffs Rumpelstiltskin, and Goldilocks meets the Three Elephants. Nothing is quite the same as you remember it.

Recommended Ages: Grades 1 through 3
Curriculum Connections:Language Arts, Literature, Vocabulary, Spelling, Creative Writing, Story Telling

Thursday, May 6, 2027 at 9:45am and 11:30am

The original Doktor Kaboom! show in which the good Doktor takes his audience on an educational tour of the modern scientific method, using humor and comedy while demonstrating spectacular applications of the physical sciences.

Topics covered include: safety; pressure and force; simple machines; velocity; application of science to everyday life; the scientific method (hypothesis and experimentation); multiple experimentation; constant discovery of new information and data; definitions: chemical reactions, exothermic, external and chemical formula; mass; air pressure and demonstration vs. experimentation.

Recommended Ages: Grades 7 through 7
Curriculum Connections: Science, Physical Science, STEAM, Theatre, Health, Social Emotional Learning

General Information

Tickets
– Tickets are $10 each for students & chaperones. $8 for groups of 20 or more. One (1) complimentary adult reservation may be issued per every 10 student ticket purchased.
– Credit/Debit card processing fee $2.50/order
– As many performances sell out months in advance we encourage school groups to book as early as possible.
– Funding may be available by Folly grant to Title 1 schools (subject to funding availability) – we suggest filling out the online order form and a representative will be in contact after receiving. If you have any issues or questions, please call our box office at (816) 474-4444
– For schools: If you have parent/chaperones/etc that will need to acquire their own ticket separate from your order, they can do so by individual purchase on the ticket purchase page. If this is of interest, we can add the name of the school in the checkout path for these individuals to select to assist with seating efforts – please arrange with us.
–  As are a small non-profit arts theater and due the nature of these events we are unable to offer refunds or exchanges.

Payment options include: Card (Visa/Discover/Master Card/American Express) can be taken over the phone by calling 816-474-4444 during normal business hours
or check may be mailed in or dropped off in-person at:
Folly Business Office
114 W. 11th St.
Suite 150
Kansas City MO 64105

Performance Location
All performances take place at:
Folly Theater
300 W 12th St
Kansas City, MO 64105

How to Reserve Tickets & Payment Information
To purchase tickets for groups of 19 or less, visit https://orders.follytheater.org/Events
For schools and large homeschool groups of 20 or more, please fill out our ONLINE FORM. If you need assistance, call our box office at (816) 474-4444 or e-mail our team at [email protected].

Payment is due no later than 30 days prior to the performance and may be required sooner to lock in reservations for popular performances.  When a group books a performance online or over the phone, the box office will email an invoice with reservation details. All sales are final with no refunds, cancellations, or exchanges. If a performance is canceled by the tour or the Folly Theater, schools will have the option to move into another kids’ series show or a refund will be processed.

FAQ

When do I receive my tickets for a Folly Kids’ Series performance?
For individual ticket sales, select “print at home” and you will recieve your tickets directly to your email. Will call can be picked up at the box office a maximum of 1 hour before the performance. For large groups, tickets are not issued for Folly Kids’ Series performances.  Seating is determined by Folly Staff and ushers based on an established seating map.

For homeschool/parent group not attending with a school, check-in at the Box Office when entering the building for your selected performance, and seating location will be arranged based off open locations on the map. If you have any special accommodation needs for accessibility, these must be provided in advance. 

Can my school eat lunch on-site before or after a performance?
Unfortunately, the Folly does not have facilities available for school groups to each lunch on site.  We can provide restroom facilities and provide suggestions for outdoor locations for lunch. 

How do we obtain a refund if our school date is canceled?
Due to the varying weather policies of area schools and districts planning to attend a matinee, the Folly will attempt to reschedule a performance or gladly transfer a reservation to an alternate performance within the school year to the best of our availability.  However, refunds will only be issued in the case of a performance cancellation arranged by the Folly Theater. 

Receive up to date information about the Folly Kids Series by  following us on Facebook  or  signing up for Folly Kids’ Series email notifications. 

The Folly Kids Series is generously brought to you by the Missouri Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Theater League, R.A. Long Foundation, Ronald D. Deffenbaugh Foundation, Mark Edelman Theater Fund, Children’s Mercy, Oppenstein Brothers Foundation, Commerce Bank, Trustee, The Estate of Joan Hubbard, Variety KC, and UMB Bank. 

What accommodations are available?

  • Lobby-entry, orchestra-level seating, first floor restrooms, and box office areas are all ADA-accessible and barrier free
  • Assistive listening devises are available for check out at the Box Office counter
  • Variety KC sensory kits are available at all Folly Theater performances at the Box Office.  Sensory kits include noise-reducing headphones, dark glasses, weighted pads, and handheld
  • For additional accommodations, email us at [email protected]