Rakeem Lawrence and Mercedes Perez in the 2019 production of Goodnight Moon. Photo by Adams VisCom

They come reaching up to hold the hands of giants, wearing their best dresses and bunny costumes, watching and hearing their favorite bedtime story brought to life. These children probably aren’t aware, however, that when they come to see Goodnight Moon, they are taking part in one of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ foundational outreach programs.

Goodnight Moon is a production by the DCPA’s Theatre for Young Audiences program, which pulls out all the stops to make theater accessible, rewarding and meaningful for children. It begins with the Randy Weeks Conservatory Theatre, where every element has been redesigned for young audiences.

“It is really made with them in mind,” says Allison Watrous, Executive Director for Education and Community Engagement.

Susannah McLeod in the 2019 production of Goodnight Moon. Photo by Adams Viscom.

As children enter the space, there is themed decor to draw them in. Performers move through the aisles. Laughing and speaking are expected. “We encourage their engagement, we encourage their response,” Watrous says. “It helps them lean into the power of narrative that helps them reflect as learners, and they really learn social-emotionally.”

Former Denver Center Theatre Company literary manager Chad Henry wrote both the book and music for his adaptation of Margaret Wise Brown’s 1947 picture book (illustrated by Clement Hurd), which contains only 130 words. Henry transformed those words into a full theatrical event, in which Bunny and the room come to life, allowing children to explore what was previously a two-dimensional space.

“The magic is ever-present,” Watrous says. “It’s the power of wonder for a young person, that they can be in awe. How did the cow jump over the moon?”

Brown’s original book stemmed from her studies in education, under the philosophy that children were more inspired by everyday stories than fantasies. Bunny came to life because Hurd, the illustrator, was better at drawing rabbits than humans. The book was not an immediate success. Anne Carroll Moore, the influential children’s librarian at New York Public Library, did not like it, and it was not added to that library’s collection until 1972. In 1953, it sold only 1,500 copies. Today, it has sold more than 48 million copies and has been translated into 15 languages.

The book joins Snowy Day and Other Stories, Corduroy, and the sellout Elephant and Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!” among classic children’s tales brought to the stage by the DCPA. Theatre for Young Audiences takes the intelligence and literary acumen of its audiences seriously.

“I really believe in honoring a young person at the highest level of their intelligence, so that’s what I really look for [in a script]. The writing is spectacular. What I really love about Chad’s work on Goodnight Moon is the music is highly, highly sophisticated. Chad takes you on a journey of musical styles. There’s a giant tap number. It’s at the highest level.” — Allison Watrous, Executive Director of Education & Community Engagement

Local performers are hired. Familiar performer Diana Dresser choreographed the production, including its tap extravaganza. Denver Center Theatre Company designers, including Lisa Orzolek, Kevin Copenhaver, Charles MacLeod, and Jason Ducat created a multidimensional sensory experience.

This experience will be enjoyed by more than 28,000 students at 81 student matinee and 74 public performances. To broaden access, the DCPA will provide 4,800 full and partial student matinee scholarships, a value of $45,000. Scholarships are provided to Title 1 schools, and there are additional tiered ticketing rates based on a school’s percentage of students eligible for free and reduced lunch. In addition, Theatre for Young Audiences partners with community organizations and the Denver Public Library to get tickets in the hands of children who might not typically have the opportunity to go.

Rakeem Lawrence as Bunny in the 2019 production of Goodnight Moon. Photo by Adams VisCom

Every group is provided with a post-show lunch space and a workshop included with the show. If schools need to leave immediately after the show, the center sends a teaching artist for a post-show workshop at schools in the Denver metro area. During the workshop, students step into the role of Bunny, following the character’s journey of saying goodnight and going to bed. “We make it very, very tactile,” Watrous says. “They also get to sing a song and step into one of the dances.”

For neurodivergent audiences, there are special sensory-friendly performances following guidelines established by the Theatre Development Fund. “We anticipate any audience to be full of many different learners and many different thinkers,” Watrous says. “Each show is absolutely accessible that way and accessible for different learners to respond.”

At scheduled sensory-friendly performances, additional accommodations are made. Fewer seats are filled, theater doors are left open, and sound is adjusted. “A full house may be too much for sensory-sensitive learners,” Watrous says. “They might need a space to move. If there is a special need, then we reserve the whole back row and you can move throughout that space. It becomes this really lovely community of audience members.”

Of course, groups are not the only audience members. Parents, grandparents, and favorite adults come with their young children in tow, often for their first theatrical experience.

“How lovely to be able to come with your young person and share this experience with them. Even if you’ve gone to the theater many, many times, to be able to share that with your young person?” Watrous says. “Some of our favorite things are when we see students dressed to the nines. We’re talking about a six-year-old in a little tiny suit.”

All of these aspects are in service to the central pursuit of Theatre for Young Audiences. “For young people of any age, from preK all the way to high school, how do we instill in our young people the curiosity about the world, and that happens both within and outside your classroom.”

DETAILS

Goodnight Moon

Oct 24, 2025 – Jan 25, 2026 • Weeks Conservatory Theatre

Tickets