The Smithsonian's Discovery Theater, located in the Arts and Industries Building on the National Mall, is dedicated to offering the best in performing arts for young people. Each season more than a dozen productions feature puppets, storytellers, dancers, actors, musicians, and mimes in performances that present classic stories for children, folk tales from all over the world, American history and cultures, and innovative theater techniques. Some are written specially for Discovery Theater.
Performances are open to the public.
Advance reservations may be arranged for school groups, youth organizations, and families with children. Teachers reserving a block of seats receive a free learning guide with information about the performance and suggestions for activities that can help integrate the experience of theater into the curriculum. Because performance invites thoughts and emotions to the surface. A child's world is rich in sensation, and the theater recreates that world. Not everything that is important can be transformed into words or numbers.