Brave Little Company

Now that’s range! Each pin marks a place where BLC shows have toured. Want us to come to your neck of the woods? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Now that's range! Each pin marks a place where BLC shows have toured. Want us to come to your neck of the woods? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Trying to figure out how to bring a little mystery to your students? All the clues point to one solution: BLC's hands-on, sensory touring performances!

1. : Major Cases - Available Now! 🔒🔑🔒
Lost Luggage is immersive storytelling in a suitcase. It's also a STEAM mystery led by characters!

When they arrive at the Lost Luggage Terminal, kids and their grown-ups will be deputized as Baggage Handlers to explore the suitcases that have been left there. To solve the mystery of a stolen necklace, they will log their observations and inferences as they investigate the six witnesses through the items locked in their luggage. Will they find the culprit? English, Spanish, and other languages available by request.

Ideal for: Ages 7-12
Audience Size: Up to 30
Fees: Single performance: $250

2. : Cracking the Case in Curious City - Available Summer 2027! 🔎👣🌃

It's just another day in Curious City. Or is it? It's up to you meddling kids to solve the puzzle! Follow clues and track footprints to experience the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations of Curious City. The secret that cracks the case might be hidden in a construction site, in a busy restaurant kitchen, on the subway, or even in the library! You already have all the tools of a great detective: your imagination, your senses, and your curiosity. Good luck, gumshoes. The game's afoot! Facilitation in English, Spanish, and other languages, subject to availability.

Ideal for: Ages 3-8 and open to kids of all abilities
Audience Size: Up to 30
Fees: Single performance: $230

Contact Us: [email protected]

Our children's department is hosting a special free family fun event THIS Saturday, and it's great for students who just returned to school! ✏

First Day, Nueva Escuela is the story of a girl who overcomes her fear of starting class at a new school (and of reading) by writing herself into the stories. Tía Elena wants to make sure Xiomara is ready for her first day at a new school, but no matter what story she suggests they read, Xiomara always finds a reason not to like it. And now there’s just one day left before school starts!

The play is easily understood by both English and Spanish speakers, and its interactive storytelling helps audiences find compassion and empathy for the stories of others.

🕒 3 to 3:45 PM
🗓 Saturday, Aug. 22
📍 Wortham Auditorium - First Floor

Thanks for the shoutout, Texas Commission on the Arts!

The Texas Touring Roster has programs for the very young, and the young at heart, including Brave Little Company! The Roster is a resource for Texas entities that want to hire more artists to perform or conduct workshops for their community.

Brave Little Company is theater for everyone, creating original, highly interactive plays and musicals with small casts (1-3 performers). Many productions are in English/Spanish or offer versions for bilingual audiences. BLC prioritizes recruiting artists who are fluent in various languages; offers inclusive, creative opportunities for students with disabilities; and develops workshops, professional development, and residencies serving kids and educators. BLC received the 2023 National Award for Artistic Innovation from Theatre for Young Audiences/USA, reflecting BLC's national significance in the field of theater for young people. BLC creates theater the way kids play. When children engage in unstructured, imaginative exploration, their creativity is at full power, and they are at the center of the story. BLC's performances may include found object puppetry, storytelling that engages multiple senses, STEAM and literacy themes, and plot choices driven by audience input. Bookings include TEKS-aligned extension activities upon request. Representative productions include First Day, Nueva Escuela, in which a girl overcomes her reluctance to read by writing herself into stories; Wooden O, a Shakespeare adventure for ages 3-6; Lost Luggage: Major Cases, a STEAM mystery investigated through students' observations and inferences; and Run the Numbers, an interactive game show musical about math (currently in development). Lost Luggage photo by Alan Nguyen.

See Brave Little Company's full Roster listing at https://www.arts.texas.gov/product/brave-little-company/

Brave Little Company

Attention, big Shakespeare fans - and little Shakespeare fans in the making! Brave Little Company's Wooden O is an introduction to the many worlds of William Shakespeare and is ideal for ages 3-8. This Saturday, we're excited to be providing a pre-show performance at Miller Outdoor Theatre Plaza before the Houston Shakespeare Festival's The Comedy of Errors as part of Houston Shakespeare Festival Family Day.

Shakespeare called his stage a "wooden O" - a place where the audience's imagination helps the actors tell the story. Once kids and their grown-ups step into BLC's Wooden O, they'll go on an imaginative quest to help Robin Goodfellow, a trickster with a little magic up his sleeve. Using their senses of sight, smell, touch, and hearing, they'll brave ocean storms and distant forests to help Robin find a magic flower - and get to know William Shakespeare a little better.

At the Family Day, you will also find crafts, movement activities, a pre-show talk, and (of course) the FREE public performance of The Comedy of Errors.

Date & Time:
Saturday, Aug. 8
Our performance is from 7:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Other activities go from 6 p.m. until the HSF performance starts at 8:15 p.m.!

Location:
Miller Outdoor Theatre
In the Miller Outdoor Theatre Plaza by the Dining Bosque
6000 Hermann Park Dr.
Houston, TX 77030

Cost & Tickets:
Houston Shakespeare Festival Family Day is free and no tickets are required. However, you should reserve tickets for Miller Outdoor Theatre seating if attending The Comedy of Errors: https://www.milleroutdoortheatre.com/performance/houston-shakespeare-festival-4/?wcs_timestamp=1786220100

Parking: More info here: https://www.milleroutdoortheatre.com/location/

Photo credit: Jacob Power, courtesy The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Bayou Bend)

Did you know we have a new online brochure that introduces BLC's performances and workshops for schools, libraries, and community venues? Well, now you do!

Take a look at it here: www.brave-little.com/schools

Keep in mind:

• Find Funding: All of our programs are eligible for partial funding support through Texas Commission on the Arts through 2028. Deadlines are quarterly and the next deadline is Nov. 1. Other options for funding support may be available. Please contact [email protected] with your needs!
• Dual Language Programming: We value reaching all students in their preferred languages! We have offered school programs in English, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Urdu, Pashto, Swahili, and more. Please let us know your students’ language needs and we’ll do our best to accommodate them!
• Looking for something else? We love innovating and creating new programs to fit your needs. Remember, this brochure is just an introduction. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, just ask!
• Contact us! Email [email protected] with any questions.

Join us Saturday at 7p to see at Miller Outdoor Theatre!

Join us for Houston Shakespeare Festival Family Day, a special evening designed for audiences of all ages this Saturday, August 8! 🎭

The evening includes:

6:00 p.m. - Miller Tent with Miller World Passport and crafts

7:00 p.m. – Wooden O presented by Brave Little Company (30-minute performance) hosted by MTAB

7:00 p.m. - HSF Interactive crafts and movement workshop at the small stage

7:30 p.m. – Bard Talk hosted by HSF at the Dining Bosque

8:15 p.m. – Comedy of Errors

We hope you'll bring family and friends to experience this fun-filled celebration before enjoying an evening of Shakespeare under the stars.