Playshop History

Since  its inception in 1993, the Children's Playshop has been entertaining families from across the Shenandoah Valley with quality family theater. It has become a summer tradition for families to fill Theatre II and sit in special, kid-sized seats to watch fairy tales, small children's musicals and children's literature magically come to life. 

Children's Playshop is an annual project of the JMU School of Theatre and Dance. Students spend their mornings building and decorating the sets and their afternoons rehearsing their performances. Playshop directors William Buck and Pam Johnson have maintained a commitment to quality — the sets, lights and costumes are designed with great care and creativity — that keeps audiences coming back summer after summer.

It is the goal of Children's Playshop is to serve as many children and families as possible, regardless of socioeconomic background, while maintaining the level of excellence Playshop audiences have come to expect. Company members understand the importance of wonder and inspiration in a child's life and are dedicated to keeping professional, high-quality children's theater in the Shenandoah Valley affordable and accessible. 

Children's Playshop: Voted the 2002 Best Live Theater Venue by the readers of the Daily News-Record