Johnny Appleseed Children's Theatre: Morning Plays for Young Audiences

Every summer, while the adult company rehearsed its evening shows, the Apple Hill barn filled on weekday mornings with a younger audience. The Johnny Appleseed Children's Theatre, known to regulars as JACT, staged short plays and musicals for children, often with children in the cast. It was one of the most distinctive parts of Apple Hill Playhouse, and it offers useful lessons for any family looking for good children's theatre today.

What the Johnny Appleseed Children's Theatre was

JACT was the children's series of Orchard Performing Arts Company at Apple Hill Playhouse in Delmont, Pennsylvania. The theatre's own description in the early 2000s called OPAC the sole producer of the Johnny Appleseed Children's Theatre, which presented a season of children's productions each summer. The name nodded to the apple theme that ran through everything at Apple Hill, from the logo to the playhouse's hilltop setting.

A typical JACT season had three to five productions between mid-June and mid-August. Each play ran for about two weeks, with several morning performances a week. Most shows lasted about an hour, a length that suits young attention spans and makes the outing manageable for parents, grandparents and camp counsellors.

The kind of shows JACT staged

The archive shows a clear pattern: familiar stories, told with humour, songs and a light moral. Titles over the years included:

• Fairy tales such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, The Enchanted Sleeping Beauty, Let Your Hair Down, Rapunzel and The Frog Prince (as Hyronomous A. Frog).
• Classic children's books, including Charlotte's Web, Winnie the Pooh, Stuart Little and Alice in Wonderland.
• Comic retellings like Cool Suit, a pop-music version of The Emperor's New Clothes, and The Truly Remarkable Puss-In-Boots.
• Musicals by writers who specialise in young audiences, such as Richard Kinter, whose The Golden Goose, Li'l Red and Jack and the Beanstalk shows returned several times.

Some productions were participation plays. In Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, for example, the audience helped move the plot along, and in the field-trip version of Treasure Island children created the storm at sea and joined the pirate crew. Others borrowed from commedia dell'arte, the Italian tradition of masked stock characters, physical comedy and quick-fire banter. A 2009 Pinocchio was presented by a troupe of commedia players, a style that works well for children because the jokes are visual and the characters are easy to recognise.

Schedules built around families

For most of its history JACT performed at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings. The theatre adjusted the pattern when families asked for it. In 2013 the schedule changed to Thursday and Friday mornings plus a Saturday afternoon show in the first week, and weekday mornings in the second. In 2014 performances moved to Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.

The same flexibility showed up in small extras. In 2013 the theatre introduced Johnny Appleseed's Story Hour on its new patio, and in 2014 the cast held a meet-and-greet with the audience after every performance. A picnic pavilion could also be rented for birthday parties, so a play could become part of a larger celebration.

Young performers on the JACT stage

JACT was not only theatre for children but often theatre by children. Audition notices in our auditions archive show that the company cast actors from about age seven to adult. Auditions used cold readings from the scripts, and anyone hoping for a musical role prepared 16 to 32 bars of a song, with sheet music in the right key for the accompanist.

The 2014 page for The Truly Remarkable Puss-In-Boots includes short biographies written by the cast. They mention school musicals, piano lessons, poetry and dreams of Broadway, and they thank parents and directors for their support. They show how a children's series can become a training ground: several young performers had already appeared in earlier Apple Hill shows, and some older teens took on backstage jobs such as stage manager.

Tickets and house rules

JACT tickets were deliberately affordable. In 2003 a single ticket cost $6 for an adult or child, with further discounts for groups. By the early 2010s the price was $8 per person, with flex passes, season passes and group rates for camps and day-care centres. Everyone who entered the theatre needed a ticket, whatever their age.

The theatre also set clear expectations. Children under three were discouraged from attending, and parents were asked to take a restless child out of the auditorium so other families could enjoy the show. All seats were assigned, so booking early meant better seats. These rules are common at children's theatres and are worth checking before any visit. Our theatre etiquette guide covers the basics.

What families can take from JACT today

Apple Hill's barn closed in 2020, but the JACT model is a good checklist for choosing children's theatre anywhere:

Look for the right length and time

A show of 45 to 70 minutes at a morning or early-afternoon slot usually works best for children under ten. It avoids nap times and the late-evening fatigue that can spoil a first theatre trip.

Choose stories children already know

Familiar tales give young audiences something to hold on to. They can enjoy the surprises in a new version because they already know the shape of the story.

Value participation

Participation plays and post-show meet-and-greets turn watching into doing. Children remember the day they helped rescue Dorothy or asked the Wolf a question after the show.

Check the house rules in advance

Ask about age recommendations, seating, whether you can leave and return, and whether snacks are allowed. Knowing the rules keeps the day relaxed for everyone.

Think about getting involved

Many children's theatres, like JACT, cast young actors and welcome volunteers. If your child loves the show, auditions or a summer theatre camp may be the natural next step.

Explore the JACT archive

The Johnny Appleseed Children's Theatre entertained thousands of young people over the years, and its seasons are among the best-documented parts of this archive. Browse the 2014, 2013, 2010 and 2003 seasons, or go straight to the full season archive to find the year your family remembers.