Class Acts Education Series
Welcome!
We look forward to providing your students with unique opportunities to experience professional performing arts performances that complement their classroom learning and expand their cultural horizons! Let us help you enrich your school day and plan your perfect educational field trip! Use our online reservation form above, or if you need help, please call us at 270.450.4444.
Our Class Acts Education Series offers professional theater performances and experiences that complement and reinforce core curriculum connections while entertaining and delighting students in Preschool through 12th grade. Performances are offered during the school day. Lunch can be arranged inside or on our lawn, weather permitting. Workshops and masterclasses to complete your learning experience may also be available. Let us help shape your perfect field trip! Please email us at mmahood@thecarsoncenter.org or 270.450.4444.
NOTE - Homeschools groups and community fewer than twenty persons WILL NOT receive an invoice for their order. Please call us to secure your seats with payment at 270-450-4444 NO LATER THAN 3 weeks before the performance.
Reservations
Make reservations for any Class Acts Education Series performances:
The 2025-2026 Class Acts Series is here!
Frankenstein: A Living Comic Book - Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 10 AM
Recommended Grades: 1-5
Curriculum Connections: Graphic Design, Drama, Language Arts, Classic Literature
Watch the Video
An immersive theatrical experience, this electrifying show uses comic book techniques to reanimate Mary Shelley's classic sci-fi tale. A young artist named Mary discovers the journal of Dr. Frankenstein, is drawn into his uncanny experiments, and discovers that we need to face monsters of our own making… before they face us!
Cat Kid Comic Club - Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 10 AM
Recommended Grades: K - 5
Curriculum Connections: Communication and Language Arts, Creative Writing, Music
Watch the Video
Cat Kid and Molly Pollywog have started an epic club to teach 21 rambunctious baby frogs how to make their own comics! Their fishy father Flippy is overjoyed that his kids will learn to unleash their creativity, but when the frogs’ constant bickering and outrageous imaginations send their comics comically off the rails, Flippy flips out! Will the club survive? Will the frogs ever get along? And will creativity finally save the day? All will be answered in this madcap musical based on Dav Pilkey’s irreverently hilarious book series.
This hilarious musical adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man spin-off series, Cat Kid Comic Club, is written by Kevin Del Aguila and Brad Alexander - the team that brought you DOG MAN: THE MUSICAL!
In To America - Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at 10 AM
Recommended Grades: 7 - 12
Curriculum Connections: World and American History, Social Justice, Social Studies, Political Science, English
Watch the Video
A world premiere drama that traces the American immigrant experience from Jamestown to the present day through the stories of ordinary men, women, and children who departed their homelands in the hopes of creating a new life. An extraordinary story 400 years in the making that transcends time, space and race to reflect the diversity and commonalities of our shared American experience. It employs the use of images and video projected behind the actors as they perform the pieces as dramatic monologues.
Professor Wow's Space Adventures - Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 10 AM
Recommended Grades: K-5
Curriculum Connections: Science, The Solar System, Meteors, Planets, Galaxies, NASA
Take a ride on Professor Wow’s rocket ship to space for a cosmic learning adventure! Designed to stimulate STEAM potential in grades K–5, Professor Wow’s all–new Space Adventures Science Show is the perfect way to introduce basic concepts of astronomy to even the youngest space explorers. After all, it’s never too early to become a rocket scientist!
Wizard of Oz On Ice - Monday, February 2, 2026 at 11 AM
Recommended Grades: All Ages!
Curriculum Connections: Fitness and Athletics, Music, Theatre, Classical Literature
The Wizard of Oz on Ice is taking the world by storm by popular demand! This reimagined production pays homage to the beloved original story by Frank Baum while delivering a fresh, unforgettable experience. Featuring original compositions by renowned Disney music producers and breathtaking performances by world-champion ice skaters, this show is a dazzling blend of artistry and innovation.
Prepare to be enchanted as Dorothy, Toto, and their friends journey down the yellow brick road like never before – on ice! This is The Wizard of Oz as you’ve never seen it, a spectacular celebration of music, storytelling, and world-class skating that will leave audiences of all ages spellbound.
The Pout-Pout Fish - Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 10 AM
Recommended Grades: PreK - 2
Curriculum Connections: Communication and Language Arts, Music, Aquatic Creatures
Watch the Video
Turn the poutiest of frowns upside down in this musical featuring whimsical puppets and live performers in a sweeping oceanic adventure. When Mr. Fish sets out on a quest to find Miss Clam’s missing pearl, he discovers there is more to him than his permanently plastered pout.
This colorful adaptation of The New York Times bestseller is co-conceived, directed, and designed by the acclaimed puppeteers of AchesonWalsh Studios. Writing team includes New Victory LabWorks Residency recipients Christopher Anselmo, Jared Corak, Matt Acheson, and Fergus Walsh.
The Sound of Music - Thursday, February 19, 2026 at 10 AM
Recommended Grades: 3 - 12
Curriculum Connections: Music, Language Arts, History, Social Studies
Watch the Video
For 60 years, Julie Andrews' box-office hit The Sound of Music has delighted millions of children and adults worldwide with the story of the von Trapp family of Salzburg. Now, in this special international tour, the Salzburg Marionette Theatre brings the world a new twist on this iconic classic. This marionette stage version of the original Broadway musical, with its immortal melodies, exquisitely captures the characters and story as we all remember and holds enormous appeal to new audiences of all ages. In 2016, the Austrian UNESCO commission designated the operating technique developed by the Salzburg Marionette Theatre as the "most highly developed form of puppet and figure theatre." It declared this sophisticated, fine-tuned method an Intangible UNESCO Cultural Heritage.
Limited seating. This show will sell out. Reservations and payment must be made before January 1, 2026!
The Hound of the Baskervilles - Monday, March 30, 2026 at 10 AM
Recommended Grades: 7 - 12
Curriculum Connections: English, Classical Literature, Language Arts, Creative Thinking
Workshop Available! Email mmahood@thecarsoncenter.org for details.
Aquila Theatre will journey out onto the fog-shrouded moors of England with this spine-tingling tale written by the acclaimed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This brand-new take on the legendary Sherlock Holmes mystery is a comedy driven and utterly suspenseful theatrical adaptation. A play within a play, Holmes and Watson return to the scene of the crime to recreate their case of The Hound of the Baskervilles, at The Dartmoor Village Theatre and Tea Rooms. They are joined in this endeavor by the beloved Mrs. Hudson, and the self-acclaimed actor, Sir Anthony Knee-Cap. The audience may need to get in on the act in this participatory night to help the legendary Sherlock Holmes and trusted companions replay and resolve the loose ends of the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville, rumored to be the victim of a supernatural and savage hound. Don’t miss this unforgettable theatrical experience—where mystery, suspense, and Aquila’s trademark excellence are sure to leave you on the edge of your seat.
360 All-Stars - Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 10 AM
Recommended Grades: All Ages!
Curriculum Connections: Physical Education, Fitness, Dance, Aerobics, Music
Watch the Video
A non-stop energy packed urban circus complete with dancing, beat boxing, acrobatics, BMX biking and more, 360 All-Stars is a spectacular fusion of the extraordinary artistry that emerges from street culture. Boasting a stellar international cast of World Champion and World Record-holding athletes and artists, 360 All-Stars entertains audiences of all ages! Each performer also offers workshops and demonstrations to young people showing them the limitless possibilities of the future.
How to Survive Middle School - Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 10 AM
Recommended Grades: Perfect for Rising 6th Graders!
Curriculum Connections: Mental and Physical Health, Advocacy, Community Building, Friendship
Watch the Video
There’s no simple formula for helping middle school students navigate this stretch of their lives. But Robert Post, a performer who captivates audiences nationwide with his hilarious one-man variety show, has created a new program that brings middle-school kids and their deeply felt concerns right to center stage. “How to Survive Middle School” starts with an hour-long show that blends fun and entertainment with honest talk about social and emotional issues – and then follows up with lesson plans and activities that teachers can use to help students handle these issues with greater confidence and control.
Art Miles Program
The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, provides travel reimbursement funds to Kentucky schools for field trips to The Carson Center with state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Application Opens: Sept. 15, 2025 for field trips scheduled between Oct. 1, 2025, and May 29, 2026.
Application Closes: Once funds are extinguished or March 31, 2026.
Grant Usage: For reimbursement of transportation mileage and bus driver pay.
Grant Amounts: Funds are distributed on a reimbursement basis using the following formula:
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Roundtrip mileage from school to facility x $2 x number of buses = mileage amount. (e.g., 200 miles roundtrip x $2 x 2buses = $800).
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Driver hourly rate x hours worked during the field trip = Driver pay (e.g., $25/hour x 6 hours = $150.00).
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Driver pay x number of drivers = Total driver pay (e.g. ($150 x 2 = $300).
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Mileage amount + Total driver pay = total reimbursement amount (e.g., 800 + 300 = $1100).
For more information, application guidelines, and restrictions, visit the Kentucky Arts Council website at https://artscouncil.ky.gov/