Woody Guthrie’s Songs to Grow On is a 40‑minute interactive theater experience created especially for children ages 2–5—yet delightful for audiences of all ages. Presented by New York City Children’s Theater with The Village Trip, the production introduces young audiences to Guthrie’s music while exploring curiosity, empathy, and community through playful, hands-on engagement. A brand-new show, it is based on an unpublished manuscript by Woody Guthrie and the 1956 album Songs to Grow On for Mother and Child. Original script by Frank Ruiz, with direction by Susanna Brock.

Four-year-old Cathy Ann Guthrie is full of curiosity about the world around her, yet hesitant to leave the comfort of home. When her parents take her on a cross-country road trip, she embarks on an adventure that challenges her fears and opens her eyes to the world beyond her doorstep. Retracing Woody Guthrie’s travels from California to “the New York Island,” the audience joins the family on a musical journey filled with interactive play, storytelling, and live engagement. Inspired by an unpublished manuscript, the production features classic songs including “Riding In My Car,” “Howdi Do,” and “This Land is Your Land.”

The Village Trip is thrilled to be working with NYCCT and LREI to bring this important show to the festival – and in the very room where Woody once sang, his daughter Nora and Mary Travers among the young audience. Woody Guthrie – poet of the Dust Bowl, America’s eternal Everyman – gave voice to the dispossessed and marginalised and his guitar famously bore the words “THIS GUITAR KILLS FASCISTS.” Woody gave us lots of timeless advice, including this piece of wisdom:

“Watch the kids. Do like they do. Act like they act. Yell like they yell. Dance the ways you see them dance. Sing like they sing. Work and rest the way the kids do. You'll be healthier. You'll feel wealthier. You'll talk wiser. You'll go higher, do better, and live longer here amongst us if you'll just only jump in here and swim around in these kids’ songs and do like the kids do. I don't want the kids to be grownup. I want to see the grown folks be kids.”

So, come join this musical adventure celebrating curiosity, courage, and the excitement of discovering new places!

LREI is kindly providing snacks for the kiddies!

Original script by Frank Ruiz
Directed by Susanna Brock

Hannah Bakke as Cathy
Becca Bernard as Marjorie
Lorenza Bernasconi as Cathy/Marjorie alternate
Mike Lee as Woody
Colin Robertson as Woody alternate

Tickets
$20 (adults); $10 (under 15s)
Under 2s on a parent/carer's lap: $5 (cash only) at the door

Contact the host of Woody Guthrie’s Songs to Grow On