Ages 9+
Ben Gonzales / Theater Unspeakable LLC
Young Audiences
By Jason Reynolds
Adapted for the Stage by Martine Green Rogers
Directed by Timothy Douglas
World premiere Kennedy Center commission
Ages 12+
D.C.-area native Jason Reynolds’s New York Times
best-selling book comes to the stage in a compelling
and timely production.

Oct. 27–Nov. 4
Family Theater
Using only 7 actors and their bodies on a tiny stage,
Theater Unspeakable recreates the entire American fight
for independence in 50 minutes.

Additional support is provided by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation;
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation;
Anne and Chris Reyes; and the U.S. Department of Education.

6 October 2018
washingtonFAMILY.com (202) 467-4600
Groups call (202) 416-8400
Oct. 12–14 | Family Theater
Bank of America is the Presenting Sponsor of Performances for Young Audiences.

Kennedy-Center.org For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries,
call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540
Funding for Access and Accommodation Programs at the Kennedy Center
is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

Major support for education programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by
David M. Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.

Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible
through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts.

THE FIRST WORD
The One Halloween I Want to Forget — But Can’t
Every October 1st, I get ﬂ ooded with childhood memories of
Halloween; especially of the cute and “questionable” costumes I
donned over the years. My costumes ranged from the typical precious
pumpkin or princess to the weird Crayola crayon.

best costume — or come close. But a word of advice: Try not to force
a costume on your pre-teen. They don’t forget. Instead, check out our
FAMILY calendar this month on pg. 50 to ﬁ nd some Halloween-inspired
events. Or go to washingtonFAMILY.com to see the full list.

But there’s one costume I can’t seem to forget.

We did remember that October is more than the one day of Halloween.

In this issue, we have a list of fun, local fall festivals on pg. 26 to
get you in the autumn spirit. If you’re searching for the right school
for your child, check out our annual Private School Guide on pg.

33. Because it’s that time of year for parent-teacher conferences,
we have some helpful tips on pg.10. Have a child with ADHD who
struggles with math? There’s help offered on pg. 18. It’s a jam-packed
educational (and fun) issue.

I was 11 and it was the last year my friends and I would go trick-or-
treating. It was also the ﬁ rst time we were having a chaperoned co-ed
“pre-party.” My Mom purchased my little sister and me matching
Halloween costumes. We were to be Raggedy Ann Dolls; complete
with decked out curly wigs and rosy-red face paint. I’m not sure why I
agreed, but I remember thinking it could be OK.

But then, my mother thought it would be cute to bring my 6-year-old
Raggedy Ann Dolled up sister with me to the party as an accessory and
for some good photo-ops. This was mortifying to this almost 12-year-
old. It gets worse. My friends had decided that because boys would be
there, this was the year your costume had to be “cool.” While I rocked
my curly wig and bright red cheeks, my friends were Britney Spears,
Christina Aguilera and Natalie, Dylan and Alex from the newly-released
Charlie’s Angels movie. I stood out. Painfully. And so did my sister.

Luckily, this didn’t ruin my October-loving spirit. Since the “Raggedy
Ann” incident, I enjoy decorating for Halloween, buying the best candy
(yes, whole bars) for trick-or-treaters and always try and rock the
I hope you and your families make lots of happy memories this
October. And I’ll try really hard to forget about Raggedy Ann.

Britni Petersen
Managing Editor
Washington FAMILY Magazine
bpetersen@midatlanticmedia.com washingtonFAMILY.com
October 2018
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