Grace for President
Book, Music & Lyrics by Joan Cushing
Adapted from the book GRACE FOR PRESIDENT by Kelly DiPucchio, Illustrations by LeUyen Pham, © 2012 Kelly DiPucchio, LeUyen Pham | By special arrangement with Gurman Agency LLC.
An inspiring and relevant story about leadership
Oct 19 - Nov 3, 2024 | Wells Fargo PlayhouseOne Act, approx 70 min | For ages 6+
“Where are the girls?” asks third grader Grace Campbell when her teacher rolls out a poster of all the U.S. presidents. Frustrated by the lack of female faces in the White House, Grace decides she wants to be president and inspires a school election. But things prove harder than she thinks when the most popular boy in school runs against her. Through the throes of campaigning and pep rallies, Grace and her classmates discover what it takes to be the best candidate in this timely story based on the bestselling book.
Themes: Elections and voting, hard work, determination, women’s history
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View Playbill
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Why We Chose this Show
The book, "Grace for President," was written in 2008 by children's author Kelly DiPucchio after an editor's preschool girl asked why there were no women Presidents of the United States. The story follows Grace, an African-American girl, as she runs in a mock election at her school. A Booklist review called the book a "helpful introduction to the electoral system and empowering story for girls." The story was widely popular, hitting the New York Times Best Seller list, and even inspired children to dress up as Grace for Halloween.
In 2015, after several successful collaborations with playwright Joan Cushing, Children's Theatre of Charlotte commissioned her to adapt "Grace for President" for the stage, to premiere as part of the theatre's 2016-17 season and to tie-in with that year's presidential election.
We chose to present the show this season during extensive season planning in 2022, long before knowing who the eventual presidential candidates would be. The fact that one of the eventual candidates is also an African-American woman is purely coincidental, and in no way reflects an endorsement or political statement on the part of Children's Theatre of Charlotte, the actors, or staff. Rather, we hope the show teaches children important lessons about our democratic system, how the Electoral College works, celebrating empowerment, and making bold choices.
Meet the Creative Team
Click a name to read their bio...
Special Activities
Ongoing - BookWalk - self-guided "scavenger hunt."Explore ImaginOn and discover the pages of "The President of the Jungle" by André Rodrigues, Larissa Ribeiro, Paula Desgualdo, and Pedro Markun, located in frames around the building. Library staff can offer clues or hints, and prizes are available at the Spangler desk for participation, regardless of completion.
Sat, Nov 2 - Super Saturday
FREE family-friendly activities at ImaginOn around the theme "Let's Vote!" Click for details.
10:30 AM - Family Storytime: Audience Choice!
2 PM - Books Start Art: Alma Woodsey Thomas
Links & Resources
Alicia Tafoya
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Alicia Tafoya (Director) is the Artistic and Community Relations Fellow for Children’s Theatre of Charlotte. She is passionate about connecting the work on our stages to our community. Prior to working at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte she was the Head of Performance at The University of Central Oklahoma. She is a director, performer, new work dramaturg, and certified Michael Chekhov instructor. She received a Bachelor’s degree from Southern Utah University in acting and directing and a Master of Fine Arts at Texas Tech University in performance and pedagogy of acting and directing. Previous directing projects span multiple genres including Latinx Theatre, Opera, Theatre of Social Change, and Children’s Theatre. While at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, Alicia has directed TO- MAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY, DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS!, and THE LION AND THE LITTLE RED BIRD. Alicia is thankful for the collaborators who help her breathe life into these scripts. She sends love to her wonderful husband, friends, and family.Bill Congdon
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Bill Congdon – National Tours (Conductor): Matilda The Musical, Mamma Mia! (National Tour/Las Vegas); Billy Elliot The Musical. Assoc. Music Director for Broadway Dreams since 2017. Musical director for Narnia, and orchestrated the new musicals Allie Kazan and the Magic Mansion and Catching the Moon at Children's Theatre of Charlotte. any regional, stock and symphony orchestra credits, including CPCC Summer Theatre, Charlotte Rep, Greensboro Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Opera Carolina and the NC Ballet Theatre. BME from East Carolina University (NC), MM and Performer’s Certificate in Percussion from The Eastman School of Music (NY).Anita Tripathi
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Anita is a Charlotte based Scene Designer. Professional design credits include: Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (LORT B), Greenbrier Valley Theatre, Virginia Stage Company (LORT D, Resident Scene Designer), and PlayMakers Repertory Company (LORT D). Anita has also worked regionally as both a Properties Designer and Scenic Charge and has assisted Tony Award winning designer David Gallo on several productions. Anita is currently the Associate Professor for Design and Technology at Davidson College. She has taught students scene design, lighting design, scene painting, stage properties, model making, and portfolio/resume development. Her work has been featured as a finalist at the World Stage Design Exhibition in Cardiff and she received a Fellowship from the United States Institute for Theatre Technology to support her research in India. She holds an M.F.A. in Scene Design from the University of South Carolina and is a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829.Yelena Babinskaya
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Yelena Babinskaya (she/her) is a scenographer who hails from UNCSA via Los Angeles, where she has been an active member of the entertainment community for the last 15 years. Originally from Odesa, Ukraine, she spent all her time around the country as a lighting, scenic, and costume designer and educator. Yelena holds a Master of Fine Arts from UCLA and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Northern Colorado. She was the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion editor on the 9th Edition of Michael Gillete’s Theatrical Design and Production. In 2021 Yelena was part of a team awarded the winning grant from Opera America for their proposal to develop a new opera for Opera Hack 3.0. That project is still ongoing, to find out more about it and her upcoming projects check out her social media and website.Beth Levine Chaitman
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Beth relocated to Charlotte from Chicago the summer of 2019 and was in lockdown 6 months later. She has enjoyed finally getting to know Charlotte but does miss playing in the snow. Beth has designed for many theatres around the country and is excited to be back at the Children's Theatre for a second time having designed Annie in 2022. She received her MFA from Carnegie Mellon University and graduated from the University of South Carolina (BA). Some of her favorite designs are Little Shop of Horrors, The Stinky Cheeseman, The Duchess of Malfi and King Stag.Lindsay Putnam
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Lindsay Putnam is a sound designer and educator who has designed an assortment of works including award-winning escape rooms, musicals, plays, and podcasts. She has worked at a variety of venues including Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, Cortland Repertory Theatre, Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Disneyland, The Den Theatre, Stockton Theatre Project, Ground & Field Festival, Pegasus PlayLab, Dr. Phillips Center, South Coast Repertory, PCPA, Solvang Festival Theatre, The Escape Ventures, and many online streaming platforms. She is the Publication Coordinator for the USITT Sound Commission and has been a member for IATSE Local 504 since 2014. Her prior teaching experience includes the University of Central Florida and the Pacific Conservatory Theatre and she is currently an Assistant Professor of Sound Design at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.Ashlyn Keller
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A Charlotte native, Ashlyn Keller-Silver is thrilled to be choreographing for the CTC MainStage again. At CTC, Ms. Keller-Silver has previously choreographed Grace for President and numerous ONSTAGE productions as well as summer production camps. As a teaching artist, Ms. Keller-Silver has taught for SOTT at CTC, Charlotte Ballet, Piedmont School of Music and Dance and public schools throughout NC. In addition, Ms. Keller-Silver has been a lead teaching artist for NC Arts In Action, an affiliate of the National Dance Institute, in Durham, NC. Ms. Keller- Silver has choreographed Memphis, Aida and Ain’t Misbehavin’ At Theatre Charlotte and numerous musicals in the greater Charlotte/Metro area. Ms. Keller-Silver has performed with the Louisville Ballet, NC Dance Theatre (now Charlotte Ballet) and the NC Savoyards. She holds a BFA in dance from UNCG and an MA in Pedagogy and Curriculum Design from Wayne State.
