Nashville Children’s Theatre Brings ‘The Worst Best School Year Ever’ to Kick Off Season

Nashville Children’s Theatre (NCT) is taking audiences on an adventure of chaos, mischief and fun with the world premiere of “The Worst Best School Year Ever,” playing Sept. 7-29.

Based on the hilarious book by Barbara Robinson, this play is written by Jahnna Beecham and Malcolm Hillgartner, who also wrote “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical.”

The story follows a student named Beth as she gets paired on a project with the Herdmans, a group of crazy kids who are never up to any good. This group’s wild behavior and outrageous lies constantly lead to disaster, but Beth slowly learns that there is much more to this family than what meets the eye.

This show will be NCT’s 20th and final world premiere under Executive Artistic Director Ernie Nolan’s visionary leadership. NCT is thankful for the lasting impact Nolan has made since he began in 2017, and they look forward to welcoming the talented Colin Peterson, NCT’s director of education, to the role of interim artistic director along with Dr. Martha Cantrell, who will serve as the interim managing director.

“This production has been such a fun journey, and it is even more special because it is my final show with this beloved theater. It’s truly a fantastic way to wrap up my time at NCT,” Nolan said. “This show is a journey of struggle, humility and friendship that will capture audiences of all ages. It shows us there is good in everyone and everything – we just have to care enough to look.”

All performances of this production will take place on NCT’s sensory-friendly main stage. A sensory room at the back of the auditorium provides patrons of all ages with tools to regulate their minds and bodies, while providing the opportunity to see and hear the performance. NCT also offers an ASL-interpreted performance of “The Worst Best School Year Ever” on Sunday, Sept. 29.

Tickets are available now at NashvilleChildrensTheatre.org.