Announcing the 2025-2026 Season Lineup for Pioneer Center Youth Programs

Published October 24, 2025

Announcing the 2025-2026 Season Lineup for Pioneer Center Youth Programs

Now in its 58^th year serving the children of northern Nevada, Pioneer Center Youth Programs [PCYP] continues a legacy of connecting young people across our region to live educational performances right in their own neighborhoods. This program often serves as a child’s first exposure to exceptional live music, dance, or theater.

Filer image element — Pioneer Center Youth Programs, the educational outreach division of the Pioneer Center designed specifically for children

PCYP traces its roots back to a national performing arts movement of the mid-20^th century designed to bring live classical music directly to children through assemblies in their own elementary schools. Building new and future arts patrons, engaging the community beyond the symphony hall, and enhancing music education at the elementary level were all early goals when the “Young Audiences” project was founded in Baltimore in 1950. The program was a hit and prompted Young Audiences programming to pop up in cities across the nation. In 1967, while the Pioneer Center itself was under construction, an independent local nonprofit chapter named Young Audiences of Washoe County was established to connect local professional musicians with Washoe County School District elementary schools. The following year, the organization was renamed Young Audiences of Northern Nevada as they expanded to reach more schools in rural communities. The organization continued independently for several decades, growing to include theater, dance, and other performance genres in their offerings. Local artists and touring artists from outside the region were presented each season. In 1998, after 30+ years as an independent nonprofit, Young Audiences of Northern Nevada merged with the Pioneer Center’s nonprofit and the educational outreach program was renamed Pioneer Center Youth Programs [PCYP]. Today, the Pioneer Center is proud to continue the 75-year legacy that began with the Young Audiences movement, having served well over one million of northern Nevada’s children with this program.

PCYP is committed to enriching the educational experience of K-5 students with high-quality, engaging live performances. These 30- to 60-minute programs are curated and designed for elementary school assemblies, public library events, and community center programming. We partner with a variety of organizations, offering our roster of artists to over 135 potential venues across Washoe, Carson City, Churchill, Douglas, Humboldt, Lyon, Mineral, Pershing, and Storey Counties, as well as surrounding Lake Tahoe communities. Last year, over 23,000 children and families experienced PCYP programming at 100 different events.

Best of all, admission for individual patrons is always free! Not only does PCYP allow us to extend our mission beyond our walls, bringing our vision of a connected and inspired community into focus, but we get to do so with an eye toward greater arts access – something we value deeply. Twenty-seven of those 100 performance events took place in federally designated Title 1 schools for which the Pioneer Center waived all booking fees. Fifty percent of the performances took place in rural communities outside of Reno/Sparks, from Gerlach to Hawthorne. To see the power of PCYP in action, I encourage you to view this video story by local journalist and head of communications for Washoe County School District, Andi Cassinari.

The process of selecting our curated artist roster each year is strategic. We aim to present both local and touring artists who collectively provide broad on-stage representation of human beings and genres of performance. Our seasonal roster highlights a mix of familiar faces and brand-new experiences. All artists must have an exceptional ability to relate to young people and infuse K-5 curriculum into their entertaining and engaging performances. Teachers are also provided with curriculum guides to extend the experience into the classroom. Artist groups are contracted and compensated for the special work they create for us – and with the number of bookings we accomplish each season, we certainly keep our artists busy!

With the launch of our new season, I am excited to introduce you to our phenomenal lineup of PCYP performing artists whom we are proud to present in 2025-2026. They are:

Boxtales Theatre Company

Based in Santa Barbara, California, Boxtales Theatre Company is an award-winning bilingual touring organization bringing multicultural myths and folktales to life using masks, movement, music, and storytelling. Boxtales first came to Reno for PCYP in Spring 2023 and were the inaugural group that launched our Free Family Series. The impact of their work left a lasting impression on our community, and we couldn’t wait to welcome them back. Their show this season, Wisdom of Emotions – Life Lessons from Around the World, supports Social Emotional Learning by exploring self-awareness, social skills, responsible decision-making, and more. Boxtales will be here for a one-week residency in March of 2026 that will include school performances, a master class at Truckee Meadows Community College, and a Free Family Series appearance in our downtown venue.

Brüka Theatre for Children

One block north of the Pioneer Center sits a local theater company that celebrates 33 years of bringing live theatre to the community. Lucky for us, Brüka Theatre has also been a featured artist group with PCYP for much of that time through their Brüka Theatre for Children troupe. Under the direction of Mary Bennett, Brüka presents a new action-adventure stage play for PCYP this season titled The Sporkals League: A Hero’s Adventure. This original work focuses on values and community building through humor, improvisation, and audience interaction.

Larry Wilson Magic

Emmy-nominated comedy magician Larry Wilson returns to PCYP for another season. Based in Reno, Larry has headlined television specials and major casino showrooms across the country for decades; however, his great sense of humor is not only for adults. Larry’s incredible ability to connect with children is also evident in the large-scale magic show he produces annually on the Pioneer Center mainstage: Spellbinders (This free performance plays the Pioneer Center mainstage for two performances on November 15 – reservations are not required). The educational touring show Larry created for PCYP includes mind-blowing magic demonstrations inspired by scientific principles. His hands-on approach encourages student volunteers to learn tricks using everyday household items, blending education with astonishing entertainment.

Molodi Live!

We are thrilled to welcome Las Vegas-based Molodi Live! back to PCYP for the fourth time. Their last appearance was in 2023. This dynamic body percussion ensemble transforms the human body into a rhythmic instrument without drums. Molodi (Moe-LAH-dee) blends step dancing, poetry, and storytelling in performances that promote teamwork, leadership, American history, and cultural appreciation. Cast members’ credits include Cirque du Soleil, STOMP, Step Afrika!, and they recently represented the U.S. at the World Expo 2025 in Japan. Molodi will be with us for a one-week residency in May of 2026 that will include school performances, a master class, and an appearance in the Free Family Series.

Piano Heist

We cannot wait to welcome Piano Heist from Vancouver, BC, Canada to northern Nevada for the very first time this season. Musicians Nico Rhodes and Patrick Courtin celebrate the piano’s legacy with a lively show combining classical masterpieces and contemporary styles — from boogie-woogie to modern arrangements — showcasing 300 years of keyboard music. These award-winning musicians are well-known across the Canadian theater scene as music directors, arrangers, and composers. Piano Heist is coming for a one week residency in April of 2026 that will include school performances, a master class at Damonte Ranch High School, and an appearance in our Free Family Series.

Reno Taiko Tsurunokai

These Reno-based Taiko drummers are ready to make the walls shake once again with their booming performances. Under the direction of Japanese native and local educator Rieko Shimbo, Reno Taiko Tsurunokai returns to PCYP this season with an all-new program that brings 1,400 years of Japanese Taiko drumming tradition to northern Nevada. Their powerful educational program is perfect for students of all ages, combining history, Japanese culture, and active participation in traditional drumming and dance.

The Note-Ables

Note-Able Music Therapy Services is a local nonprofit devoted to serving the disability community in northern Nevada through exceptional art making. Their flagship ensemble, The Note-Ables Band, uses music to foster disability awareness and inclusion through public performances. This talented group has played Carnegie Hall and earned international acclaim as finalists in the Danny Awards. Joining the PCYP roster for the first time last season, their interactive performances encourage students to sing, clap, and dialogue about accessibility, inclusion, and community.

Pioneer Center Youth Programs is just one of the ways in which our nonprofit invests our resources back into the community. We are thankful for the incredible grant support we receive for PCYP from the Nevada Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, City of Reno Arts and Culture, Creative West, Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust, Susanne and Gloria Young Foundation, Arthur and Mae Orvis Foundation, Nell J. Redfield Foundation, and Thelma and Thomas Hart Foundation.

Booking Opportunities:

The booking process for PCYP continues throughout the year. Non-school performances are open and free to the public – these opportunities are posted on our website, social channels, and in our monthly Calendar of Events email newsletter. Representatives from elementary schools, public libraries, and community centers and theaters in our region who are interested in booking PCYP performances can peruse the 2025-2026 season brochure and download an order form to return to youth@pioneercenter.com.

If you haven’t already, sign up for our email newsletters on pioneercenter.com. We hope to see you and your family at a future Pioneer Center Youth Programs free performance event!

Dennyse Sewell is the CEO of the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts in Reno, Nevada

Announcing the 2025-2026 Season Lineup for Pioneer Center Youth Programs

Published October 24, 2025