Dragons Love Tacos Content Guide

Content Guide Information by Rylee Coppel

“NEVER, EVER SERVE DRAGONS SPICY SALSA AT A TACO PARTY. IT’S A RECIPE FOR DISASTER!” Charleston Stage, now celebrating its 48th Season, is South Carolina’s largest professional theatre company in residence at the Historic Dock Street Theatre. Charleston Stage’s acclaimed full-scale productions light up the stage with stunning scenery, dazzling costumes, and brilliant lights! Productions feature a Professional Resident Acting Company and over 100 professional actors, singers, designers and theatre artists. All performances take place at the Historic Dock Street Theatre, “America’s First Theatre,” in the heart of downtown Charleston.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

Brief Synopsis, Run Time, Target Audience

4

Background Info: About the Creators

5

Content Warnings and Themes

6

At-Home Activities and Discussion Questions

7

Theatre Education

8-9

Dock Street Theatre

Charleston Stage In Residence at the Historic Dock Street Theatre • “Dragons Love Tacos”

2

Written by Ernie Nolan Based on the book by Adam Rubin and Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Dragons Love Tacos is a whimsical, fun-filled musical based on Adam Rubin’s beloved children’s book. The story reveals a magical world where dragons adore tacos — but only mild salsa! When a boy accidentally serves spicy salsa, chaos (and lots of fire!) ensues. The show is full of humor, catchy songs, and colorful characters that celebrate imagination, friendship, and problem-solving.

RUN TIME: Approximately 60-70 minutes without Intermission

TARGET AUDIENCE: Ideal for children ages 4 to 9 (Pre-K through 3rd grade).

Perfect for families and early elementary classrooms.

The humor, music, and colorful visuals make it especially engaging for young learners with developing attention spans.

Charleston Stage In Residence at the Historic Dock Street Theatre • “Dragons Love Tacos”

3

BACKGROUND INFO ABOUT THE CREATORS Ernie Nolan – Playwright & Director Ernie Nolan is an award-winning playwright, director, and arts educator dedicated to creating theatre for young audiences. He is the Executive Artistic Director of Nashville Children’s Theatre and formerly served as Producing Artistic Director at Emerald City Theatre in Chicago. Nolan has written and directed numerous adaptations of beloved children’s books, known for infusing humor, heart, and inclusivity into his work.

In adapting Dragons Love Tacos, Nolan transforms Adam Rubin’s imaginative story into an interactive theatrical experience that honors the spirit of the book while encouraging children to think creatively, laugh freely, and engage deeply.

Adam Rubin - Book Author Adam Rubin is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of a dozen critically-acclaimed picture books. El Chupacabras (illustrated by Crash McCreery) was voted winner of the Texas Bluebonnet award in 2020. The Ice Cream Machine, his first collection of stories for middle-grade readers, received a starred review from School & Library Journal. Adam also has a keen interest in magic tricks, puzzles and optical illusions. In fact, he is the official "Director of Puzzles & Games" for the modern wonder emporium, Art of Play.

Daniel Salmiere - Book Illustrator Daniel Salmieri grew up drawing ninja turtles, fighter jets and 90's Knicks players. He has since gone on to create illustrations for award-winning children's books and the New York Times. Dan lives with his wife Sophia and their dog Ronni in Brooklyn, NY, where he was born and raised.

Charleston Stage In Residence at the Historic Dock Street Theatre • “Dragons Love Tacos”

4

CONTENT WARNINGS

Mild Scary Moments: There are moments of “fire-breathing” and loud noises which might surprise younger or sensitive children.

Chaos & Messiness: The story involves a big taco party that goes a bit wild, which may feel overwhelming for some children.

No Violence or Mature Themes: The play is family-friendly with no inappropriate content.

THEMES

Imagination and Creativity: Encourages children to dream and invent fun stories.

Friendship and Cooperation: Shows how working together solves problems.

Consequences of Actions: Highlights thinking before acting, especially with spicy salsa!

Celebration and Joy: Emphasizes fun, parties, and community spirit.

Charleston Stage In Residence at the Historic Dock Street Theatre • “Dragons Love Tacos”

5

AT-HOME ACTIVITIES 1. Make Your Own Taco Create a taco using safe ingredients at home. Talk about what ingredients dragons might like, and what could happen if you added something spicy!

2. Draw Your Dragon Encourage kids to design their own dragon. What kind of dragon do they imagine? Friendly? Colorful? Does it like tacos or something else?

3. Story Sequencing Write or draw the main events of Dragons Love Tacos in order. This helps with comprehension and narrative skills.

4. Salsa Taste Test Try different salsas (mild, medium, spicy) and talk about taste preferences.

Which one would your dragon like?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Why do dragons love tacos?

What do you think would happen if you gave a dragon spicy salsa?

How do the characters solve the problem when the spicy salsa causes trouble?

What can we learn about being careful and thinking ahead from this story?

Have you ever had a party that got a little wild? What did you do?

Charleston Stage In Residence at the Historic Dock Street Theatre • “Dragons Love Tacos”

6

THEATRE EDUCATION Acting Classes 200+ Students Attend Acting Classes After School Charleston Stage’s TheatreSchool offers classes year-round, for students from kindergarten through 8th grade at Charleston Stage’s West Ashley Theatre Center. Acting classes for students of all ages and abilities are taught by members of Charleston Stage’s Professional Resident Acting Company. Classes range from beginning classes to performance workshops and troupes. We now offer a full-year registration. Tuition scholarships are available for need-based students. Register online today at CharlestonStage.com/education ArtReach In-School Workshops Bringing Professional Actors Into the Classroom Charleston Stage’s Professional Resident Actors provide dynamic workshops in area schools throughout the Lowcountry. Workshops use theatrical skills to teach academic subjects and can be combined with a school matinee performance experience. For information on booking ArtReach workshops, contact Rylee Coppel, Director of Education and Engagement, at rcoppel@charlestonstage.com or (843) 225-3900

TheatreWings High School Apprenticeships A Tuition-Free Apprentice Program For Teens The TheatreWings High School Apprentice Program is designed to allow talented young people the opportunity to work directly with theatre professionals and gain first-hand experience in professional theatrical production. Students explore stage management, lighting and sound, as well as set, prop, and costume design and construction. Designed for highly dedicated students, TheatreWings requires more than 100+ hours of apprenticeship each season. For more information, email TheatreWings Co-Coordinators Ravyn Meador or Caleb Garner at wings@charlestonstage.com.

For more information on our Education programs, call the Education Office at (843) 225-3900 or visit CharlestonStage.com/education.

Charleston Stage In Residence at the Historic Dock Street Theatre • “Dragons Love Tacos”

7

DOCK STREET THEATRE For almost 300 years audiences have delighted in performances at the Historic Dock Street Theatre which stands on the site of the very first theatre building in America which opened its doors in 1736.

The current building, originally The Planter’s Hotel was built in 1803 and in 1937 was converted into the Dock Street Theatre know today. Charleston Stage presents over 150 performances at the Historic Dock Street Theatre playing to theatre goers from every state in the union and many foreign countries. The Dock Street Theatre, newly renovated in 2010, is currently owned and managed by the City of Charleston. Other performing arts groups including Spoleto Festival USA perform here annually.

On February 12, 1736 the Dock Street Theatre opened with a performance of The Recruiting Officer. Built on the corner of Church Street and Dock Street (now known as Queen Street), the Historic Dock Street Theatre was the first building in America built exclusively to be used for theatrical performances. Flora, the first opera performance in America, took place at the Historic Dock Street Theatre.

The original Dock Street Theatre was probably destroyed by the Great Fire of 1740 which destroyed many of the buildings in Charleston’s French Quarter. In 1809, the Planter’s Hotel was built on this site and in 1835 the wrought iron balcony and sandstone columns of the Church Street facade were added. A number of notable persons worked and patronized the Planter’s Hotel including the noted 19th Century actor Junius Brutus Booth (father of Edwin and John Wilkes Booth). Robert Smalls, an African-American Civil War hero, who stole a steamboat in the harbor and sailed it out past the Confederate-held Ft. Sumter and turned it over to the blockading Union Fleet, served as a waiter in the hotel’s dining room prior to the war. Charleston’s famed Planter’s Punch was first introduced here.

After the Civil War, the Planter’s Hotel fell into disrepair and was slated for demolition.

But in 1935, after Milton Pearlstine made the property available to the City of Charleston and at the urging of Mayor Burnet Maybank and other notable citizens, the original building became a Depression Era WPA (Works Progress Administration) project. At that time, the present theatre was constructed within the shell of the Planter’s Hotel. The hotel’s grand Charleston Stage In Residence at the Historic Dock Street Theatre • “Dragons Love Tacos”

8

DOCK STREET THEATRE

foyer became the grand foyer of the theatre and the hotel’s dining room now serves as the box office lobby. The beautiful woodwork and mantels of the second-floor drawing room were salvaged from the Radcliffe-King Mansion (circa 1799) which stood at the corner of George and Meeting Streets and was razed to build the College of Charleston gymnasium, another WPA project. Modeled on eighteenth century London playhouses by Charleston architect Albert Simons, the present Dock Street Theatre’s new stage house and auditorium were built in the hotel’s courtyard. The local carpenters who were put to work as a part of this Depression era relief effort utilized locally grown and milled native black cypress for the beautiful warm wooden interior. Following this $350,000 renovation, The Historic Dock Street Theatre’s second grand opening took place on November 26, 1937.

Notables in the audience included author DuBose Heyward (Porgy) who was named writerin-residence.

The Historic Dock Street Theatre reopened for the third time on March 18, 2010 after a three-year, $19 million dollar renovation by the City of Charleston. This extensive full-scale renovation brought the historic theatre into the 21st century with state-of-the-art lighting and sound, modern heating and air conditioning, and new restrooms and seating. In addition, the theatre was made seismically secure and fully handicapped accessible.

Extensive soundproofing was added to ensure that outside noises no longer intruded on performances inside.

Charleston Stage In Residence at the Historic Dock Street Theatre • “Dragons Love Tacos”

9

Charleston Stage In Residence at the Historic Dock Street Theatre • CharlestonStage.com