Little Blue Theatre Company opens its season with Love

That Dog, running October 9–18 at the CPAS Black Box in Centennial Park. Adapted by Andrew

Frank and Jason Howard from Sharon Creech’s award-winning novel, the one-person

production stars Maya Riley (she/they) as Jack and is directed by Colin Peterson. It’s

recommended for ages 8 and up and their families, and every performance in the run is

sensory-friendly.

The timing is not an accident. Love That Dog is on the fourth-grade reading list in Metro

Nashville Public Schools this grading period, and the run falls over MNPS fall break — so the

kids currently reading the book can see it staged, with a parent or grandparent, on a week

they’re out of school.

Love That Dog follows Jack, a young person who’s sure poetry isn’t for him — and who tells his

teacher so, at length. He starts reading only because his grade depends on it. Slowly, he

realizes poetry is a good outlet for what he’s feeling, and that poets like Robert Frost, William

Carlos Williams, and Walter Dean Myers are… pretty cool. Eventually Jack starts writing his

own poems, and they’re all about Sky, his dog and best friend, who died after being struck by a

car.

There are no graphic depictions of Sky’s death, but like anyone who’s grieving, Jack carries it

with him. The show is funny, sad, and ultimately a story about resilience and the work of putting

hard feelings into words. It’s for anyone who’s experienced loss, anyone who believes in

working through feelings by expressing them, and anyone who likes poetry — even reluctantly.

Rather than setting aside a single sensory-friendly performance, Little Blue builds each

production that way from the ground up: no startling sounds, no sudden surprises, and an

audience free to move, vocalize, and experience the show however feels comfortable. Doors

open 30 minutes before each performance with books and coloring, so families can arrive and

settle at their own pace.

“A lot of adults assume young people can’t handle challenging topics like grief,” said Peterson,

Little Blue’s Producing Artistic Director. “Kids handle tough topics all the time. They’re whole

people — they just haven’t been on the planet as long as others. We want to honor the full,

messy experience of being human, and loss is an inevitable part of that. Our job as artists and

educators is to give young people characters and stories that don’t talk down to them, don’t

assume all they want is spectacle, and recognize that they go through these things too.

Experiencing those feelings through art is a good way to work through them — exactly like Jack

does in Love That Dog.”

Love That Dog runs approximately 55 minutes with no intermission. Parnassus Books is

providing free copies of the novel for young audience members, hosting an in-store display for

the production, and helping spread the word. Metro Parks provides the CPAS Black Box at no

cost to the company. Support for Love That Dog is provided in part by the Tennessee Arts

Commission.

Performance details

What: Love That Dog, adapted by Andrew Frank and Jason Howard from the novel by Sharon

Creech; directed by Colin Peterson; performed by Maya Riley

When: October 9–18, 2026. Fridays at 7 p.m.; Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Doors open 30 minutes before each performance.

Where: CPAS Black Box, Centennial Park, 211 27th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37203

Run time: Approximately 55 minutes, no intermission

Recommended for: Ages 8+ and their families. Younger and older siblings are welcome. Tickets: $18 grown folk (18+) / $12 small folk. Available at littlebluetheatre.org/productions/tickets Accessibility: All performances are sensory-friendly. Financial support and scholarship options are available.

About Little Blue Theatre Company

Little Blue Theatre Company is a Nashville 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2025 that produces

professional theatre for and with young people, from birth through adolescence.

“We believe that children are full human beings who deserve art that reflects the complexity, wonder, and depth of their experience.” Accessibility, inclusion, and trauma-informed practice are written into

the company’s bylaws, which require that a majority of the board come from historically

marginalized communities. Little Blue also runs classes, camps, early childhood tours, and

school partnerships across Nashville and Middle Tennessee.

Because play is serious work. Learn more at littlebluetheatre.org.