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While The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast are certainly kid-friendly, the cost of a Broadway ticket doesn’t exactly qualify as pocket-friendly—especially when you’re in charge of more than one munchkin. Enter TheatreworksUSA. The nation’s self-proclaimed "largest theatre for young and family audiences" stages affordable, often original adaptations of children's classics (Ramona Quimby, Curious George) and multimedia tributes to historical figures like Jackie Robinson (Play to Win) and Harriet Tubman (Freedom Train). Annually since 1961, the company has developed curriculum-based comedies, dramas and musicals for every age group from kindergarten to high school. The shows, tested out in various local theaters, are then sent to one or more of the network's 139 outposts in 127 cities nationwide. TheatreworksUSA has given many artists their big break, from actors Henry Winkler and Roger Bart to the Tony-winning Avenue Q authors Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. After years of occupying the auditorium at the Equitable Center in midtown, the company relocated to the much fancier Lucille Lortel Theater downtown. — Nick Divito