there is a blue that only children see

City Theatre brings there is a blue that only children see to The Lillie Theatre on the South Side, opening February 18 for a two-week run. It's a world premiere play with music, written by Molly Rice, and it's coming to the stage through a partnership between City Theatre and RealTime Arts, a Pittsburgh-based company co-led by artistic directors Molly Rice and Rusty Thelin.

As for what it actually is, the play blends Ukrainian folktales, rock adaptations of folksongs, and real-life conversations between U.S. and Ukrainian veterans. It's a world premiere, so this is the first time it's being staged. The mix of folk tales and veterans' conversations suggests a production that looks at war and memory from a few different angles at once, with the music running through both.

City Theatre is in its 52nd season, themed Our Next Act, and this is one of two world premieres on the bill. The rest of the season includes a new musical and the return of the improv troupe Second City. This year the company also named a.k. payne—a Yale School of Drama graduate and two-time winner of City Theatre's Young Playwrights Festival—as its inaugural Artist-in-Residence.

there is a blue that only children see opens February 18 at The Lillie Theatre and runs for two weeks. It's part of City Theatre's 2026-27 season on the South Side.