Growing up can be tough, and two sisters, Ella and Thea, couldn’t be in more different stages of life. Ella, a 17-year-old preparing to leave for college, has her sights set on a career in finance. Thea, just 11, is wrestling with growing up, changing friendships and feeling left behind.
When they meet a mysterious figure named Sir Owen and a mysterious figure pulls them into a vivid prehistoric realm, the sisters must navigate a land filled with dinosaurs — and rediscover the passions that once connected them.
“Dinosaur Rock Musical: A Jukebox Journey Through Time” — an original production written by Grace and Ian Cannon-Wallace and Sonja Wallace —will be performed by the talented young actors of WYO PLAY’s Young Theatre Makers Ensemble this September and will feature spectacular dinosaur puppets. Equal parts comedy, adventure and heartfelt family story, this show invites audiences on a rollicking trip through Earth’s ancient past…with a soundtrack you might just recognize.
The script playfully reimagines classic rock and pop hits with new dinosaur-themed lyrics, creating numbers that are both laugh-out-loud funny and sneakily educational. Paul Simon’s “The Boxer” becomes “The Trilobite,” Men Without Hats’ “Safety Dance” transforms into “Tasty Branch,” and Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” soars as “You’re Pteranodon.” Each song blends real paleontology facts with catchy refrains that will have audiences humming long after the curtain falls.
Underneath the humor and spectacle lies a moving story about family, resilience and staying true to yourself. Thea’s struggles with school bullying and Ella’s pressure to “be practical” mirror real challenges young people face today. The time-travel adventure becomes a space for the sisters to confront those challenges together, ultimately finding courage and connection in the process.
Grace and Ian Cannon-Wallace have worked with the youth cast to balance comedic timing, musical performance and the emotional beats that give the story its heart. They offered a short preview of the show at the recent Bighorn Arts Collective Festival in Whitney Commons, and had audience members laughing and dancing along with the tunes.
“Dinosaur Rock Musical: A Jukebox Journey Through Time” will set the tone for the 2025-2026 season at the WYO Performing Arts and EducationCenter, which kicks off with the youth production Sept. 6-7. Season tickets are on sale now and a full lineup of the WYO’s season can be found atwyotheater.com. We’ll see you at the WYO!
Grace Cannon-Wallace is the director of the WYO PLAY, an educational program of the WYO PerformingArts and Education Center.
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