About Kids On Stage
Our little corner of Broadway right here in Eastern NC!
Kids On Stage is a youth theatre organization that uses musical theatre to empower young people with the confidence, creativity, leadership, and community they need to thrive onstage and beyond.
Based in Greene County, North Carolina, KOS serves young people and families across Eastern North Carolina through musical theatre productions, educational experiences, leadership opportunities, and national performance experiences.
But at the heart of everything we do is a simple belief: a musical can be about so much more than the musical.
It Started In The Swamp...
In 2015, Kids On Stage began with a 14-year-old, a 4-H project, and a little production called SHREK JR. What was supposed to be a two-week theatre experience became the beginning of something much bigger. At the end of that first production, the cast asked a question that would shape everything that came next: “What are we doing next?”
So we kept going. One show became another. Then another. Young people kept coming back. New performers joined. New opportunities grew. And that little project began to become Kids On Stage.
More Than A Musical™
For more than a decade, we've watched musical theatre become a place where young people develop far beyond their performance skills. They find their voice. They learn to create and problem-solve. They take responsibility and learn to lead. They build relationships and discover what it means to belong to something bigger than themselves.
We've always believed those experiences matter. Now, we're building a framework to better understand them. The More Than A Musical Framework is KOS's evolving approach to using musical theatre as a vehicle for youth development. At its center are four interconnected areas of growth: Confidence, Creativity, Leadership, and Community.
*Confidence- trusting their abilities while being willing to learn, take risks, and grow
*Creativity- thinking boldly and expressing themselves authentically
*Leadership- taking responsibility and supporting others
*Community- learning alongside others and growing stronger through collaboration
These four areas are woven throughout the KOS experience. They shape the opportunities we create, the way we work with young people, and the questions we ask ourselves as we continue to grow. And we're still learning.
We're building the More Than A Musical Framework through years of experience, ongoing reflection, assessment, and research. We're working to better understand what happens when young people are given the opportunity to create, contribute, lead, and belong through musical theatre.
Learn more about our KOS Programs & Current Offerings.
Recognition
Since 2017, Kids On Stage and the young people who call KOS home have been recognized at the local, regional, and national level for artistic excellence, student achievement, leadership, and the impact of our work.
Our recognition has included:
National Recognition
Freddie G Fellowship, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta, 2026
Freddie G Inspiration Award, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta, 2019
20 Under 40 Award, Parker Harris, 2019
U.S. Cellular The Future of Good Grant, 2017
Junior Theater Festival Atlanta
Excellence in Dance, 2026
Outstanding Student Choreography, 2026
All Festival Performance, 2025
Excellence in Pod, 2025
Outstanding Performance by an Individual, 2022, 2023, and 2025
Excellence in Ensemble Performance, 2024
Excellence in Acting, 2022 and 2023
Pass the Lamp Initiative, 2018
Junior Theater Festival WEST
New Works Showcase Performance, 2026
Excellence in Pod, 2026
All Festival Performer, 2026
Outstanding Performance by an Individual, 2026
Excellence in Dance, 2025
See the full list of our Awards: January 2017, Recognized as one of 4 national recipients of a US Cellular "The Future of Good" grant January 2018, Aladdin Jr Pass The Lamp Initiative, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2018 January 2018, Performance All Stars: Jack Rooney & Rachel Francis, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2018 January 2019, Freddie G Inspiration Award, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2019 January 2019, Performance All Stars: Trent Harris & Abigail Tyer, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2019 June 2019, 20 under 40 Award, Parker Harris, Artistic Director January 2022, Excellence In Acting, Kids On Stage All Star Team, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2022 (Disney's Lion King JR) January 2022, Outstanding Performance by an Individual, Jaiya Thompson, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2022 January 2022, Performance All Stars: Alexander Suggs & Jaiya Thompson, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2022 January 2023, Excellence In Acting, Kids On Stage All Star Team, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2023 (Disney's Moana JR) January 2023, Outstanding Performance by an Individual, Alexander Suggs, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2023 January 2023, Performance All Stars: Alyssa Jones & Samantha Davis, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2023 January 2024, Excellence in Ensemble Performance, Kids On Stage All Star Team, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2024 (Disney's Camp Rock) January 2024, Performance All Stars: Alyssa Jones & Latham Williams, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2024 January 2025, All Festival Performance, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2025 (Dot and the Kangaroo JR) January 2025, Excellence in Pod (Highest Score), Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2025 (Dot and the Kangaroo JR) January 2025, Outstanding Performance by an Individual, Ava O'Neal, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2025 January 2025, Performance All Stars: Kyla Rae Nixon & Latham Williams, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2025 February 2025, Excellence in Dance, Junior Theater Festival WEST 2025 (Disney's Mary Poppins JR) February 2025, Performance All Stars: Ava O'Neal & Parker Brown, Junior Theater Festival WEST 2025 January 2026, Excellence in Dance, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2026 (Disney's Newsies JR) January 2026, Outstanding Student Choreography- Alisa Washington, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2026 January 2026, Performance All Stars: Ava O’Neal and Jase Boyd, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2026 January 2026, The Freddie G Fellowship- Parker Harris, Junior Theater Festival Atlanta 2026 February 2026, New Works Showcase Performance, New Works Showcase Performance, Junior Theater Festival WEST 2026 February 2026, Excellence in Pod (Highest Score), Junior Theater Festival WEST 2026 (Disney's Dare To Dream JR) February 2026, All Festival Performer- Latham Williams for his performance as Player 8 (Friend Like Me)- 1 of only 2 awarded in the entire festival, Junior Theater Festival WEST 2026 February 2026, Outstanding Performance by an Individual, Ava O'Neal, Junior Theater Festival WEST 2026 February 2026, Performance All Stars: Damien Marks & Kyla Rae Nixon, Junior Theater Festival WEST 2026
Meet our Artistic Director
Parker Harris is the Founder and Artistic Director of Kids On Stage, a youth theatre organization he started at age fourteen. For more than a decade, he has used musical theatre, storytelling, and creative leadership to empower young people to find their voice, take ownership, and discover what they are capable of.
Under Parker's leadership, KOS has grown into a nationally recognized youth theatre organization known for artistic excellence and meaningful youth impact. He has more than 60 directing, music directing, and choreography credits and has led KOS students to numerous honors at Junior Theater Festivals across the country.
Parker's work in youth development extends beyond the stage. He also serves as a Youth Voice Specialist with National 4-H Council, where he focuses on youth storytelling, leadership development, and creating opportunities for young people to be seen, heard, and recognized.
His work has been recognized with the 2019 Freddie G Inspiration Award and the 2026 Freddie G Fellowship at the Junior Theater Festival Atlanta, one of the highest distinctions for leaders in youth musical theatre.
Today, Parker is focused on developing KOS's More Than A Musical Framework and exploring how musical theatre can intentionally contribute to the growth of young people.
“Dream big, kiddos. The world needs what you've got."
Contact: parker@gckidsonstage.org
Socials: @theparkerharris
The Next Act...
In 2025, we started writing the next chapter of Kids On Stage with The Next Act, our five-year strategic plan for 2025–2030. Over the next five years, we're focused on reaching more young people, making KOS more accessible, creating more opportunities for young people to lead, strengthening the community around our work, and continuing to build something that can last.
We're growing our programs. We're expanding access and financial assistance. We're creating new opportunities for leadership and learning. We're building partnerships in our community. And we're continuing to develop the More Than A Musical Framework so we can better understand, measure, and share the impact of what happens here.
There's a lot ahead.
And, just like that first cast in 2015, we're still figuring out the answer to the same question. What are we doing next?