Do you love hats? Not snuggly winter hats, but big glorious creative hats—hats with colorful feathers, lace, and beads. If so, you won’t want to miss the newest play coming this March to Children’s Theater of Madison. Tiara’s Hat Parade is based on the picture book by Kelly Starling Lyons and celebrates kindness and creativity—and the magic of having confidence in your own style!
Tiara models the one-of-a-kind hats her mom, a milliner who makes for the women in her community, until slowly, the women stop coming for hats. With Momma’s dream in danger of fading, Tiara gets to work on a big idea to bring everyone together. Kelly Starling Lyons was inspired to write the original story because she wanted to honor the ways children make a difference and celebrate Black women milliners and the hat-wearing tradition! She saw hats as ways to show style, identity and culture. Kelly has since met milliners, men and women who make these amazing hats, and found their work to be inspiring and a way of bringing joy to those who wear them.
The story is adapted for the stage by Paige Hernandez who has created a one-woman show performed by Lydia Danielle of Charlotte, North Carolina. This is the second time that playwright Paige Hernandez has partnered with CTM. In 2024, Paige developed the popular play, Life Doesn’t Frighten Me: I am Fearless Royalty, based on a poem by Maya Angelou.
Paige conceived Tiara’s Hat Parade as a one-woman show as a unique way to showcase the numerous characters in the story. The format allows for some fun engagement with the audience. This story resonated with Paige because she saw the connections with women who wore fabulous and colorful hats in church when she was growing up, and the popularity of groups like the Red Hat Society. She also saw the importance of the milliners themselves as entrepreneurs in communities during these changing times. She realized that creativity could result in not only uplift for a family but enrichment for an entire community. Paige notes that the show focuses on a theme of kindness and “how to be a good citizen and a good friend.”
This is also a story about being confident and wearing your clothes with a bit of style and swag. Lydia Danielle performs this one-woman show—portraying 9 different characters. In bringing this story to life, it is important to Lydia that these characters come across as real people. Her portrayal of one character might be based on a favorite aunt or a dear friend—another on the neighbor down the street. Lydia shared that being a part of this show has allowed her to reflect on many family members and friends in bringing these characters to life. She said that she has been preparing for this role her whole life. She hopes that audiences remember will connect with the message of kindness in the play. Lydia’s grandmother saw the play and remembered the line “everything will be fine, just remember to be kind” and now says it to Lydia every time she sees her.
The production of Tiara’s Hat Parade is a rolling world premiere and is a new collaborative work with several children’s theater companies including Children’s Theater of Charlotte and the Rose Theater in Omaha.
The Madison production will be unique, with a set designed by Seth Howard. Seth was the set designer for Cinderella—Enchanted Edition, presented by CTM last February. This show will be presented at the Starlight Theater at MYArts and is sure to be filled with surprises.
Paige hopes that the one thing that audiences will take-away is that kindness is important in all of our lives. Tiara’s Hat Parade will be at the Starlight Theater at MYArts at 1055 E. Mifflin Street, March 7-22, 2026. For more information go to ctmtheater.org.
And you might just want to wear a hat to this show!
