Victor and June Podagrosi founded Child's Play in 1978 while Victor was teaching theatre at Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois. Asked to stage a performance of children's writings for a Young Author's awards ceremony, Victor was delighted with the sophistication and storytelling abilities he discovered in children's writing. Believing they had identified a unique form of educational theatre, the Podagrosis formed Child's Play Touring Theatre and began traveling to rural schools in east central Illinois.