Young Actors Theatre creates theatrical opportunities that instill confidence, creativity, and discipline in youth.
Our mission is to empower youth for life.
Young Actors Theatre was founded in 1976 by Charlotte Kaufman, an NYC actress who made her home in the midwest. From 1976 to 2005, YAT brought classic theatre training to 60 school-age students each year. Two of those students were Justin Wade and his sister Catherine, who saw something special in YAT and began assisting Charlotte with the organization. Justin assumed the role of Executive Artistic Director in 2005.
With a new team of theatre educators and creative minds, YAT began to soar. Justin honed his craft as an educator, and began to develop a new approach to theatre training. Theatre education could be more. It could be used to teach larger lessons, and build lifelong learners.
We decided: out with the pre-bought scripts, out with the monologues, out with waiting backstage 95% of the time. By incorporating world-class theatre trends like physical theatre, devised theatre, and site-specific theatre, an original brand of arts education was born in Indianapolis. Rather than starting with a script, we start with a question, a social issue, or a historical figure who embodies a particular theme. Then, our theatre educators work with students to devise a production in which the whole ensemble (not just one or two leads) tell a compelling narrative with an empowering message for student performers and student audiences.
Since 2005, Young Actors Theatre has transformed into the largest youth theatre in Indianapolis. In 2018, YAT brought Self-Empowerment Theatre to nearly 2,000 students and reached over 10,000 audience members across the state of Indiana. We work directly with youth approximately 350 days a year, and on average 75-80 hours a week. With a home base in downtown Indianapolis and performance sites across the greater Indianapolis area, we work to provide more than a stage to the youth we serve.
Young Actors Theatre is more than a theatre: we are a training ground for empathetic individuals and model citizens in Indianapolis.
lillian.c@yatkids.org
http://www.yatkids.org
401 E Michigan Street, Young Actors Theatre, Indianapolis, IN 46204
3176145057
Young Actors Theatre will be using historical figures as the starting points for all of our Spring sessions. 4th- through 8th-grade students are invited to join the cast of our play inspired by the life of Madam C. J. Walker, and they will be encouraged to voice their own opinions and suggest ideas for their own characters.
Madam C. J. Walker is a famed entrepreneur and millionaire worldwide, and it’s even more powerful to us that she lived and worked in Indiana. As we research her story and successes, we will focus on the idea that you can change the world if you have courage.
Please note that participation in this class is capped at 15 students, and participation will require an audition. Please contact gara@yatkids.org to schedule an audition if you are not available for the December 11 open auditions from 6pm t0 8pm at the Athenaeum, where students are expected to present a 30-second to 1-minute monologue.
Gara Gaines
615-663-6542
gara@yatkids.org
Rehearsals and performances will run from January 19 to April 7, 2019.
Rehearsals will be held 9am-12pm on Saturdays and 6-8pm Tuesdays. Please see our full rehearsal and performance schedule here to avoid major conflicts.
Students will rehearse at the Athenaeum until the final week before performances, when rehearsals move to Newfields in preparation for the final performances at the Toby Theatre at Newfields.
Upon registration, we request either tuition in full or through an interest-free payment plan OR a scholarship application. Please know that Young Actors Theatre never turns a family away due to financial difficulty, and we’re eager to work with all interested families to make sure all students have the opportunity to participate in Young Actors Theatre programs. If you are interested, please submit a scholarship application here. Contact gara@yatkids.org with questions about your account.
Partial refunds will be available for cancellations until one week prior to the session’s start date.