Young Actors Theatre

Young Actors Theatre

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.

EDUCATOR CONTACT INFO

lillian.c@yatkids.org

http://www.yatkids.org

  401 E Michigan Street, Young Actors Theatre, Indianapolis, IN 46204

3176145057

Young Actors Theatre K-12 Classes

Program description

Young Actors Theatre is a theatre for everyone.

We’ve been working with kids for a long time (since 1976) and have learned a lot about theatre, education, and young people. What we’ve come to value most is SELF-EMPOWERMENT: the combination of confidence, creativity, and discipline.

We wanted to create a place for students to try new things, to break out of their shells, to practice failing and trying again. In our rehearsal rooms, every student has a voice in how the story is shaped. Whether this is their first show or their twentieth, students practice confidence by voicing their ideas, build creativity by trying new things and seeking feedback, and gain discipline by meeting their goals. The entire cast works together, moves together, and builds each other up to build an original production.

It all shines through when the curtain rises. In our plays, every student is onstage the whole show, encouraging engagement and ownership of their work. Through the hours of rehearsal, the high expectations of the classroom, and the guidance of their director, even the most quiet and shy student can find the joy of performing a play that they helped to create. Every student can feel empowered on our stage. This is a theatre where students can learn to be what they want to be and who they want to become.

See our full class listings and schedules at www.yatkids.org/registration.

Booking / scheduling contact

Lillian Crabb

   317.605.5407

 lillian.c@yatkids.org

Program detail
Artistic discipline: Theatre
Cultural Origin:
Program type: Camp, Workshop/Class (Out-of-School)
Population served: Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12, Students with Disabilities
Subject: Fine Arts: Theatre, Social Emotional Learning
Bilingual: No
Available dates:

Spring classes begin the second week of February, 2020, and will continue every week until final performance at the end of May.  Please find full class listings and schedules at www.yatkids.org/registration.

Available times:

Kindergarten-3rd grade classes rehearse one hour a week.  4th-12th grade classes rehearse for 5 hours total each week: one weeknight rehearsal from 6-8pm and one Saturday rehearsal (either 9am-12pm or 12:30pm-3:30pm).  Please find full class listings and schedules at www.yatkids.org/registration.

Location(s):

All classes rehearse and perform at the Historic Athenaeum in downtown Indianapolis.

IDOE STANDARDS

FINE ARTS: THEATRE:
Anchor Standard 1 – Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work: Theatre artists rely on intuition, curiosity, and critical inquiry
Anchor Standard 2 – Organize and develop artistic ideas and work: Theatre artists work to discover different ways of communicating meaning.
Anchor Standard 3 – Refine and complete artistic work: Theatre artists refine their work and practice their craft through rehearsal.
Anchor Standard 4 – Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation: Theatre artists make strong choices to effectively convey meaning.
Anchor Standard 5 – Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation: Theatre artists develop personal processes and skills for a performance or design.
Anchor Standard 6 – Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work: Theatre artists share and present stories, ideas, and envisioned worlds to explore the human experience.
Anchor Standard 7 – Perceive and analyze artistic work: Theatre artists reflect to understand the impact of drama processes and theatre experiences.
Anchor Standard 8 – Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work: Theatre artists’ interpretations of drama/theatrical work are influenced by personal experiences and aesthetics.
Anchor Standard 9 – Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work: Theatre artists apply criteria to investigate, explore, and assess drama and theatrical work.
Anchor Standard 10 – Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art: Theatre artists allow awareness of interrelationships between self and others to influence and inform their work.
Anchor Standard 11 – Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding: Theatre artists understand and can communicate their creative process as they analyze the way the world may be understood.
Anchor Standard 11 – Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding: Theatre artists critically inquire into the ways others have thought about and created drama processes and productions to inform their own work.

Qualifications

Performs criminal background checks on staff with youth contact: Yes
Maintains general liability insurance: Yes
Provides study guides for teachers and or students: Yes
Provides scholarship and reduced fees: Yes
Conducts ongoing assessments of program quality: Yes
Cancellation Policy

Class reservations are refundable until the start date of the class, with the exception of the $25 non-refundable registration fee.