Children's Theatre Company and School

CTC's Theatre Arts Training program (TAT) provides instruction in storytelling, acting, dance, voice, directing, and playwriting for young people ages 2-18. In addition to sequenced classes during the school year, Theatre Arts Training also offers summer and other school vacation camps for students at all skill levels and programming for homeschool groups designed to meet their educational goals. TAT also includes the Pre-Professional Institute, which provides high school students with an intensive, four-year, conservatory-style learning experience. The Senior Company program provides students with demanding material that seeks to challenge them as artists, educate them in a professional setting, and inspire them to be active voices in their community. FY24 marked year three of an innovative, in-depth partnership with Bethune Arts Elementary in north Minneapolis. Bethune is a "Turnaround Arts" school, where students experience a collaborative learning environment that includes arts integration into all core subjects. CTC's PreK-5th-grade, year-round immersion includes family engagement around CTC productions, Creative Play for preschool and Kindergarten, a 1st-grade Early Bridges critical literacy program, after-school and summer programming for grades 1-5, and professional development for classroom teachers. Students across the Metro benefited from short-form residencies with CTC teaching artists. In Twin Cities public schools, CTC delivers grade 1-5 workshops serving students and teachers with high-quality, research-based theatre arts and storytelling activities. Tied to state and national standards, these activities boost students' achievement in language and theatre arts. Through the Neighborhood Bridges pedagogy, students build critical and cultural literacy as they question texts, uncover whose perspective has been marginalized, and re-tell stories from their own points of view. CTC's Early Childhood Initiative combines theatre arts-based learning experiences with best practices in early childhood education to support the healthy development of early learners ages 2-6. CTC takes a comprehensive approach to early childhood education that includes both age-appropriate learning opportunities, including Early Bridges, and productions designed specifically for early learners. Through the Creative Play program, CTC also focuses on serving early learners from communities coping with complex trauma and toxic stress. The program utilizes theatre-based activities aligned with trauma-informed care practices to support developmental repair in early learners.