Children's Theatre Company and School

The 2023-24 season included two world premieres, a percussive interactive physical theatre piece from Korea, three favorite titles from CTC's canon of original productions, and a presented production from Honolulu Theatre for Youth. The season opened with Cookin' which engaged audiences in percussive, interactive shenanigans as four chefs prepare a wedding banquet in a piece of virtuosic physical theatre. Cookin' introduced our audiences to Samul Nori, a Korean genre of percussion. Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress: The first premiere of the season, which was a co-commission with The Rose Theater in Omaha, NE and Chicago Children's Theatre, educates parents about gender; challenges audiences to consider what it means to live outside cultural norms; and inspires children who might see themselves or their peers in Morris to embrace difference. Heidi Stillman, artistic director at Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre Company, directed this world premiere. Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!: Reflecting our love of making theatre that eliminates the invisible barrier between actor and audience, this highly participatory, CTC-original production returned after its recent run playing to 95% capacity. The Carp Who Would Not Quit: this piece from Honolulu Theatre for Youth brought music, language, and performance traditions from Japanese and Okinawan cultures to CTC. Alice in Wonderland: directed by Peter Brosius this CTC production challenges our assumptions and teaches us to see beyond the ostensible. Alice featured CTC Music Director Victor Zupanc as a one-man orchestra, and the innovative set design of the late, Tony-nominated G.W. Mercier. Babble Lab: Our second world premiere commission of the season was a solo theatre piece, created by CTC Acting Company member Autumn Ness, for children ages 2-5, based on the avant-garde art of Dadaist sound poetry. Former company member of Theatre de la Jeune Lune Sarah Agnew directed. A Year With Frog and Toad: Another CTC original, this production earned three Tony nominations when it originated in 2003. The amphibian odd couple proves that by celebrating and rejoicing in our differences, we might find ourselves with best friends we can rely on, no matter the season. The production was directed by Artistic Director, Peter C. Brosius. The scenic design was by Adrianne Lobel, the daughter of the original Frog and Toad books' author, Arnold Lobel. Sensory Friendly performances, American Sign Language interpretation, Closed Captioning, and Audio Description were available for all our productions in 2023-24. CTC's ACT Pass program provided $5 tickets to public performances to assure accessibility for all families in our community. CTC offers deeply discounted tickets and transportation subsidies for school groups from across the Twin Cities and the Upper Midwest that attend special weekday performances. To help meet classroom teachers' curricular goals, we offer Educator Resource Guides and workshops tailored to each production.

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.