FIRST STAGE MILWAUKEE INC PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
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Mission Statement
One of the nation's most acclaimed children's theaters, First Stage touches hearts, engages minds, and transforms lives by creating extraordinary theater experiences for young people and families through Professional Theater Productions, unparalleled Theater Academy training, and dynamic Theater in Education programs.
About This Cause
About First Stage: Founded in 1987, First Stage began as a small theater company with a goal of providing professional theater performances for young people and families. Today, the company has grown to become a national leader in the Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA/USA) field and hosts one of the nation's largest high-impact theater training programs for young people. Our Mission: First Stage touches hearts, engages minds, and transforms lives by creating extraordinary theater experiences for young people and families through: •Professional Theater Productions that inspire, enlighten, and entertain •Unparalleled Theater Academy training that fosters life skills through stage skills •Dynamic Theater in Education programs that promote active learning in our schools and community. Our Vision: First Stage strives to be the national leader and driving force behind the creation of the best and most innovative plays for family audiences, theater training programs for young people, and education initiatives for our schools and our community. These three interwoven programming pillars are accessible to, and reflective of, our increasingly diverse community. Through our exceptional leadership, dedicated team, and commitment to financial sustainability, First Stage will broaden the reach and impact of our transformational programs, thus enabling dreams to be fulfilled, hope to be fostered, and families to be enriched by the lasting legacy of a profound shared experience. Theater for all ages: First Stage produces plays of the highest caliber and artistic quality, telling stories that honor a young person’s point of view, include diverse voices, and inspire meaningful conversations. Unlike the majority of the country’s professional TYA/USA theaters, First Stage is one of a few committed to age-appropriate casting. First Stage features young performers in all of our productions in order to maintain the artistic integrity of the stories we portray onstage. This ensures that our young audiences connect more deeply with our performances, and provides young actors the rare opportunity to train alongside adult Actor’s Equity professionals and learn from a professional team of theater directors, designers, and crew. Young performers - First Stage’s professional theater productions use age-appropriate casting: professional actors to portray the adult-aged roles, and young people to play the roles of young people. Two casts of young people perform in rotation, to balance performance and school commitments. Young people working alongside adult professionals also benefit greatly in terms of their own personal development, gaining life skills such as confidence, focus, and cooperation through the rehearsal and production process. Young Company - the Theater Academy’s advanced actor training program for high school students, presents full-scale productions each season, with performances held at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center and other venues. First Stage encourages audiences of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences to come and enjoy our transformative theater experiences. New play development: First Stage champions the development of new theater works. Since our founding, First Stage has presented more than 75 world premiere productions that address important subject matters relevant to today’s youth, utilize celebrated literary works, and feature local themes and stories as inspiration. First Stage has collaborated with renowned artists including Harry Connick Jr. and Stephen Schwartz, and award-winning authors Lois Lowry and Cornelia Funke. First Stage introduced its AMPLIFY Reading Series in Spring 2021. Understanding the power of connection that young people feel when they see themselves and their stories on stage, this reading series features newly commissioned work from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color playwrights and directors. These new play readings will be presented in the Goodman Mainstage Hall at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. Many of these works go on to be fully produced and presented at the Marcus Center's Todd Wehr Theater. Theater Academy: Life skills through stage skills Debuted in 1992, First Stage’s Theater Academy is one of the nation’s largest high-impact theater training programs for youth, ages 3-18. Through a challenging theater curriculum taught by professional teaching artists, the Academy nurtures life skills through stage skills by providing students with a foundation in theater as well as a deep understanding of human nature and how to relate to each other in a positive and supportive manner. Nearly 2,000 students participate in the Academy annually. First Stage’s nearly 150 different Theater Academy classes vary in intensity based on age, experience, and length of session, and include our Next Steps Program, which tailors the Theater Academy to the needs of autistic young people. All of First Stage’s Academy programming is designed to foster students’ academic and personal achievement, social and emotional learning, and development of 21st century workforce skills. As young people are encouraged to take risks and conquer their fears, First Stage is building the next generation of creative, empathetic, and confident leaders and artists. Among the Academy’s most celebrated programs are Young Company – the advanced actor training program for high school students, and Next Steps – an Academy program designed for students on the autism spectrum. Year-round, school year and summer sessions are offered each year at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts in Brookfield, and the Oconomowoc Arts Center. Theater in Education: Inspire. Motivate. Educate. Since our founding, First Stage has facilitated a wide range of in-school Theater in Education Programs that directly linked to Common Core State Standards and National Core Arts Standards and utilize arts-integrated and interactive methods to enhance students’ literacy development, language comprehension, and social and emotional learning. Last season, First Stage served more than 10,000 students through nearly 1,500 workshops. As schools are forced to spend less on arts programming, First Stage cleverly blends theater activities with standard curriculum, allowing students to learn traditional academic subjects through creativity and self-expression. First Stage also offers professional development experiences for teachers with the ultimate goal of theater playing a role in every child’s classroom experience. First Stage’s Theater in Education programs include: • Field Trip Packages • Early Literacy Residency • Storytelling Experience • Professional Development for Teachers First Stage is a member of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, the Wisconsin Alliance for Arts Education, Arts Wisconsin and TYA/USA, the international association of theater for children and young people. First Stage is a proud cornerstone member of the United Performing Arts Fund.