About the CAT Youth Theatre
CAT Youth Theatre is a free, award-winning after school program that invests in young people and inspires them to thrive– on stage and in life.
The collaborative theatre process gives young people the opportunity to make new meanings from the material of their lives. Each year approximately 70 middle school, high school, and early college-aged young people from across the city create socially relevant, artistically sophisticated original plays while learning vital life skills enabling them to become self-confident, compassionate and accountable; develop relationships across differences; build community; and be prepared to act as contributing citizens.
Membership is free to the young people who participate. There are no auditions required – just a commitment to be an active participant of the CAT Youth Theatre community.
Each spring, the CAT Youth Theatre company (young people in high school) presents a full production of an original work in a professional venue. Three times a year, the Junior Youth Theatre company (young people in middle school) present original work at the CAT studio.
Both groups meets weekly throughout the year. Since its founding in 1995, CAT Youth Theatre has:
- Presented over 100 original shows devised or written by the company, and performed at a wide array of conferences, festivals and events
- Held 12-hour, non-stop, sponsored improvisation marathons
- Performed, by invitation, in Chicago, London, Liverpool, and at the U.N.
- Collaborated with young people from the Czech Republic, Taiwan, Germany, England, Poland, India, Zambia, Palestine, Turkey, Brazil and Nepal
- Motivated over 80% of its members to graduate from high school and go on to college
- Been selected as Broadway Artist Connection’s charity partner in 2014 and 2016
- Seen alumni achieve careers in the arts, business, the military, and other pursuits. Several have returned after graduation to become professional CAT teaching artists
Program Director Helen White has been awarded the American Alliance for Theatre and Education’s Youth Theatre Director of the Year and has also been New York 1’s New Yorker of the Week.
For more information email YT@creativeartsteam.org, call the Youth Theatre at (212) 652-2828, or CLICK HERE to apply!