Dallas Children's Theater

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Dallas Children's Theater (DCT) is a professional theater organization based in Dallas, Texas, that focuses on producing theater for youth and families. It reaches an audience of 250,000 youth annually with its nine main stage productions, national touring company, and education programs. In 2004 Time magazine named it one of the top five theaters in the country performing for youth. [1]

Contents

Description

Robyn Flatt and Dennis Vincent founded DCT, a 501(c)(3) organization, in 1984. Since its opening, it has become the largest not-for-profit family theater in the Southwest, operating on an annual budget of more than $3 million. [2] Its 11 annual productions are staged in the Rosewood Center for Family Arts. The Rosewood Center also houses its youth programming, including its theater academy and education programs such as Curtains Up on Reading.

DCT's staff works to increase the body of theater for youth. Its artistic staff has written, adapted, and/or staged more than 40 world premier plays and musicals since its opening in 1984. As of April 8, 2018 Dallas Children's Theater has presented 76 world premiers, performed 212 distinct tiles, 356 individual productions, 12,944 performances for 4,866,327 people. Notable productions include Yana Wana's Legend of the Bluebonnet, Teen Brain: The Musical, EAT (It's Not About Food), Treasure Island: Reimagined!, and Mariachi Girl. (All titles listed in "Production history" below.) In addition to new works, its repertoire also includes well-known literary works, histories, biographies, fables, and other familiar stories.

DCT has been recognized by both Time and American Theatre magazines as one of the leading professional theaters in the United States. [3] DCT is affiliated with the Actors' Equity Association, the Theatre Communications Group, ASSITEJ International (Theater for Young Audiences/USA), and the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE).

DCT offers educational and enrichment programs for children and teens in the Dallas Community. Programs include an annual national touring production that visits more than 50 cities every year; a student matinee performance series that allows underprivileged children and school programs to attend theater performances at a reduced rate; an arts-in-education program entitled "Curtains Up on Reading"; academy classes for kids and teens; after school programs; and programs created for teens.

DCT provides productions for youth and families, year-round education and outreach programs, and a national touring company that travels to over 52 cities and 26 states each year.[ citation needed ]

Executive Artistic Director Robyn Flatt

Robyn Flatt has served as the executive artistic director of DCT since she co-founded the organization in 1984. In November 2008, she established the Baker Idea Institute, which holds annual symposia to address creativity and artistic expression in education.

Flatt earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Baylor University. She served as a member of the Resident Professional Company of the Dallas Theater Center for twenty years before founding DCT.

Flatt has served on the boards of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education and the US branch of the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People (ASSITEJ/USA). She has received many honors and awards, including induction into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre in 2007.

DCT programs

DCT's Production Season offers plays (9 this season) for family audiences on an array of topics and themes, from favorite stories as Disney's Beauty and the Beast and Schoolhouse Rock Live! to work based on time-honored children's literature such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. DCT opens the holiday with the favorite The Very Hungry Caterpillar Christmas Show and the charming classic Little Women. DCT offers musicals, dramas, puppet theater and everything in between to delight audiences of all ages. DCT also presents plays featuring issues of particular relevance to teens and their families, and reaches out again to the youngest audiences with Balloonacy.

DCT on Tour travels throughout North America presenting the professional company to over 100,000 students and families in 60 cities coast-to-coast. The tour went international in 2006 when they represented the U.S. at the International Children's Arts Expo in Shanghai, China and in 2014-2015 when they had four stops in Ontario, Canada. OCT On Tour has played the JFK Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC and the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rsa, CA The tour has reached many underserved children in rural and hard-to-reach places, such as Joplin, MO; Topeka, KS; Waco, TX; Klamath Falls, OR; Everett, WA and Anchorage, AK, to name but a few. Its first touring production premiered in 1996. Popular touring productions include Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, Diary of a Worm, A Spider & a Fly, and Flat Stanley. In 2009, Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters was designated as an NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) American Masterpieces Touring Artist for that year.

DCT's Student Matinee Performance Series annually reaches 50,000 students and teachers with weekday performances of DCT mainstage productions. While tickets are regularly anywhere from $15 to $30 each, schools pay no more than $9.50. Free online study guides help teachers to link students' theater experience with curriculum-related activities. DCT provides free and deeply discounted tickets to low-income "at-risk" children and families and to Title I schools. This year, DCT will also present matinee performances of Diary of a Worm, a Spider & a Fly at Moody Performance Hall. For the third year in partnership with DISD Fine Arts, the program has included 35 performances designed to ensure all 14,000 second graders are guaranteed a live theater experience at DCT.

The DCT Academy for Theater Arts offers year-round classes to over 2,000 young people, ages 3 1 /2 to 18. The spring and fall sessions last 11 weeks, with 350 students in 20 classes per session each. Classes include beginning to advanced theater arts and are taught by theater professionals with a focus on the development of imagination, communication skills, collaborative problem solving and performance techniques. Showbiz Summer offers over 50 classes. The Teen Conservatory offers exciting opportunities for older students. Scholarships are available.

Curtains Up on Reading is an in-school residency that integrates drama, literature, language arts, social studies and history. DCT artists collaborate with teachers in DISD elementary schools (up to 2,000 students) to incorporate drama into the core curriculum. Interdisciplinary units are designed and taught using a hands-on approach to enhancing students' understanding of the material, build enthusiasm for learning, and develop self-confidence. This is particularly effective in working with low-performing youth impeded by language barriers and learning difficulties. History comes alive through characterization and students' role development.

Curtains Up on Literacy is a partnership with Literacy Achieves (formerly VMLC-Vickery, West and Elm) that links adult literacy and pre-K children's classes with creative drama and professional theater performances in a free, cross-generational program for 30 to 40 families.[ citation needed ]

Kathy Burks Theater of Puppetry Arts

Founded in 1973, the Kathy Burks Theater of Puppetry Arts has been affiliated with DCT since 1996. It uses all styles of puppetry, including traditional bridge and cabaret marionettes, hand puppets, shadow puppets, and Black Theater rod puppets. Kathy Burks' puppets are often featured in other DCT mainstage productions.

The Kathy Burks Theater of Puppetry Arts stores its collection of over 1,000 puppets, both new and antique, at DCT's Rosewood Center for Family Arts.

Venues

DCT productions began running at El Centro Community College in 1984, and continued to do so continuously until 2003. In 1987, with the support of The Rosewood Corporation and the Meadows Foundation, they moved their administrative offices and some performances to the Crescent Theater in Dallas.

In 2003 DCT moved from the Crescent Theater into the 58,000 sq. ft. Rosewood Center for Family Arts with the Baker Theater (seats 400) and Studio Theater (seats 150), five classrooms, community gathering room and space for costume, scenic, shops and storage.

Production history

1984-1985

1985-1986

1986-1987

1987-1988

1988-1989

1989-1990

1990-1991

1991-1992

1992-1993

1993-1994

1994-1995

1995-1996

1996-1997

1997-1998

1998-1999

1999-2000

2000-2001

2001-2002

2002-2003

2003-2004

2004-2005

2005-2006

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

2009-2010

2010-2011

2011-2012

2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

2015-2016

2016-2017

2017-2018

2018-2019

2019-2020

2020-2021

2021-2022

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References

  1. ↑ Zoglin, Richard (November 2, 2004). "Where Kids Get Treated Right". Time .
  2. ↑ ASSITEJ "Spotlight" (http://www.assitej-usa.org/Spotlight/dct/%5B%5D)
  3. ↑ Smith, Russell Scott (2006). "Trumpet of the Swan". American Theater . Archived from the original on November 30, 2010.

Sources

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