Valley Youth Theatre
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Valley Youth Theatre (VYT) is a regional theatre located in Phoenix, Arizona. Established in 1989, VYT is dedicated to having a positive impact on the community’s children through a wide variety of performing arts opportunities. Valley Youth Theatre programs offer educational and cultural opportunities to thousands of the community’s future leaders. It is Valley Youth Theatre's philosophy that through these experiences, children will learn life lessons that will serve them well as adults; that they will develop a lasting interest in the arts; and that they will take with them the inspiration to be the very best they can be.
VYT produces between six and seven mainstage shows each season. Two of those are produced at the Herberger Theater Center and the others at the VYT stage at 525 N 1st Street in the revitalized Copper Square area of downtown Phoenix.
Believing that children deserve the opportunity to be treated as serious individuals, Valley Youth Theatre applys the same standards of excellence to its programs that apply to adult theatre. Professional directors, choreographers, and technicians train the cast and crew of each show. Participation in the shows is fee-free, making its programs accessible to all young people who have an interest. Approximately 900 young people, representing all socio-economic backgrounds and diverse communities, audition each season; more than 350 participate as actors, technicians and musicians. Artistic and Technical leadership consists of professional designers, directors, choreographers and technicians. The result of this leadership is testament to VYT's high standards of professional excellence. On a fee-for-services basis, VYT offers classes to children ages 3 years old and up to help with their development and to establish an appreciation for the performing arts at a young age. In addition, VYT offers opportunities for young people to participate in Performance Troupes, a Teen Improv troup; Fall, Spring and Summer Workshops, and VYTeens, a community service group.
[edit] Affiliations
- National recognition by Theatre Communications Group [1].
- Bobb Cooper, Valley Youth Theatre's Producing Artistic Director, was named the Executive Director of the Year for 2006 (Mid-size non-profits) by the Organization of Non-Profit Executives.
- Valley Youth Theatre received 87 ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence nominations in 2005-2006, more than any other theatre company, and was awarded 32.
- VYT named “Best Place to Get Your Child into Showbiz” by the Arizona Republic in The Rep’s Best 2003.
- Valley Youth Theatre among the 68 non-profit organizations selected to receive funding in the first grant cycle of the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. 325 organizations submitted proposals.
- Valley Youth Theatre among 52 organizations invited to submit a final grant proposal in 2002 to the Nina Pulliam Charitable Trust. 245 organizations submitted proposals. VYT, one of 22 final grantees, received two-year grant in support of our outreach programming.
- In the Phoenix Arts Commission allocation recommendations for 2003-2004 General Operating Support, Valley Youth Theatre received the highest ranking among all the theatre companies receiving funding from the Commission.
- In October 2001, Valley Youth Theatre was honored by the Black Board of Directors Project as the “Outstanding Non-Profit Organization” of the year, in recognition of outstanding diversity in our programs and on our Board of Directors.
- Valley Youth Theatre voted Copper Square’s “Best Cultural Attraction” in 2002’s Downtown Phoenix Partnership survey.
- VYT named “Best Children’s Theater (Children Performing for children) by the Arizona Republic in The Rep’s Best 2001.
[edit] Community Service
- Each season, more than 4,600 inner-city students attend a VYT mainstage performance and are given free books through a "Literacy and The Arts" outreach program.
- Each year, more than six hundred children, representing numerous social service organizations throughout the Valley, attend a free performance and are given a complimentary lunch through an annual "Sponsor-A-Seat" program.
[edit] Facility
Valley Youth Theatre performs in its renovated facility in Copper Square in downtown Phoenix, Arizona.
An old storefront was gutted in 1998 and rebuilt to include a 30-foot wide proscenium stage with orchestra pit, 202 seat continental-style audience seating, a lobby with box office, and "backstage" areas: a lighting and sound booth, small scene and costume shops, and rehearsal and dressing rooms.
[edit] History
| 1989 | Established. |
| 1992 | First permanent home in the basement of Tower Plaza. |
| 1999 | New permanent home at Copper Square in downtown Phoenix. |
