Northwest Childrens Theater And School Inc

NORTHWEST CHILDRENS THEATER AND SCHOOL PROVIDES HIGH-QUALITY THEATER ARTS AND EDUCATION EXPERIENCES TO CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND STUDENTS. NWCT IS NOT JUST ABOUT PLAYS, OR CLASSES. ITS ABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION OF CREATIVE THINKERS. ITS ABOUT PRESERVING PORTLANDS ARTS LEGACY. THIS FUTURE IS THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND NWCTS MISSION; IT IS THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE COMPANY THAT WILL KEEP NWCT THRIVING FOR THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS AND BEYOND.

EDUCATE: NORTHWEST CHILDREN'S THEATER AND SCHOOL PROVIDES THE LARGEST THEATER ARTS SCHOOL IN OREGON, OFFERING YEAR-ROUND CLASSES AND CAMPS FOR CHILDREN AGES 4-18. CHILDREN RECEIVE INSTRUCTION FROM WORKING THEATER PROFESSIONALS IN A DIVERSE RANGE OF SKILLS INCLUDING SHAKESPEARE, MUSICAL THEATER, SCENE STUDY, IMPROVISATION, COMEDY, AND FILM & VIDEO. THESE CLASSES AND CAMPS SHIFTED ONLINE THROUGH JUNE OF 2021, SERVING NEARLY 750 STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE STATE AND AS FAR AWAY AS MEXICO. NWCT WELCOMED STUDENTS BACK TO THE BUILDING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER A YEAR IN JULY 2021 FOR SUMMER CAMP. THEY SERVED MORE THAN 450 STUDENTS AT THE THEATER IN NW PORTLAND, AND AT SATELLITE LOCATIONS IN SHERWOOD AND LAKE OSWEGO. THIS MODEL SET THE STAGE FOR EXPANDED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING TO COME IN 2021-22, SERVING MORE FAMILIES WHERE THEY LIVE. MANY OF NWCTS SECOND STAGE ADVANCED TRAINING PROGRAMS ALSO CONTINUED ONLINE UNTIL SUMMER 2021. KIDS COMPANY NW CREATED TWO ORIGINAL MUSICAL SHOWCASES, AND STUDIO JR & STUDIO NW CONTINUED PRE-PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AND DIGITAL PERFORMANCES. IN SUMMER OF 2021, NWCT RE-LAUNCHED IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING FOR ADVANCED STUDENTS AS WELL. ENRICH: DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, NWCT WAS UNABLE TO SERVE SCHOOLS AND ORGANIZATIONS AS THEYVE DONE IN THE PAST. NONETHELESS, 18 AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS WERE HELD ONLINE ACROSS 15 SCHOOLS. IN ADDITION, 19 SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ENGAGED WITH ONE OF THE DIGITAL PRODUCTIONS, REACHING APPROXIMATELY 2,000 STUDENTS. IN THE SUMMER OF 2021, NWCT WAS AWARDED A CONTRACT WITH PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE FREE SUMMER THEATER CAMPS ACROSS NORTH, NORTHEAST, AND SOUTHEAST PORTLAND. DURING THESE CAMPS, STUDENTS EXPLORED A WIDE VARIETY OF DRAMATIC ARTS AND WERE EMPOWERED TO USE THEIR UNIQUE VOICES TO CREATE THEIR OWN STORIES, WHICH WERE THEN TRANSFORMED INTO A THEATRICAL PRESENTATION. THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, NWCT SERVED MORE THAN 180 CHILDREN ACROSS TWELVE CAMPS, AND EMPLOYED 40 ARTISTS OVER THE SUMMER INCLUDING 29 JOBS FOR AREA TEENS: CAMP COUNSELORS, RESPONSIBLE TO LEADING KIDS THROUGH CAMP ACTIVITIES UNDER THE MENTORSHIP OF TEACHING ARTISTS; AND TEEN FABRICATORS, RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DESIGN AND CREATION OF SETS, PROPS, COSTUME, AND SOUND ELEMENTS UNDER THE MENTORSHIP OF TECHNICAL LEADS.

ENTERTAIN: IN A TYPICAL YEAR, NWCT PRODUCES FOUR TO FIVE PROFESSIONAL MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS PER SEASON. DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, NWCT WAS UNABLE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IN-PERSON THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS HOWEVER TWO ORIGINAL DIGITAL SHOWS WERE CREATED AND DISTRIBUTED TO FAMILIES AT HOME AND CHILDREN IN VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS: A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM, CREATED IN COLLABORATION WITH ANITA MENON BROUGHT AND ABRIDGED VERSION OF SHAKESPEARES COMEDY TO LIFE IN A BRAND NEW WAY, BLENDING CLASSIC ENGLISH LITERATURE WITH INDIAN DANCE AND CULTURE; AND DESVELADO, A SWEET PLAY ABOUT LITTLE ONE WHO IS HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING. WITH THE HELP OF THE MOON (LA LUNA), MSICA (THE MUSIC OF IMAGINATION) AND A TURTLE WITH NO NAME BUT WHO IS VERY MUCH LOVED, LITTLE ONE COUNTS SHEEP, CATCHES STARS, AND DISCOVERS TRUE FRIENDSHIP. DESVELADO WAS PERFORMED IN ENGLISH, WITH SOME SPANISH INTEGRATED INTO THE SHOW AND INCLUDED SPANISH SUBTITLES. EACH SHOW INCLUDED BONUS CONTENT FOR FAMILIES AND TEACHERS SUCH AS BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOKS AND ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE THE EXPERIENCE. IN THE ABSENCE OF ONSTAGE PRODUCTIONS, NWCT ALSO LAUNCHED MAINSTAGE COMPANY, PROVIDING DIGITAL PERFORMANCE AND ADVANCED TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SELECT YOUTH PERFORMERS WHO AUDITIONED FOR THE 2020-21 MAINSTAGE SEASON. THIS COMPANY PRODUCED A MYRIAD OF FREE DIGITAL PERFORMANCES INCLUDING TWO ONE ACT FESTIVALS, TWO 24-HOUR PLAY FESTIVALS, MONTHLY CABARETS, AND A YOUTH-CREATED MULTIMEDIA PROJECT CENTERED AROUND MENTAL HEALTH DURING THE PANDEMIC. INCREASING ACCESS TO THE ARTS: NWCT MAINTAINED TITLE 1 SCHOOL DISCOUNTS FOR DIGITAL PRODUCTIONS DURING THE PANDEMIC. ALL TITLE 1 SCHOOLS WERE ABLE TO GAIN UNLIMITED ACCESS TO THESE SHOWS AT HALF OR MORE OF THE REGULAR COST. IN ADDITION, NWCT CONTINUED ITS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC, AND MAINTAINED ITS PROMISE THAT NO CHILD WILL BE TURNED AWAY DUE TO LACK OF FUNDS. NWCT ALSO PROVIDED A MULTITUDE OF FREE ONLINE CONTENT AND SHOWS DISTRIBUTED THROUGH NWCTS SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS RESULTING IN NEARLY 50,000 VIEWS.NWCT'S 2019-20 SEASON WAS ABRUPTLY CUT SHORT BY THE ARRIVAL OF COVID-19 AND THE SHUTDOWN OF ALL LIVE EVENT SPACES IN OREGON. NWCT CANCELLED MULTIPLE LIVE PERFORMANCES, CLASSES, AND CAMPS AS WELL AS THE LAUNCH OF NWCT'S FIRST STATEWIDE TOURING PRODUCTION. RATHER THAN SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY, NWCT TRANSITIONED TO AN ALL-DIGITAL FORMAT OFFERING CLASSES AND CAMPS ONLINE AND CREATING AN ORIGINAL VIRTUAL PRODUCTION OF SEUSSICAL. SINCE MARCH 2019 NWCT HAS SERVED MORE THAN 1,700 CHILDREN THROUGH DIGITAL PROGRAMS, REACHING FAMILIES ACROSS THE STATE AND AROUND THE WORLD. IN ADDITION, MORE THAN 7,000 FAMILIES HAVE ENGAGED IN FREE ONLINE CONTENT DISTRIBUTED THROUGH NWCT'S SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS.