Tag Archives: The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati

Spencer Burke (TCT Technical Director), Roderick Justice (TCT Producing Artistic Director), and Jeremy Kisling (SETC Board Member). Photo by Mark Mahan, Mahan Multimedia.

CINCINNATI:  The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT) has been awarded The Sara Spencer Child Drama Award, by The Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC). The award recognizes the work of an individual or organization for dynamic and engaging work for young people. Nominees can excel in such areas as playwriting, performance, audience development, curriculum development, funding, scholarship, community programs, research, television programming, creative drama or other enrichment programs at their community, state, regional or national level.

This national award highlights children’s theatre pioneer and founder of the Children’s Theatre Press (now the Anchorage Press) Sara Spencer. The award was presented to Roderick Justice, Producing Artistic Director of The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, at the Southeastern Theatre Conference Gala in Louisville on February 29, 2020.

“TCT is honored to receive this award during our 100^th anniversary,” said Roderick Justice. “It is wonderful to highlight the work and significance our theatre for young audiences has played in the landscape of the local and national arts community. The life’s work of Sara Spencer is a direct parallel to the core mission and vision of TCT. We are poised and ready to take on another 100 years of storytelling with impact.”

The Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) is a membership organization with over 4,450 active individual members and over 450 active organizational members from across the nation.  SETC’s national convention includes actors, singers, dancers, designers, technicians, stage managers, directors, playwrights, teachers, students, professionals, academicians and others who gather to celebrate the art of theatre. SETC offers hundreds of workshops, keynotes, performance festivals, auditions, college recruiting, job interviews and more.  This year, the convention was held in Louisville, KY from February 26th though March 1st.

Sara Katherine Spencer (1908-1977) was an author, playwright and publisher of children’s plays.  In 1935, she founded the dramatic publishing house, Children’s Theatre Press (later, Anchorage Press Plays, and now part of Dramatic Publishing Company). The firm published 114 children’s plays, and she remained the editor there for over forty years. Spencer was also a major force in creating the Children’s Theatre Foundation, national and international children’s theatre associations, several community children’s theatres, and, through her work as a publisher, a new style of American play writing for children’s theatre. In the 1940s, together with Mary Tyler Dick, she formed the Louisville Children’s Theatre.

Celebrating its centennial anniversary, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT) is the oldest children’s theatre in the nation, and the only professional theater in the region that devotes its entire MainStage season to children.  Its mission is to educate, entertain and engage audiences of all ages through professional theatrical productions and arts education programming. Its vision is to awaken a lifelong love of theatre in children and the young at heart. Today, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati brings art to life for audiences through three key programs:  TCT MainStage at the Taft Theatre, TCT on Tour (including WorkShops) and TCT Academy. Each season TCT strives to reach more than 200,000 people in the Cincinnati region.  For more information visit www.thechildrenstheatre.com.

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From TCTC’s On Tour productions of SUFFRAGETTES: WITH LIBERTY AND VOTING FOR ALL. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

CINCINNATI:  The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT) has been approved for a $10,000 Art Works grant to support the current season of TCT On Tour.  This project will help TCT on Tour productions take the magic of live theatre to those who would otherwise be unable to attend, due to transportation, geographic and/or financial constraints.  Reaching almost 70,000 children and families per year TCT On Tour productions are selected with state and national educational standards in mind. Shows explore historical events, celebrate cultural heritage, and set the stage for learning. Each 45-50 minute production can fit in most venues from large theaters to school gymnasiums to libraries. We arrive in a van complete with sets, costumes, props and technical equipment. Each show concludes with a question-and-answer session with the cast.

Overall, the National Endowment for the Arts has approved 1,187 grants totaling $27.3 million in the first round of fiscal year 2020 funding to support arts projects in every state in the nation, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

From TCTC’s on Tour production of CORETTA SCOTT KING. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

The Art Works funding category supports projects that focus on public engagement with, and access to, various forms of excellent art across the nation; the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence; learning in the arts at all stages of life; and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life.

“The arts are at the heart of our communities, connecting people through shared experiences and artistic expression,” said Arts Endowment chairman Mary Anne Carter. “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support projects like The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s TCT On Tour productions.”

TCT’s Managing Director and CEO, Kim Kern, said, “We are extremely grateful to have received our first ever grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.  As a nonprofit performing arts organization, we rely heavily on support in the form of grant funding, and are so thankful that the NEA sees the value in our mission and is willing to support us, the country’s oldest professional theater for young audiences.”

In celebration of the 100-year anniversary of Women’s Suffrage, TCT On Tour’s 2019-20 touring season is dedicated to great women in life, literature, history and art. One of the productions which TCT commissioned is entitled Suffragettes: With Liberty and Voting for All. Production synopsis: “In 2020, the nation will the celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage in the United States – the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote. Experience the empowering history of the brave women who made triumphant strides through sacrifice and determination. Through story and song, learn about the great gift these women left us – an empowering heritage of pride, momentum and purpose. From 1920 to today, these women are a constant source of strength and inspiration.”  Other titles include: Mrs. Claus Saves the Day (developed work), Coretta Scott King (commissioned work), Harriet Tubman: Straight Up Outta’ The Underground (developed work), Dorothy In Oz (adaptation) and Cinderella Wore Cowboy Boots (developed work).

For more information on projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

Celebrating 100 years this season, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT) is the oldest children’s theatre in the country, and the only professional theater in the region that devotes its entire MainStage season to children.  Its mission is to educate, entertain and engage audiences of all ages through professional theatrical productions and arts education programming. Its vision is to awaken a lifelong love of theater in children and the young at heart. Today, the Children’s Theatre brings art to life for audiences through three key programs:  TCT MainStage at the Taft Theatre, TCT on Tour (including Workshops) and TCT Academy. Each season TCT strives to reach more than 200,000 people in the Cincinnati region.  For more information visit www.thechildrenstheatre.com.

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Schools with Grades 5-8 can apply for services and materials valued at $12K

From the 2019 JumpStart Theatre Showcase at the Taft Theatre.  Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Applications are now available to participate in the middle school initiative, JumpStart Theatre, managed by The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati.

All Cincinnati tri-state area middle schools and schools with grades 5-8 may apply to participate in JumpStart Theatre. Applications can be completed and submitted online beginning January 6, through February 15, 2020. Selected schools will be announced in the spring and will begin implementing the program in their school in the fall of 2020.

Participant schools are chosen through the online application which is now available at: https://thechildrenstheatre.com/2019/12/jumpstart-theatre-program/

Training & Ongoing Mentoring:
Each selected school will receive services and materials valued at $12,000 in the form of training, mentoring, and production support for a show for their community. Students will be involved in every aspect of the production, and TCT will also host an annual JumpStart Theatre showcase, bringing all the participants together to share their work.

Three teachers from each participating school are taught the techniques and skills to develop and manage a musical theatre program (everything from casting, to rehearsal schedules, to staging/choreography and technical requirements, to cultivating parent/community engagement, to achieving economic sustainability) through a series of three, full-day professional development “boot camps” each year of the three-year program, plus an ongoing mentoring/coaching relationship with an experienced theatre teaching artist.

Timeline:

• January 6 through February 15, 2020 (11:59 PM) – Applications accepted
• February – March 2020 – Interviews for schools who have applied and Site Visits for Finalists
• April 2020 – Selected schools notified & orientation for selected schools
• May 2020 – Planning for 2020-2021 school year (submit show selections, boot camp dates determined, contracts signed)
• Fall 2020 – Program begins at selected sites

About JumpStart Theatre:
JumpStart Theatre is a collaboration among the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA), and New York City-based companies, Music Theatre International (MTI) and iTheatrics. The program trains educators to develop sustainable arts programs at underserved middle schools that do not currently offer theatre in the curriculum or after school.

“Studies have shown that theatre education helps our young people become better students and citizens. The experience of being in a musical teaches life skills like accountability, respect, teamwork, discipline, risk-taking, and creativity,” said Julie Theobald Executive Director of EdTA.

Kim Kern, Managing Director and CEO of The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati said, “JumpStart Theatre is a natural extension of The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s goal to fill the gap left by the reduction of arts education in schools, and to provide equitable access to the arts for all children.  This program gives schools the tools they need to build a sustainable musical theatre program, while providing students with exposure to the arts and building life skills such as increased self-esteem and social skills.”

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