Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Young People’s Theatre (YPT) has just concluded its 2014/15 season – a year filled with remarkable artistic and financial success stories.
After playing to an astounding 91% of capacity for its school audiences, YPT projects a surplus of over $300,000 for the 2014/15 fiscal year.
In this banner season for YPT, the company also expanded its educational programming to establish The Ada Slaight Education Centre at YPT. With a major gift from the Slaight Family Foundation, the Education Centre will allow the company to augment its established successful programs, and launch new initiatives, both for its Drama School and within the community.
YPT is well known for producing top-quality professional theatre for young audiences, receiving nine Dora Award nominations this year. But the company did so much more in 2014/15, including:
•providing theatrical training for children at women’s shelters.
•teaching a weekly theatre class at a Parents Resource agency, thus assisting newcomers with language acquisition.
•offering guidance to apprentices and interns at the theatre – graduate students as well as teens.
•creating a variety of intensive volunteer opportunities for young people, seniors and newcomers.
•providing professional development for teachers on how to use arts in the curriculum.
•operating a full-to-capacity, year-round Drama School for 4 to 18 year-olds at the theatre, and at two satellite locations in North York and Etobicoke. (In 2015/16 YPT will be expanding to a third satellite location in East Toronto.)
In addition to its many accomplishments this past year, YPT is proud to have provided approximately 100 bursaries for its Drama School students, plus over 18,000 free and subsidized tickets to children who do not have the economicmeans to attend professional theatre.
Over thepast five decades, YPT has contributed to the emotional, social and intellectual development of over five million young people – sparking their imagination and perhaps a life-long passion for theatre.
As Young People’s Theatre embarks on its 50th Anniversary with a wonder-filled playbill that begins in October, advance sales are already 40% higher than sales at this time last year. Tickets are available online at youngpeoplestheatre.ca or by calling 416.862.2222.
2015-07-09
Toronto: Young People's Theatre anticipates a large surplus for its 49th season