Fort Wayne Youtheatre Incorporated

A CHILDREN'S THEATRE ESTABLISHED ON THE PHILOSOPHY THAT THE ORGANIZATION WOULD DEVELOP PARTICIPANT'S POISE AND BETTER DICTION (IN CHILDREN) THROUGH DRAMATIC CLASSES; PRODUCE AT LEAST ONE PLAY EACH YEAR; AND AWAKEN ENTHUSIASM FOR BEAUTY IN ART AND INTEGRITY IN DRAMATIC LITERATURE. AT 88 YEARS, THE FORT WAYNE YOUTHEATRE IS THE THIRD OLDEST CHILDREN'S THEATRE IN THE NATION!

WITH THE ONGOING PANDEMIC SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTING NATIONAL THEATRE GOING TRENDS, FORT WAYNE YOUTHEATRE VIEWS THE ENTIRE 21-22 SEASON AS A SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENT GIVEN THAT IT SAW GROWTH IN ITS PRODUCTION ATTENDANCE AND CLASS ENROLLMENTS. IN LIGHT OF THE ONGOING COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND USING THE 18-19 SEASON AS A BENCHMARK OF A "NORMAL YEAR" THE 21-22 FY'S BUDGET PROJECTED THAT PRODUCTION ATTENDANCE/REVENUE WOULD BE 60% OF "NORMAL AND CLASS AND CAMP ATTENDANCE/REVENUE WOULD BE 80% OF "NORMAL". FOR 21-22, YOUTHEATRE'S ACTUALS WERE HIGHER THAN THAT PROJECTED NUMBER AND HIGHER THAN THE 18-19 "NORMAL YEAR" BENCHMARK. YOUTHEATRE'S BOX OFFICE REVENUE WAS 8% HIGHER THAN THE 18-19 BENCHMARK AND ITS CLASS/CAMP REVENUE WAS 31% HIGHER THAN THE 18-19 BENCHMARK. YOUTHEATRE'S OUTREACH BEGAN TO COME BACK TO NORMAL DURING 21-22. WORKSHOPS AT AREA BRIGHTPOINTS, AND TURNSTONE WERE ON A SCHEDULE SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN THE 18-19 SEASON BUT SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN 20-21. ONE SMALL OBSTACLE WAS THE EMERGENCE OF THE OMICRON VARIANT. SOME OUTREACH CLASSES EARLY IN 22 WERE CANCELLED AS A RESULT OF THIS FAST SPREADING VARIANT.YOUTHEATRE HAS EMBARKED ON A THREE-YEAR PLAN TO BRING THEATRE EXPERIENCES AND CLASSES TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF FORT WAYNE. YOUTHEATRE TOURED ITS PRODUCTION OF "CHARLOTTE'S WEB" AT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB. IN THE PAST OUR CLASSES HAVE BEEN MET WITH TEPID RESPONSE BY THE YOUTH OF THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB. SOME OF THAT RESPONSE WAS DUE TO YOUTH BEING PLACED IN THEATRE CLASSES WITHOUT HAVING AN INTEREST TO PARTICIPATE. WE THINK THAT GETTING YOUTH FAMILIAR WITH THEATRE AND PRESENTING ENGAGING WORKS IN A NON-TRADITIONAL WAY WILL GROW INTEREST. TOURING SHOWS TO BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB IS PART OF A PLAN TO GET YOUTH COMFORTABLE WITH AND INTERESTED IN THEATRE EXPERIENCES. THAT INTEREST WOULD THEN BE USED TO LAUNCH CLASSES WITH MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION WITH BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB. "I SAW THAT AND IT WAS COOL. I WANT TO DO THAT." IS THE RESPONSE WE ARE AIMING FOR. PLANS FOR THIS UPCOMING YEAR WILL BE TO TOUR OUR FALL PRODUCTION TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB AND THEN USE THE INTEREST CREATED TO TEACH A WEEK OF FOCUSED WORKSHOPS TO YOUTH WHO CHOSE TO PARTICIPATE. THE FOLLOWING YEAR WILL HAVE YOUTHEATRE TOUR A SHOW, TEACH WORKSHOPS, AND CAST AND REHEARSE A PRODUCTION AT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB TO BE PERFORMED AT FIRST PRESBYTERIAN THEATRE. YOUTHEATRE AND THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB BELIEVES THAT BEING SPECIFIC AND CONSISTENT WITH THE PROGRAMMING AT BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB WILL HELP ITS PARTICIPANTS GAIN GREATER ARTS EQUITY AND INTEREST AND ENABLE BOTH ORGANIZATIONS TO BUILD THE PROGRAM. YOUTHEATRE'S DONATIONS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN PROJECTED FOR 21-22. THE PROJECTED DONATION AMOUNT FOR 21-22 WAS $30,000. BY YEAR'S-END, WE HAD RECEIVED MUCH MORE. SOME OF THAT WAS A LARGE GIFT OF $15,000 AND SOME WAS DUE IN PART TO DONATIONS MADE IN THE MEMORY OF LONG-TIME YOUTHEATRE DIRECTOR HARVEY COCKS WHO PASSED AWAY IN LATE MARCH 2022. HOWEVER, IT IS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OVER PROJECTED DONATIONS ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT NATIONAL NON-PROFIT GIVING TRENDS SHOW INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS BEING DOWN DUE TO INFLATION AND DONORS EXPERIENCING DONOR FATIGUE FROM THE PANDEMIC. YOUTHEATRE STAFF AND BOARD BELIEVE THIS GROWTH IS DUE IN PART TO YOUTHEATRE CONTINUING TO CONSISTENTLY PROGRAM, BOTH IN PERSON AND VIRTUALLY, THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC.