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. IN THE 2022-23 SEASON, NWCT OFFERED CLASSES AND CAMPS TO OVER 3,100 CHILDREN AT MULTIPLE LOCATIONS INCLUDING AT ITS NEW HOME, THE JUDY, IN DOWNTOWN PORTLAND, THE RESER CENTER IN BEAVERTON, AND MULTIPLE LOCATIONS ACROSS SE AND NE PORTLAND. CLASSES RETURNED TO THEIR PRE-PANDEMIC CAPS OF 18 STUDENTS, AS NWCTS IN-PERSON PROGRAMS SLOWLY RETURNED TO NORMAL OPERATION.IN THE SUMMER OF 2023, NWCT SAW CONTINUED GROWTH OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR, BREAKING ENROLLMENT RECORDS AGAIN AND OFFERING CAMPS AT THE JUDY, THE RESER CENTER, AND MULTIPLE SMALLER VENUES ACROSS THE PORTLAND METRO AREA. 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. IN 2023, NWCT SUMMER CAMPS SERVED OVER 2,200 CHILDREN ACROSS THE REGION. ENTERTAIN: FOLLOWING THE GRAND OPENING OF THE JUDY, NWCT RETURNED TO MOUNTING PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTIONS FOR CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND SCHOOLS. THE JUDY OPENED ITS DOORS IN APRIL OF 2023, AND THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED FIVE MONTHS LATER. IN THAT TIME, NWCT PRODUCED TWO MAINSTAGE SHOWS: ELEPHANT & PIGGIES WE ARE IN A PLAY! AND AN NWCT ALUMNI PRODUCTION OF THE STINKY CHEESE MAN. THEY SERVED A COMBINED AUDIENCE OF 8,500 ATTENDEES, WITH THE RUN FOR ELEPHANT & PIGGIE SELLING OUT EVERY AVAILABLE SEAT. ENRICH: DURING THE 2022-23 SEASON, NWCT WAS BACK IN FULL SWING WITH LIVE CLASSES (INCLUDING PARTNERSHIPS WITH PORTLAND AREA SCHOOLS). THESE CLASSES RETURNED ALMOST ENTIRELY TO OUR PRE-PANDEMIC MODEL, WITH A NORMAL CLASS CAP OF 18, LEADING TO ONE OF OUR STRONGEST SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP YEARS ON RECORD. IN TOTAL, NWCT OFFERED 81 SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS, SERVING OVER 1,800 STUDENTS.2022-2023 WAS A SEASON MARKED BY GREAT CHANGE. WITH NWCTS LONG-TERM LEASE AT THE CULTURAL CENTER ENDING ONE MONTH INTO THE SEASON, THE COMPANY FOCUSED ITS EFFORTS ON COMPLETING OUR NEW HOME AT THE JUDY AND CLOSING OUT OUR CAPITAL FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TO COVER THE COST OF THE MOVE AND RENOVATIONS. THE COMPANY ENJOYED ONLY FIVE MONTHS IN THIS NEW SPACE BEFORE THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED, BUT NWCT MADE THE MOST OF IT. THE THEATER SPENT THAT TIME RE-ESTABLISHING POPULAR PROGRAMS, INCREASING IN-PERSON CLASS AND CAMP OFFERINGS, AND BUILDING A STABLE FOUNDATION FOR THE UPCOMING 2023-24 SEASON.