MISSION:

The Spartanburg Youth Theatre is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that enriches the lives of upstate youth and families through high-quality “by youth, for youth” theatrical productions, innovative educational programming, and community outreach to engage and inspire the child in all of us.

The Spartanburg Youth Theatre is a “for youth, by youth” theatre. All of the productions are targeted towards youth and their families, and the cast is made up entirely of youth in the 3rd-12th grade. The crew backstage running lights, sound, mics, and more, is made up of youth in the 7th-12th grade. Through the magic of theatre, our participants not only learn valuable tools to become better performers and artists, but also the immeasurable power of teamwork and self-expression!

HISTORY:

Founded in 1972, Mary Nicholson’s vision for the Spartanburg Youth Theatre was to create a theatre experience unlike any other children’s theatre in the Upstate area. She believed that children should not just experience theatre from the audience, but from a theatre artist’s perspective. Not only would the children perform in the shows, but all of the crew behind the scenes would be children too. A professional staff of adults would guide them along in the process, but the ultimate product would be accomplished by the kids. The Spartanburg Youth Theatre became one of the first of its kind to produce “for youth, by youth” entertainment.

Since its conception, The Spartanburg Youth Theatre has touched the lives of thousands of students from across the Upstate in its effort to teach young people about theatre. Alums of the Spartanburg Youth Theatre have gone on to pursue many different careers, but if you ask any them they’ll likely tell you that the skills they learned at the Spartanburg Youth Theatre helped them in whatever field they pursued.