MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to Recognize, Uplift and Empower youth.
We promise to recognize each of their unique talents and abilities, uplift them so they can feel a sense of community and self, and empower them with confidence, courage, and self-esteem so they go into the world and be who they want to be.
Our mission is to Recognize, Uplift and Empower youth.
We promise to recognize each of their unique talents and abilities, uplift them so they can feel a sense of community and self, and empower them with confidence, courage, and self-esteem so they go into the world and be who they want to be.
A note from our founder:
I have always loved theatre. As a child, I was always rounding up the neighborhood kids to "put on a play". I loved pretending to be someone else and live in their shoes for a little while. My love of theatre continued throughout high school and into college and while I knew I wanted to do something in theatre, I didn't know what. Then, in typical life fashion, my life moved on. I got married, had a career and 4 children. I still loved going to the theatre, but I had forgotten the deep desire I had to be a part of it.
One day when my daughter was in 5th grade, she came home and told me she was going to audition for the school musical, (I had no idea our school even had a school musical!) and all parents of children in the musical were required to volunteer. She auditioned and I volunteered. In those volunteer hours, my love for theatre was re-born, but in a much different way than I ever anticipated.
While volunteering I literally saw the lives of students change through theatre. I saw them gain confidence and self-esteem. I saw them make life-long friends. I saw the sense of accomplishment and achievement at the final performance. In essence, I saw lives change when they were able to shine onstage. I wanted all children to experience the growth and confidence of being in the spotlight so, in the spring of 2013 Spotlight Children's Theater was born.
The goal of Spotlight is not to train future Broadway stars (although, with the talented kids we have I will be completely surprised if we don't have a few!). Our goal is to give all students the opportunity to experience performing in a musical production, to build a place where everyone feels accepted and appreciated for who they are, and to establish an environment where our youth feel safe and are encouraged to use and develop their creativity. Where they can discover, through the messy creative process, who they are and what they can become.
I like to compare Spotlight to a lemonade stand. You might see kids caked in sugar, cups blowing in the wind, lemonade spilled all over the floor, and the result might be a little sour, or a little too sweet, but through the messy process, the kids will develop their creativity and walk away with a sense of accomplishment and a smile on their faces.
One day when my daughter was in 5th grade, she came home and told me she was going to audition for the school musical, (I had no idea our school even had a school musical!) and all parents of children in the musical were required to volunteer. She auditioned and I volunteered. In those volunteer hours, my love for theatre was re-born, but in a much different way than I ever anticipated.
While volunteering I literally saw the lives of students change through theatre. I saw them gain confidence and self-esteem. I saw them make life-long friends. I saw the sense of accomplishment and achievement at the final performance. In essence, I saw lives change when they were able to shine onstage. I wanted all children to experience the growth and confidence of being in the spotlight so, in the spring of 2013 Spotlight Children's Theater was born.
The goal of Spotlight is not to train future Broadway stars (although, with the talented kids we have I will be completely surprised if we don't have a few!). Our goal is to give all students the opportunity to experience performing in a musical production, to build a place where everyone feels accepted and appreciated for who they are, and to establish an environment where our youth feel safe and are encouraged to use and develop their creativity. Where they can discover, through the messy creative process, who they are and what they can become.
I like to compare Spotlight to a lemonade stand. You might see kids caked in sugar, cups blowing in the wind, lemonade spilled all over the floor, and the result might be a little sour, or a little too sweet, but through the messy process, the kids will develop their creativity and walk away with a sense of accomplishment and a smile on their faces.
