First Stage Children's Theater facts for kids

The First Stage Children's Theater is a special American theater company just for kids and teens. It's located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it started way back in 1987. Each year, they put on many different shows. These include six main shows, two shows for very young children, and two shows from their amazing Young Company. First Stage also teaches kids and young people who want to learn about theater.

This theater is one of the biggest children's theaters in the whole country. Lots of people come to watch their shows every year. It's even the second largest theater company in Milwaukee! First Stage usually performs at the Todd Wehr Theater, which is part of the Marcus Center. They also have more space and their main offices at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center.

History

The First Stage Children's Theater began in 1987. It was first called First Stage Milwaukee. In its very first year (1987–1988), the theater put on three plays. These were The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Macbeth, and The Sleeping Beauty.

The theater started with a simple idea. They wanted to put on one play for young children, one for middle schoolers, and one for high schoolers each season. Since then, First Stage has grown a lot. They now include many different ages, both on stage and behind the scenes. Today, First Stage wants to show plays from a young person's point of view. They often have young actors playing the main characters. Their plays usually focus on important ideas like growing up, overcoming challenges, or how important it is to be yourself.

First Stage Theater Academy

The First Stage Theater Academy started in 1992. Its main goal is to teach important life skills by teaching theater skills. It's like the teaching part of the theater company. More than 2,000 students learn there every year.

The Theater Academy offers classes for kids from kindergarten (K4) all the way up to high school seniors. Classes can be short, like one-week half-day sessions. Or they can be longer, like four-week full-day sessions. Students can learn about many things. These include Musical Theater, Shakespeare, Improv, Acting Theory, Voice, Movement, and Speech. The Theater Academy also has a special Company Class. In this class, students work on a specific play and then perform it at the end.

The First Stage Theater Academy is also home to the amazing Young Company. This group was started by John Maclay, who is an actor, teacher, and writer. The Young Company is a group of advanced high school actors. They perform two to three shows each year. They also travel to the Utah Shakespeare Festival to compete in a youth Shakespeare competition. They focus a lot on classic acting styles and plays by Shakespeare. The Young Company meets every week at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. Their classes are very focused and last almost three hours. Experienced teachers like Elyse Edelman, Marcella Kearns, and the current director, Matt Daniels, teach these classes. The Young Company performs their plays in a special "in the round" style. This means the audience sits all around the stage in Goodman Mainstage Hall at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center.