First Stage Children's Theater facts for kids

The First Stage Children's Theater is a special place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where young people can experience the magic of live theater. It's a professional theater company just for kids and families, started way back in 1987. Each year, First Stage puts on many exciting shows. These include big "mainstage" productions, plays for very young children, and performances by their amazing Young Company. Besides putting on shows, First Stage also teaches kids and teens all about theater through its education programs.

First Stage is one of the biggest children's theaters in the United States. Lots of people come to see their shows every year! It's also the second-largest theater company in Milwaukee. The main place where First Stage performs is the Todd Wehr Theater, located at the Marcus Center. They also have more performance spaces and their main offices at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center.

The Story of First Stage

The First Stage Children's Theater began its journey in 1987. It was first known as First Stage Milwaukee. In its very first season, from 1987 to 1988, the theater presented three plays. These were The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Macbeth, and The Sleeping Beauty.

The theater started with a simple idea: to put on one play for young children, one for middle schoolers, and one for high schoolers each season. Over the years, First Stage has grown a lot. It now includes a wide range of ages, both for actors on stage and for everyone working behind the scenes. Today, First Stage aims to show stories from a young person's point of view. They often feature young performers in the main roles. The plays usually focus on important themes like growing up, overcoming challenges, or how important it is to be yourself.

Learn Theater Skills at First Stage Academy

The First Stage Theater Academy opened its doors in 1992. Its main goal is to teach important life skills by teaching stage skills. It's the teaching part of First Stage, and it helps more than 2,000 students every year.

Classes for All Ages

The Theater Academy offers classes for students from kindergarten (K4) all the way up to high school seniors. The classes can be short, like one-week, half-day sessions. Or they can be longer, like four-week, full-day sessions. Students can learn many different things, including:

• Musical Theater
• Shakespeare
• Improv
• Acting Theory
• Voice
• Movement
• Speech

The Theater Academy also has a special Company Class. In this class, students focus on a specific play. They then perform this play at the end of the class.

Meet the Young Company

The First Stage Theater Academy is also home to the amazing Young Company. This award-winning group was started by actor, acting teacher, and playwright John Maclay. The Young Company is an advanced acting group made up of talented 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.

The Young Company focuses deeply on classical acting techniques and the works of Shakespeare. They meet every week at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center for an intensive class. These classes are taught by lead teachers Elyse Edelman, Marcella Kearns, and the current company director, Matt Daniels. The Young Company's performances are often presented "in the round" in the Goodman Mainstage Hall at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center.