- New Jersey Youth Theatre
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Contents
Overview
Coordinates: 40°38′34″N 74°20′40.71″W / 40.64278°N 74.3446417°W A 501(c)3 charitable organization based in Westfield, NJ, New Jersey Youth Theatre is one of the most \ which are presented in premiere venues across the state.
Founded in 1991, New Jersey Youth Theatre has produced more than 32 main-stage productions. The summer programs alone have served more than 70,000 patrons from NJ, NY, PA, CT, and over 1,400 talented young performers from the State of New Jersey.
In addition to professional youth theatre, New Jersey Youth Theatre also offers a School for the Performing Arts to young artists who want to learn more. Launched in 1992, the school provides professional classes in acting, dance, musical theatre and voice for students (ages 8 –18). The school currently trains approximately 150 students a week between September and May at their studios in Roselle Park, NJ.
New Jersey Youth Theatre’s programs also extend to underserved youth with limited access to professional performing arts training. New Jersey Youth Theatre's veteran theatre professionals offer several free workshops each year in "audition protocol and technique" at public schools in various communities across the state.
New Jersey Youth Theatre's outreach activities also include a year-long, Dance Residency Program at Hillcrest Academy, two Union County-based alternative high schools for at-risk, inner-city children. Initiated in 2001, these residencies have since become an important part of the core curriculum at these schools.
History
NJYT was founded in 1991 by husband and wife duo Ted Agress and Cynthia Meryl - both veterans of stage and television, as Westfield Young Artists Cooperative Theatre (WYACT). In 2006, the company changed its name to New Jersey Youth Theatre to more accurately reflect the geographical area it serves. The theatre still considers itself a cooperative theatre in that actors are all required to fund raise for the company in order to keep it operating. Mr. Agress currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer, and Ms. Meryl serves as the company's Artistic Director.
The critically acclaimed theatre organization has performed:
NJYT Performances Rent (2010) Sweeney Todd (2009) 1776 (2008) Midnight Madness (2008)[1] Carousel (2007) Ragtime (2006) Guys and Dolls (2005) Anything Goes (2004) West Side Story (2003) South Pacific (2002) Once On This Island (2001) Brigadoon (2000) Oliver! (1999) Carousel (1998) The organization's Board of Directors currently consists of:
Ted Agress
Allison Chin
Al Crawford
Sam Doctor
Richard Eisenberg
Eileen Ingoglia
Tony Ingoglia
Saira Martinez
Russell N. McCaffery
Cynthia Meryl
Barry RoyAwards
NJYT has won several prestigious awards, including the Music Theatre International Award for Excellence for the 2003 production of West Side Story, and the 2004 New Jersey State Council on the Arts Citation of Excellence.
Affiliations
NJYT produces its summer musicals in cooperation with the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ and Algonquin Arts Theatre in Manasquan, NJ. The NJPAC production is part of their Arts Education program.
References
- ^ Stage director turns creative tension into high drama, nj.com, ret: Apr 27,2009
External links
Categories:- Union County, New Jersey
- Youth theatres
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