Mission
Pennsylvania Youth Theatre (PYT) is a nonprofit performing arts organization with the mission of educating, entertaining, and enriching the lives of young people and their families through the art of theatre.

Madeleine Ramsey, Artistic Director, founded PYT in 1985 with the commitment to provide opportunities for all children to participate and learn through the art of theatre. Her work is inspired by the belief that children deserve the very best; that process and product are one; and that art and education can skillfully and sensitively conspire to share a common soul.

Education
PYT’s Performing Arts School maintains a comprehensive after-school performing arts curriculum, which includes creative drama, acting, dance and voice instruction. PYT now offers 55 performing arts classes, attended yearly by over 400 students ages 4 through 18. PYT’s summer program is enjoyed by approximately 200 young people each summer, and includes a musical theatre day camp, an acting intensive program for teens, and weeklong instroductory classes.

Mainstage Productions
PYT’s literature-based Mainstage productions are professionally staged shows that educate, inspire, and entertain young audiences and their families. All productions feature children in primary roles and are cast age appropriately, thus kids play kids and grown-ups play grown-ups. This enables PYT students to work alongside professional adult actors.

Click here for a listing of our current and past seasons

Outreach
PYT’s community outreach supports children and their families through numerous initiatives, all of which are made possible through contributions from federal, state, and local agencies, as well as through the generosity of individuals and private foundations:

The Pegasus Project
This inclusion program serves community children and theatergoers who have a wide range of physical challenges:

Children with physical, emotional, and cognitive challenges receive full scholarships and are served either through inclusion in PYT’s integrated program or through residencies conducted by youth theatre specialists in their schools. This initiative is in its 6th year serving 100 to 200 children/yr.

PYT is in the planning stages of providing a comprehensive performing arts program that is ASL interpreted for children who are Deaf or hard of hearing at minimal or no cost.

Performance Access for physically challenged audiences will be provided for each Mainstage play through a pre-performance, hands-on tour of the production for the visually impaired and interpreters will sign at least one performance. Tickets to these special performances will be distributed free of charge to those in need through local organizations for the disabled.

Reaching Out!
This inclusion program provides scholarships to underserved children through the following alternatives for youth:

PYT’s after-school integrated, dance and voice programs and SummerStage summer camp are essential components of Reaching Out!. Approximately 150 Scholarships are awarded on a need and merit basis.

The Fountain Hill/Donegan Project provides inclusion in PYT’s SummerStage summer camp to children from economically challenged families of Bethlehem’s South Side. This initiative is in its 3rd year and serves about 20 children and their families annually.

Raising the Barre is a new initiative that integrates boys and girls into PYT’s after-school dance program based on talent and need. Children from underserved area elementary and middle schools audition for the opportunity to participate in this program. This program is currently serving 15 children.

The Broughal Project provides twice-weekly dance instruction during the school day to Broughal Middle School students at PYT’s studios, with culminating performances for their peers. This initiative is in its 4th year serving 15 – 20 children per year.

Theatre on Wheels:
This program reaches out creatively to children and seniors and represents the cornerstone of Pennsylvania Youth Theatre’s plan to develop new audiences:

Clean Getaway is a popular play about conservation and recycling, comprised of 5 adult professional actors. This educational play was toured to 20,000 Lehigh County and Northampton County elementary school children during January and February, 2004. This was the 4th tour.

Little Red Riding Hood will introduce kids and seniors to the magical world of opera by exploring its three major elements: music, drama and visual arts. Three professional actors and an accompanist will perform this one-act opera by Samuel Barab.

The Cookie Company will present little plays for little folks and milk and cookies, too. With a magical trunk of costumes and props, talented teens will travel and bring wonderful stories to life.

Girl Scout Collaboration
This offers special performances for the Great Valley Girl Scout Council. All performances for the Girl Scouts include backstage tours and post-performance talk-backs with the actors. This collaboration serves about 700 Girl Scouts annually.


Volunteer Support
PYT’s extensive parent and community volunteer corps (often reaching 300 in numbers) helps with all phases of operation, e.g.: communication, hospitality, administration, registration, fund raising, newsletter production and production support at all levels.

PYT’s Outreach Programs are supported by:
PCA, PCA Access, NEA, FleetBoston, Talbot Hall Fund, Will R. Beitel Children’s Foundation, Frank and Seba Payne Foundation, Linny Fowler, Rider-Pool Foundation Air Products, Binney & Smith, Just Born, plus individuals and numerous family foundations who wish to remain anonymous.

Current PYT Constituents Served

Mission

Eduction

Mainstage Productions

Outreach

Outreach Supporters

Volunteer Support

Current PYT Constituents Served