The mission of Philly Children's Theatre is to provide pay-what-you-can theatre for young audiences experiences for every child in Philadelphia in order to increase children's access to live theatre performances.
Philly Children's Theatre increases access in a multitude of ways. The first way is by providing performances on a pay-what-you-can basis for all audience members to reduce cost barriers. The second way is by eliminating travel barriers by touring the shows in different neighborhoods of Philadelphia. The third way we work to increase access to the arts is with a specific focus on accessibility. We create social stories for each location we travel to, provide ASL translator productions, and create devised sensory immersive theatre productions for children with disabilities.
Our first production was produced in the summer of 2022. We reached over 250 audience members over six performances in three different locations across Philadelphia. The show was "Without Wings" by Ilana Zahava Absuch. After each show, we offered a meet-the-cast moment for all audience members and pictures with the cast. The children also were allowed to go up on the set and explore. This show was an hour long and had a huge social-emotional aspect in the script, through the world of fairies.
The next production that we are currently in rehearsals for is a devised sensory immersive performance created specifically for children with disabilities and their families all about the four seasons. We are partnering with organizations all around Philadelphia including The Autism Center, Historic Fairhill, HMS School for Cerebral Palsy, Wyck House, and Abington Arts Center to tour this production around the city. Each family will receive a bag with different textiles that will help to tell the story of the seasons. Additionally, there will be original music, interactive songs, and dances.
All the art textile pieces will be created by the students (grades 4-8) at the Julia de Burgos School through the C.A.R.E Arts Program (Creative Arts and Restorative Education Program). Additionally, we are holding art workshops with the students at The Autism Center to be a part of creating the set and theatre workshops with the HMS School students to test out some of what the actors are creating.
Your donation allows us to offer pay-what-you-can performances all around the city of Philadelphia, pay our actors and creatives, and contribute to accessibility measures like ASL translators.
Learn More: https://www.phillychildrenstheatre.org/