YSKP is a one of a kind experience putting youth on the ground floor of an artistic endeavor with big themes and big ideas. The ineffable effect of creating all original work includes ownership and excitement of doing something-playing a part-that none have done before. It’s a step into the unknown, the future, and it engenders the ability and the confidence to creatively reach a goal as a team and a community. Our plays seek to achieve an aesthetic understanding of the complex times in which we live. Whether focusing on social behavior, historical events, teen culture, the environment, or small town life, YSKP productions metaphorically explore the question: How do we live? – John Fleming, YSKP Founder and Artistic Director

Mission and Beliefs

MISSION

The mission of the YS Kids Playhouse is to cultivate the development of future actors, leaders, patrons and audiences and enhance art awareness in our community through arts education programming and the creation of original multi-media theater for youth.

BELIEFS

To accomplish this mission, we:

• Provide quality theatre training for local youth since no formal academic theatre education is available in our community.
• Fill a niche in the Miami Valley theatre spectrum, focusing exclusively on original works that also produce higher-level thinking and learning skills.
• Require works be threaded with contemporary social, cultural, historical, or geopolitical issues and modern media technologies keeping our experience relevant for youth and our community.
• Use artists from multi-disciplinary fields (visual arts, sculptors, video artists, music performers, and dance) providing a variety of arts role models and enriching the quality of the production experience.
• A fee is charged for participation which serves to offset training and other program expenses. Partial and full scholarships are available, enabling all youth to participate, including those with disabilities.
• Produce sophisticated entertainment for all ages that does not condescend to youth, providing quality arts experiences for our community.

History

Founded in 1995, YSKP began as a summer theater experience for youth. We became incorporated and established nonprofit status in 1999.

Beginning in 1997, we have annually commissioned an original musical from regional and nationally known playwrights including Carlyle Brown, Peggy Pettitt, Tony Dallas, George Sand and Louise Smith.

To accommodate interested kids under the age of ten, as well as to train future YSKP participants, we started a workshop program in 1999.

In response to an overflow of interested youth, in 2002 we both expanded our season to include a second summer show and added a tour outreaching original youth theater to Dayton and other regional audiences.

Over the years YSKP has interfaced youth with artistic mentors especially in the fields of music and visual arts; in 2003 we have expanded our mission to include media artists. In 2004, we began a youth leadership program, DaBigs, enlisting older youth to mentor younger youth. We also rededicated our artistic goals to include creating theater that addresses issues of identity, conflict resolution and reconciliation for youth.