Group Bios

Act Up! Studios, newly founded in 2023, strives to create a safe, inclusive environment for students of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels. We teach more than just a talent, focusing our education on life skills, confidence, and creating a bond between the community we foster. Act Up! Studios believes that with passion, friendship, and a little bit of love, everyone can be a star! 

At Art Alive Children's Theater, the primary objective is to instill a deep love and appreciation for the arts among children in kindergarten and beyond. By encouraging kids to actively participate in various performing arts activities such as singing, dancing, drama and storytelling they aim to inspire creativity and self expression  helping them become confident individuals who are not afraid of exploring new ideas.

Artstarts Company is Southern Illinois' longest running youth theater and arts non-profit charitable organization. We are devoted to making the arts accessible to all southern Illinois children. We do not allow cultural or economic barriers to prevent children from participating. We serve grades K-12. This is the first year we have participated in NYTE and our 1st time competing since Covid. Our team is never hand picked. Anyone may join, regardless of their skill level. It’s all about the experience and learning from others. Best wishes to all the teams!

Alabama Repertory Theatre (Bama Rep) is a Christ centered theater arts training program for students ages 4-18 currently based in Attalla, AL. We are a non-profit 501c3 organization that offers yearly classes, full-scale productions, summer camps, after school programs and special events for students and families. We strive to provide high quality family entertainment to audiences of all ages. Under the direction of Santana Carlton, our leadership team is fully invested in the youth of our community and we work towards excellence in the theatrical industry. At Bama Rep, we use our gifts and talents to glorify our Heavenly Father.

Buford Middle School is located in Charlottesville VA and this is only its third year with a theatre program. We are a 7th and 8th grade only school and have about 600 students. Under the proud direction of Paula Chanda, we are thrilled to attend NYTE for our first year as a full group. Our school produces a one act play which we take to the Virginia Theatre Association and two musicals each year. All of our productions are rehearsed after school. We are currently working on Frozen Jr. to be performed late May and are excited to share Addams Family with you here at NYTE.

The Children’s Theatre of Charleston serves and enriches our community, inspiring young people to create fulfilling and productive lives through the art of theater.  Our Teen Group Beyond the Stage (BTS) is an integral part of  our organization used to educate, challenge and inspire teens as they serve as an integral part of CTOC not only on the stage, but behind the stage too. Our BTS members grow in theater knowledge, leadership, communication, and public speaking.  BTS gives our teens an opportunity to accumulate community service hours, experience working in all areas of theatre,  and references for future job, college, or schools of arts applications.

Final Bow Company is celebrating its 10th season of bring musical theatre to Darke County, Ohio. Final Bow offerers performance opportunities for students age 3-18 with representation from 5 different Ohio counties. This is Final Bow’s first trip to NYTE and we are grateful for the opportunity to to grow and learn alongside so many other young performers from across the country. We hope you enjoy our performance of Mary Poppins Jr! It’s a Jolly Holiday With Final Bow!

Indaba's mission is to inspire, empower, and uplift through theater as therapy. Originating from the Zulu language, 'Indaba' signifies purposeful gatherings. Established in 2005 in Brockton, Massachusetts, we obtained nonprofit status in 2011. In November 2015, we launched Indaba Florida in Tallahassee. Our programs provide educational opportunities for ages 6-21 in theatrics, dance, and music, fostering cultural enrichment. We prioritize accessibility by offering affordable experiences and collaborating with local artists and organizations. Through our dedication, we aim to broaden the scope of theater and enrich communities with live entertainment and cultural experiences. 

InnOVATION Arts Academy is a non-profit children's performing arts training program that serves students ages 3-18 in the Lexington, KY area.  InnOVATION provides year-round training in singing, dancing, acting, and technical theatre and produces up to 5 musicals each season.  The program is founded on the values of kindness, inclusion, and respect for each student’s uniqueness. We foster a nurturing learning environment and community where every student is valued and given a safe place to spread their wings and to grow as young artists.  InnOVATION Arts Academy hosts two conservatory programs, as well as beginner and intermediate training programs.  Our NYTE cast has representative members from all of these levels of training!

The Lighthouse Theatre Company is a nationally recognized youth theatre that focuses time and energy on producing the best quality theatre art possible! The Lighthouse Theatre Company was developed to share the arts with the children of our communities. This educational theatre program has held workshops, classes, and performances for hundreds of families.  The mission of the Lighthouse Theatre Company is to give what we've got.  Sharing talents and encouraging the children of our communities to be stewards of the arts in their futures.

Performing Arts Louisville (PAL)  is so excited to be back for NYTE's second year! We love our city and are thrilled Louisville is the  host  for this incredible weekend!  Performing Arts Louisville is the preferred training school for the production company Act Louisville Productions (ACT Louisville). PAL takes training seriously whether you are doing it  FOR REAL OR FOR FUN! Act Louisville produces a fall show and last year we invited the cast to return to participate in NYTE.  This year after our successful two week run of the full version of HONK the MUSICAL we opened up the opportunity for other performers to participate with our existing cast members. Creating new friendships, art, and memories is why we are so excited to return to NYTE!  PAL has been training students in the performing arts since 2018! Welcome everyone! 

Spark Theater is a nonprofit theater located in Dothan, Alabama. Begun in 2014 Spark was created to provide a theater opportunity for youth and continued to grow to become a place for students to take theater to a college-prep level. Whether they are winning awards in festivals or in the middle of endless rehearsals, the culture of diversity, support, and acceptance has been paramount to the goals Spark sets for its casts and crew. Spark is looking forward to their 10th anniversary coming this summer and a year long celebration of all of the students that have flown the nest and the ones still to come. As the original logo of Spark created in 2014 says, we are here to learn, create, and perform together.

Caryl Crane Youth Theatre (Sandusky, OH): 11 Tony Award nominations, 6 Best Acting Awards, 3 Rave reviews in The New York Times. CCYT students are fans of all these people. They have been called “a gem” (by their parents), “very talented” (by the ladies of the Theatre Guild), and “a musical theater revelation” (in this bio). When not coming in third place at festivals around the country, the Caryl Crane Youth Theatre students can be found training in their new home at the Sandusky State Theatre. The tuition-free programing at CCYT enables them to hone their skills, engage with their peers in the  community and become the most interesting people in the room (their director listens to way-too-many self-help audiobooks). If you ‘like what you see’ this weekend, they'll be in the lobby after the show collecting money for their student loans. www.sanduskystate.com 

Studio 42 & Co. is a community theatre company based in Manila, Arkansas, created with the dream of bringing theatrical arts to Northeast Arkansas.  Our goal is to provide a safe outlet for creative expression by organizing a supportive and inclusive environment through community theatre. We hope to continue to nurture the talent of NEA, as well as provide opportunities for the entire family to perform! Studio 42 & Co. was founded in 2023 by executive director Kennedy Baker. A lifelong resident of Manila, she hopes to continue to provide year long theatre education with the help of the Studio 42 & Co. board in and around our communities where it was previously lacking.  Studio 42 & Co. would like to thank our cast, crew, sponsors, and volunteers who have helped us to make this dream a reality.  Studio 42 & Co. board, Kennedy Baker(Executive Director), Katie Woodall(President), Sarah Poe(Vice President), Jaimilee Counts(Treasurer), Ethan Poe(Historian), Will King(Business Development), Stephanie Carter(Secretary).

Drama Camp Productions & Sunny Side Theater was founded in 2002 by Chris Paragone as a two week drama camp producing a full-length show complete with costumes, set, props, and a cast of 20 kids.  Over the next 5 summers, camp would grow become a full summer program.  By 2008, Sunny Side Theater grew this “summer hobby” into a year-round passion opening a facility with the goal of allowing all children access to the stage and behind the scenes.  The confidence and long-lasting skills that performing arts offer children is something Sunny Side feels strongly about and no one is turned away because of talent - but rather everyone is worked with on their own level.  In 2012, Sunny Side joined forces Daniel Driskell and Full Scale School of Music and together they formed the Azalea City Center for the Arts - a full-service, one-stop shop for all arts programs.  The programming at Sunny Side expanded to offer an Exceptional Arts Drama Class for those with special needs, a Travel Competition Team, a traveling homeschool show, and a school outreach program, where directors travel to all parts of the Gulf Coast to produce musicals in schools. Most recently Sunny Side’s Competition Team placed second at the Alabama Youth Theater Experience with their production of Peter Pan taking home the festival’s coveted Spirit of the Festival award as well. Today, Sunny Side Theater and its programs reach over 6,000 students each year.  The staff at Sunny Side has grown to include co-directors Lauren Westbrook and Dylan Farnell, and together the three of them produce over twenty shows a year.

Since 2012, The Biz Academy of Musical Theatre in Avon, Indiana has been empowering and developing young artists, instilling in them a love for all things performing arts.  Our organization produces 5-6 full shows along with 3 camps, 2 class sessions, and various workshops throughout the year.  We regularly take a group of our older performers to Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta and return home with awards for Excellence in Acting and Music.  Our group of 26 younger performers and 5 older tech crew are thrilled to have the opportunity to participate for the first time in NYTE this year!  They will present a shortened version of Winnie the Pooh KIDS, a full production we brought to the stage last fall with almost twice the number of students.  It has been a fun challenge to create this show for NYTE, and we hope you have a honey of a time watching it!