East Valley Children’s Theatre!

Our statements of mission, vision, values, and strategy describe why we exist, who we are, what we do, and how we do it. These statements provide insight, offer motivation, and point the way forward as we seek to grow and achieve our goals in theatre and in life.

East Valley Children’s Theatre has been an artistic force in the East Valley for 26 years, through many unique theatrical programs for children of all ages.  East Valley Children’s Theatre provides a safe environment for children to gain self-esteem, explore creative outlets and grow and mature into community-minded young adults.

“OUR DAUGHTER HAS DEFINITELY EXPERIENCED A NEW AND DIFFERENT KIND OF CONFIDENCE THAT PLAYING SPORTS COULD NOT HAVE PROVIDED. AS A PARENT I HAVE OBSERVED THIS IN HER, AS WELL AS OTHER CHILDREN, IN THE PRODUCTIONS AND HAVE BEEN VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE LEADERSHIP AND PRODUCTION EFFORT PUT FORWARD BY EVCT.”

Craig B.

“EVCT HAS MADE AN EXTRAORDINARY IMPACT IN THE COMMUNITY. THEY HAVE ENRICHED THE LIVES OF ALL THE FAMILIES THAT HAVE BEEN TOUCHED BY THEM, THEY HAVE PRODUCED CONSISTENTLY HIGH-QUALITY PRODUCTIONS AND HAVE BEEN SUPPORTIVE GREAT FRIENDS TO THE ARTS.”

Randy V.

“ONE OF THE REASONS I KEEP COMING BACK TO EVCT IS BECAUSE OF THE GREAT PEOPLE THERE WHO SHARE THE SAME INTERESTS AS ME AND ACCEPT ME FOR WHO I AM. WHEN I FIRST PERFORMED ON THE MESA ARTS CENTER STAGE, I REALIZED I WANTED TO BE A PERFORMER AND SURROUND MYSELF WITH SUCH POSITIVE PEOPLE AND A GREAT ENVIRONMENT.”

Elizabeth S.

The Benefits of Theatre for Kids

Children’s theater is known to have many benefits—kids learn empathy, critical thinking and how to express themselves. Whether your child is acting, designing a set, or writing a production, he or she will learn how to work with others. Theatre for kids teaches that it’s ok to make mistakes, to try new things and it sparks their imaginations. Kids’ plays help children build lifelong values such as integrity, passion for excellence, respect, and teamwork.

East Valley Children’s Theatre and Culture

With the disappearance of arts in many schools, it’s important to find artistic outlets for kids outside of the classroom. East Valley Children’s Theatre exposes kids to many works of literature and gets them to ask questions and learn more about renowned authors and playwrights. With performances such as “A Little Princess” and “The Heroes of Olim” — a take on “The Heroes of Olympus” — getting your child involved with production or simply taking them to see shows will help them gain an understanding of famous works of literature and understand cultural references as they grow

Theatre in the Digital Era

With society increasingly relying on digital platforms for learning and communication, attention spans are getting shorter. In an era where short-term content is king, it’s important to find long-form live performances to assist with the development of attention spans—and it’s essential for kids’ growth. Watching kids’ plays helps build attention spans and allows students to see gaffes and mistakes in real-time, rather than highly-edited shows and movies on the internet and big screens. It also forces them to use their imaginations rather than relying on CGIs and special effects that are so common in movies.

Involving your kids in children’s theatre pushes their limits. Kids work for weeks or months at a time honing their craft, reading lines, building sets, using their imagination and critical-thinking skills for incorporating props, and getting into character for the final production. Theatre teaches them to keep striving toward the end goal—success doesn’t happen overnight.

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