Dear Parents and Educators,

Nashville Children's Theatre is Tennessee's only professional, non-profit theatre dedicated exclusively to kids and families. Teaching artists at NCT are intimately familiar with both the child artist and audience. Veterans of the NCT stage and classroom, our teaching artists and their teaching methods symbiotically evolve as the child audience does. Therefore, they are attuned to both current arts education strategies and the current trends in theatre for young audiences. NCT teaching artists are also certified by the Red Cross in child and infant CPR and First Aid.

The focus of our education programs is just that – education. The emphasis of our programs is on the process of theatre and the innate creativity of the child. We believe that through theatre, children will develop personal skills to help them grow comfortable with their own voices, bodies and ideas while developing social and interpersonal skills that help them to contribute successfully to their own communities. We believe that the arts provide access to stories (and therefore life lessons) to all children regardless of their individual learning abilities or style. For our education programs, the product is secondary. We are concerned with the healthy development of the child through theatre.

Our camps and classes are offered year-round and designed with a progressive curriculum to meet the developmental needs of children of different ages and abilities while providing an instructional ladder that allows children to build on their previous experiences with NCT. We do offer training classes for older students who are interested in pursuing careers in the performing arts.

Nashville Children's Theatre is in its 78th season producing quality theatre for Middle Tennessee audiences. NCT is highly respected in the field of Theatre for Young Audiences and was ranked by TIME magazine as one of the top five children's theatres in the United States. NCT's executive staff holds graduate degrees specifically in child drama and is dedicated solely to this child-centered mission:
NCT is an ensemble of professional artists who bring unique vision and compelling voice to the creation of meaningful theatre for Nashville and Middle Tennessee audiences. We strive to make the imaginative celebration of our hopes, struggles and joys a vital part of the shared experience for young people, families and our community.

If you have any questions about Education Programs at NCT, please email me at any time.

Sincerely,
Julee Brooks
NCT Director of Education