Press Room

PRESS RELEASE

Children’s Theatre Company Announces Appointment of Raiyon Hunter as Casting Director

May 11, 2023

Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is pleased to announce that Raiyon Hunter, currently the Associate Casting Director for Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, has been appointed CTC’s Casting Director.

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Children’s Theatre Company Announces Janely Rodriguez to join CTC Acting Company

Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is pleased to announce that Janely Rodriguez will join CTC’s Acting Company, beginning with the 2023-2024 Season.

May 9, 2023

Janely Rodriguez (she/they/he) has enjoyed roles in Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!; Annie; Cinderella; Spamtown; and Diary of a Wimpy Kid the Musical at Children’s Theatre Company.

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Peter Brosius to depart Children’s Theatre Company at the end of the 23-24 season

After 27 years of transformational theatre, Brosius is the longest serving Artistic Director in CTC’s 58- year history

March 10, 2023

MINNEAPOLIS—March 10, 2023 Today, Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) announced that Peter Brosius, Artistic Director has decided to depart CTC on June 30, 2024, at the end of the 2023-24 Season. His artistic vision has transformed the theatre into the nation’s leading theatre that serves a multigenerational audience.

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Summer 2023 Education and Engagement Programs

January 17, 2023

Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) has announced 2023’s summer education and engagement programs, now available for enrollment at childrenstheatre.org/camps. 

“We are so excited for summer camp,” said Ann Joseph-Douglas, Director of Education at CTC. “It truly is a remarkable time of year.  It is such a joy to see the creativity and vibrancy of the students and parents. We are proud to have the chance to work with such talented kids of all abilities and interests.  Each week is like a new adventure with incredible story telling.  The building is brimming with activity that sparks the imagination and centers youth and their stories.” 

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Generation Now Partnership Announces First Round of Commissions

January 10, 2023

As part of their landmark partnership, the five Generation Now theatres (Latino Theater Company, Ma-Yi Theater Company, Native Voices at the Autry, Penumbra, and Children’s Theatre Company) have awarded their first round of commissions to four incredible projects. Funded by the Mellon Foundation, Generation Now brings together five nationally ranked theaters to commission and develop new works for multigenerational audiences by both established and emerging BIPOC artists. The commissions include Ifa Bayeza’s One Small Alice, Michi Barall’s Drawing Lessons, Dustin Tahmahkera’s Comanche Girl on the Moon, and a work exploring the world of folklórico dance created by Latino Theater Company. All commissions will receive at least two developmental workshops at the co-commissioning theatres.

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Children’s Theatre Company’s Academic Year Classes Now On Sale

August 15, 2022

Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is excited to announce a new slate of Theatre Arts Training academic classes are now on sale. The school year will include a mix of studio classes for all ages, abilities, and interests, a new Theatre Arts Training Academy for advanced students, Institute for preprofessional students, Release Day Camps, and a Student Seminar Series. Parents can sign their children up for fall, winter, and spring offerings now.

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Children’s Theatre Company Welcomes New Board Leadership and Members

July 21, 2022

Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) announced today that Silvia M. Perez has been elected by the Board of Directors to serve as the theatre’s Chair of the Board of Directors. Also elected was Stefanie Adams as Co-Vice Chair (Principal, Director of Client Services and Marketing, Peregrine), Steven J. Thompson as Co-Vice Chair (Community Leader, Northstar Healthcare Advisors), Adebisi Wilson as Co-Vice Chair (Partner, Ward & Wilson, P.C.), George Montague as Treasurer (Chief Financial Officer, Nuwellis, Inc.), and John W. Geelan as Secretary (General Counsel and Secretary, Piper Sandler Companies).

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Michael Winn Appointed Associate Artistic Director/Director of Equity and Community Partnerships

July 13, 2022

Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is proud to announce that Michael Winn will serve as the Associate Artistic Director/Director of Equity and Community Partnerships in a new role that brings new play development, equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice, and the community together.

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Former CTC Acting Company Member, Traci Shannon Announced as New Casting Director

April 5, 2022

Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is proud to announce Traci Shannon, former CTC Acting Company Member and Performing Apprentice as the new Casting Director.

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Children’s Theatre Company Prepares for a Safe Return to In-Person Performances with Introduction of Vaccination and Testing Policy

September 29, 2021

Audiences ages 12-and-a-half and older must show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative COVID-19 test for general public performances, in addition to mask requirements during the run of Annie. All CTC staff and artists older than 2-and-a-half are also vaccinated.

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Five-Theatre Partnership Receives $1.5 Million Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Grant to Create “Generation Now”

June 28, 2021

Partners will Commission and Develop 16 New Plays for Multigenerational Audiences by Writers who are Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian American Pacific Islander.

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Ann Joseph-Douglas Named Director of Education at Children’s Theatre Company

March 30, 2021

Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) announced today that Ann Joseph-Douglas has been named Director of Education and a member of the senior staff for the organization.

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Children’s Theatre Company Announces 48 Virtual Academy Classes for Winter

November 23, 2020

Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is proud to announce that Virtual Academy classes for the winter season are now on sale. Classes are either nine weeks or four weeks long, running January 26 through March 27, 2021. Classes range for ages 4 – 18 AND a new adult class!

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Children’s Theatre Company’s Thrilling, Performance-Packed 2020 Curtain Call Ball Now Presented Virtually

August 25, 2020

Children’s Theatre Company is proud to announce the 2020 Curtain Call Ball will be held virtually on Saturday, September 12, 2020 and will be free to the public. This can’t-miss, streaming event will be packed with music performances by some of the Twin Cities most beloved theatre artists.

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Children’s Theatre Company Announces 45 Virtual Academy Classes for Fall Season

August 11, 2020

Children’s Theatre Company is proud to announce our Virtual Academy classes for the fall season is now on sale. Classes will run for nine weeks from September 21 through November 16 and four-week mini sessions will be available for some early childhood offerings running October 6 through 30, 2020.

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Children’s Theatre Company Creates Online Programming

March 24, 2020

In Wake of Canceled Performances and Educational Classes, CTC Makes Staffing Reductions

PRESS RELEASE AND INFORMATION

PRESS RELEASE

Children’s Theatre Company to Hold Performing Apprenticeship Auditions for 2020 – 2021 Season

January 24, 2020

Opportunity for non-equity actors from underrepresented communities

PRESS RELEASE AND INFORMATION

Press Release

CTC Settles All 16 Lawsuits

November 1st, 2019

PRESS RELEASE AND STATEMENT

Joint Statement Regarding Final Settlements Reached In All 16 Children’s Theatre Company Cases

November 2019

Read the joint statement of Anderson and Associates and CTC.

STATEMENT

CTC Announces Resolution of All Lawsuits

November 2019

Children’s Theatre Company announces the settlement of all 16 lawsuits brought against the theatre by individuals who were sexually abused by former employees in the 1970s and early 1980s.

A Message to the Community 9/3/19

Children’s Theatre Company is grateful to announce the recent settlement of a suit brought against CTC by an individual who was sexually abused by a former employee in the 1980s. The legal process for other plaintiffs is ongoing, and we will continue to work towards resolutions that help all survivors.

This settlement now means that the trial scheduled to begin on October 21, 2019 will not take place, and no other trials are scheduled.

We are thankful that we have been able to provide resources and settlements to 7 of the survivors—female and male—and are working tirelessly towards settlements for all the survivors.

CTC announced in August a series of actions that include establishing a Survivor’s Fund at the conclusion of the legal process, publishing and sharing our current, stringent Adult Youth Engagement Policy with new language that acknowledges the abuse in the 1970s and early 80s, hosting a community forum on September 16th, and launching a speakers series dedicated to bringing expert voices on Survivor support, child abuse prevention, and art and healing to our community later this season.

We continue to seek and greatly value the community’s ideas, thoughts, comments, and questions. Please share them with us at ctchelpsurvivors@childrenstheatre.org.

Sincerely,

Todd Noteboom
Chair, Board of Directors

Peter Brosius
Artistic Director

Kimberly Motes
Managing Director

An Update on Litigation 9/3/19

We are grateful to announce the recent settlement of a suit brought against Children’s Theatre Company by an individual who was sexually abused by a former employee in the 1980s. The legal process for other plaintiffs is ongoing, and we will continue to work towards resolutions that help all survivors.

A Message to the Community 8/14/19

Dear Community Members,

We are gratified to announce the recent settlements of suits brought against Children’s Theatre Company by six individuals who were sexually abused by the former artistic director and two former employees, in the 1970s. The legal process for other plaintiffs is ongoing and we will continue to work toward resolutions that provide healing and justice.

In the meantime, earlier this month we at Children’s Theatre Company issued a statement—published concurrently with other Twin Cities performing arts leaders—affirming our commitment to join with the artistic community to combat and redress sexual assault and child abuse at CTC and in all the artistic institutions of our greater community.

A theatre’s purpose is to serve its community. Not only does the CTC of today and tomorrow have no place for abuse of any kind, we pledge to uphold the values of our community to the highest standard.

Like so many of you, we choose to work at and serve CTC because of our love of theatre and to help foster that same connection in the children of our community—to spark joy through art and performance. Any kind of abuse of children is abhorrent and goes against our core values.

To all of our artists, teaching artists, and staff at CTC: We reaffirm to you our commitment to address these historic wrongs, and are working on a significant list of action items both for now and the future. While some of our planned actions cannot be taken until legal proceedings conclude, others can and will begin immediately.

Here are just a few of our upcoming actions and events:

• Training and education To begin, we are enhancing our Adult Youth Engagement Policy training to include acknowledgement of the sexual abuse in the 1970s and 1980s by employees, as well as the changes CTC has made, as context for all our current employees and volunteers. We will also reinforce how to intervene and report any known or suspected abuse as well as provide a significant list of supplementary resources. All current and new CTC staff and volunteers will be given an annual training that puts our child safety practices in historical context. Child actors and parents of child actors will also be made aware of this history when reviewing CTC policies, and will be given additional resources explaining how they can also report known or suspected abuse. The full Adult Youth Engagement Policy will be made available on our website. We plan to continue to strengthen it in every way possible, and share it as broadly as possible, because we believe every theatre should have access to these or similar policies.
• A community council assembled by theatre artist Shá Cage, and artist and community organizer Ricardo Levins Morales, has begun a discussion of ways CTC and the community can move forward to healing and justice. CTC leadership is part of this council and we welcome the opportunity to work together with the community, which will share the outcomes and action steps that arise from these conversations.
• An open forum, which invites the community to a conversation with CTC leadership, including members of its Board, will be held on September 16 from 5-7 p.m. at CTC. We hope that concerned members of our community will join us at this forum, where, in dialogue, we can discuss additional ways that CTC can help community healing and begin the critical work of rebuilding. Please RSVP by emailing ctcforum@childrenstheatre.org.
• A three-part speakers series will be presented this season featuring national voices focused on the prevention of child abuse, survivor support, and ways the arts can help in healing trauma. Our goal is to offer information, resources and ideas to advance the work happening in our community. Dates and details will be forthcoming.

To those survivors who have shared their stories with us: We are so profoundly sorry. Your courage in sharing your abuse has challenged us to think more creatively about the strategies by which we can support and honor you.

You have inspired other survivors of sexual abuse to share their experiences with all of us. Your voices have brought this issue to the fore, and our community has been enlightened and forever changed as a result.

You have also inspired us. CTC is committed to establishing a Survivor Fund once the legal cases are all settled. This fund will represent one aspect of a new legacy for CTC—one that supports and honors survivors as well as the broader community for many years to come. Our vision for this fund is communal, survivor-centered, and restorative. We want to be thoughtful and inclusive, so we invite survivors and all members of the community to contribute your ideas to survivorfund@childrenstheatre.org.

We are also committed to working with community leaders and practitioners who already engage in this work. Three weeks ago, CTC presented a check for $17,077 to EmpowerSurvivors, an organization that provides direct healing support and education for survivors of childhood sexual abuse and trauma. The donation is equivalent to a sold-out performance on June 16th of Matilda. We will continue exploring partnerships with organizations whose missions support survivors of sexual abuse as well as the prevention of child abuse. Our Director of Community Partnerships and Inclusion will be developing these over the fall.

We understand that it is not enough to unequivocally condemn child abuse today. We have to commit to healing and long-term growth, and we recognize we cannot do it alone.

We value the survivors whose stories help shape our actions.

We value the artists, theatre artists, and staff who will help guide us.

We value the organizations and institutions who are already committed to healing and justice, whose partnership will teach us.

We value our community who supports and encourages us.

We, at all levels of the organization, honor and are humbled by the strength, courage, and perseverance of those who have survived this or any kind of abuse.

We value your ideas, thoughts, comments, and questions. Please share them with us at ctchelpsurvivors@childrenstheatre.org.

Thank you,

Todd Noteboom
Chair, Board of Directors

Peter C. Brosius
Artistic Director

Kimberly Motes
Managing Director

An Update on Litigation 8/14/19

We are gratified to announce the recent settlements of suits brought against Children’s Theatre Company by six individuals who were sexually abused by the former artistic director and two former employees, in the 1970s.