CAT Youth Theatre has been selected from 100 companies worldwide to be a part of the pioneering international project "CONTACTING THE WORLD"!

Organized by one of England's leading theatre companies, The Contact Theatre, this revolutionary international exchange project is a 10-month commitment among 150 young people from 12 youth theatre companies from the UK, Germany, Turkey, Poland, Brazil, Nepal, India, Palestine, Zambia, and CAT, the first company ever selected to participate from the USA. The project culminates in the summer of 2008, when a cohort of CAT members will travel to the UK to meet all the other companies, and participate in a festival of workshops and new performances.

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE THE TRIP TO ENGLAND A REALITY!

A generous anonymous donor has made a challenge:
For every donation made to support CAT's participation in Contacting the World, the donor will match DOLLAR-FOR-DOLLAR!

Click on the DONATE NOW button or call 212.652.2828 to make a donation.

STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS OF OUR NEW PIECE -
WE WILL BE PERFORMING IT IN JULY BEFORE WE GO TO ENGLAND!

"It has changed the lives of our participants which, in turn, changed our lives and our communities." -Live Theatre, Newcastle

Visit www.contactingtheworld.org to be a part of
CONTACTING THE WORLD!

Contacting the World has been developed by Contact Theatre (UK) in partnership with Liverpool Culture Company as part of the 2008 European Capital of Culture programme, Arts Council of England and the British Council.
Performances will be taking place around the world in June 2008 and premier together
in Liverpool from July 27th - August 2nd, 2008.

Youth Theatre Program:
Theatre Created By Young People

New Video! Click here to see interviews and clips from our Youth Theatre.

Contacting the World press release.

The Creative Arts Team Youth Theatre is divided into three companies: the Youth Theatre (for young people in high school), the JUNIOR Youth Theatre (for young people in junior high school), and the Ensemble (a training and performing company of former Youth Theatre members aged 18-25).

Each company consists of members from the five boroughs of New York City, who meet weekly, after school, from September through May to explore their ideas and creativity and to build their skills through theatre games and exercises, improvisations and scene work, rehearsal, critical reflection and group discussion.

Students participate free-of-charge and there is no audition for admission; students are admitted on a first-come first-served basis, with a membership of around 35 members and a waiting list. New members are admitted each semester. Under the dynamic facilitation and direction of CAT's staff of theatre professionals, the Youth Theatre companies create and perform a number of shows each year.

Youth Theatre members are also given opportunities to contribute to the graduate classes offered by CAT's Kaplan Center. Graduate students and others studying in the field of educational theatre are given the chance to gain "hands on" experience working with our young people. The young people receive stipends in recognition of their valuable contributions.

Since its founding in 1995, the CAT Youth Theatre has presented many original shows, all devised or written by the company. It has held a 12-hour, non-stop, sponsored improvisation marathon, and appeared at a wide variety of events including conferences and festivals. It has performed, by invitation, in Chicago and London and for the United Nations.

These many and varied experiences broaden students' horizons, help them to develop a wide range of personal and interpersonal skills, and offer them powerful experience of building, and being part of, a special community.

In June 2000 Helen White was awarded the Youth Theatre Director of the Year Award by the American Alliance for Theatre & Education (AATE).

"The Youth Theatre has become not only an extra-curricular activity for me, but also a family "

"It was some of the best theatre I have seen in a long time"