Disney has awarded us a $150,000 grant to bring the Disney Musicals in Schools program to Charlotte. Disney Musicals in Schools is an initiative developed by Disney Theatrical Group to create enduring theater programs in public elementary schools. The grant funds two years of programming. Children’s Theatre of Charlotte will select up to five area public elementary schools to participate in the 2026-27 year, and another five will be selected for the following year. Read the Press Release.
FAST FACT: Disney Musicals in Schools began at Disney Theatrical Group in New York City in 2009. There are now 22 active partnerships across the US, and 2 in the UK.

On Sun, April 19, before the 6 PM performance of Disney's Frozen the Broadway Musical, Artistic Director Adam Burke had the honor of accepting the 2025 NCTC George A. Parides Professional Theatre Award, recognizing companies, schools, and individuals who demonstrate leadership in their communities and excellence in artistic, professional, and educational work. Thank you to the NCTC Board of Directors for this recognition and for viewing Children’s Theatre of Charlotte as a leader in the arts in our community.
FAST FACT: NCTC Executive Director Angie Hayes said, CTC’s commitment to producing new, original work continues to open new creative doors for artists and to expand the range of stories available on stage for children and families."

Poetry Out Loud offers free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. We are proud to be the North Carolina State Coordinator of Poetry Out Loud for the third year, hosting the Regional and State Finals at ImaginOn on Feb 28. The six finalists were Madison Mintegui (Eugene Ashley High School), Caliyah McCall (Knightdale High School), Giada Martucci (Eugene Ashley High School), Chakrahamsini Karanam (Lake Norman Charter High School), Rachael Husak (Lake Norman Charter High School), Han Nguyen (Union County Early College). Pictured: Winner Caliyah McCall (L) and Runner-up Giada Martucci (R).
FAST FACT: Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.4 million students and 81,000 teachers from 20,000 schools across the U.S. have participated in Poetry Out Loud.

The free, family-event returns to ImaginOn with a lineup of more than 15 puppetry troupes showcasing their work on Sat, Feb 7, from 10 AM - 4:30 PM. Families can enjoy storytelling, exhibits, hands-on activities, and theatrical performances. Performers include Asheville Creative Arts, Jeghetto's Entertainment, Grey Seal Puppets, Jim Henson Center for Puppetry Arts, and The Lurnsters to name a few. Click here to see the full lineup of performers.
FAST FACT: There are free showings of CTC's new preschool play Tiny & Large: BIG Friends at 10 AM and 11:30 AM that day.

It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since ImaginOn opened to the public, creating a unique partnership between Children's Theatre of Charlotte and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library. ImaginOn is now a model for collaboration and partnership, as we continue to inspire and educate young people by "bringing stories to life." Pictured here is the sidewalk art celebrating the event, created by Elizabeth Swanson, CTC's Crafts Specialist.
FAST FACT: ImaginOn was one of the first buildings in Charlotte to receive a LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Long time Technical Director Andrew Gibbon recently retired after a 20-year career at CTC. Andrew was an invaluable part of our Production team, and coordinated set design and construction for upwards of 200 shows for both stages at ImaginOn, and for our Resident Touring Company. Each show offered it's own challenges, but no matter the technical puzzle, Andrew could find a way to make the magic happen. At his send-off party, Director of Production Steven Levine remarked, "In a business like ours in which best idea in the room wins, it's always good to have Andrew Gibbon in the room." Thank you, Andrew, and enjoy your retirement!
FAST FACT: Andrew said Madagascar was the most challenging show to build. Photo: Steven Levine presents retirement gift to Andrew Gibbon

The Children's Theatre Board of Directors is integral in overseeing the strategic direction and overall sustainability of the organization. Members make a 3-year commitment to serve and support CTC's mission and vision as a part of this governing body. The Board is comprised of members from different areas of the community with experience in areas like leadership, finance, law, customer service, and more. New members include: Matt Andress, Shawn Garrett, Jonathan Ocampo, Christina Russ, and Daniel Terry, Ed.D.
FAST FACT: 25 community leaders comprise the Board

The Blumey Awards highlight the importance of musical theater and arts education. The program's mission is to recognize, reward and encourage talent and achievement in musical theater among high school students in the greater Charlotte area. Nominees include: Rowan Barwick, Aidan Conway*, Sophia Davison, Thomas Gordon, Maye Glessner, Lucian Hayes, Eva Hurley, Rocye Lemons, Tilly McDaniel, Quinn McGoff, Analia Moscosco, Evan Muller, Addison, Richards, Trulyn Rhinehardt, Owen Tesch, and Rae Thomas*. *Indicates Top 6 Finalist for Best Supporting Actor and Actress.
FAST FACT: The 2025 Blumey Awards ceremony will be held at the Belk Theater, the home of the PNC Broadway Lights Series, on Sunday, May 18, 2025.

Every April, organizations across the country like Children's Theatre of Charlotte, give thanks those who help make their missions possible. Over 750 Volunteers offer their time and hearts to CTC through a variety of service areas - most notably providing Ushers for our Public and School Show performances. We also receive support from corporate volunteer groups, while high school students can earn service hours by volunteering with us. Visit our Volunteer page to learn more.
FAST FACT: National Volunteer Week was established in 1974 and has grown exponentially each year, with thousands of volunteer projects and special events scheduled throughout the week.

Breach of Peace: Freedom Riders of 1961 chronicles events beginning on May 24, 1961 when 19-year-old Jean Thompson boarded a Trailways bus in Montgomery, Alabama with 11 other young Freedom Riders bound for New Orleans. Within three months, approximately 300 other riders took up the mantle to desegregate buses, following the path of the first brave few. This solo-play is a living monument to those remarkable young men and women of various races, religions, and backgrounds who rose to face the dangers of fighting for just and equal treatment for all. Wiley has presened three other productions as part of our previous seasons: One Noble Journey: A Box Marked Freedom (2021-22 season), Jackie Robinson: A Game Apart (2022-23 season), and Tired Souls: The Montgomery Bus Boycott (2023-24 season).
FAST FACT: Mike Wiley has a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was the 2010 and 2014 Lehman Brady Visiting Joint Chair Professor in Documentary Studies and American Studies at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Author Jeff Kinney, who created the wildly popular Wimpy Kid book series, visited ImaginOn on Feb 15 to attend the 3 PM performance of Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Musical . He greeted families before the show, led a Q&A with the cast after the performance, and stayed to sign books and chat with his numerous young fans. Mr. Kinney and his family could not have been more generous and gracious guests - and they all loved the show!
FAST FACT: As of October 2023, more than 290 million copies of Wimpy Kid books had been sold worldwide.

As a non-profit organization, Children's Theatre of Charlotte depends on financial support from donors like you to help make our experiences on stage and in the classroom available to our entire community. Your kindness fuels our reduced-cost ticket program for eligible families, funds our scholarship program for classes and camps, and supports programs like The Kindness Project. Please consider making a Gift .
FAST FACT: The Theatre's Kindness Project initiative began in 2016.

We were proud and excited to participate in the Junior Theatre Festival this year, one of the largest celebrations of musical theater for young people in the world.

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Fourteen talented students traveled to Sacramento for a theatre-filled weekend filled with musical theater workshops, professional performances, and theater family friendships. They  performed an excerpt from Seussical JR and had a public sendoff performance held at ImaginOn on Thurs, Jan 30.

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This inaugural group of JTF students is: Erin Acker, Lyla Cleaver, Claudia Coyne, David Fulford, Ellington Holmgren, Harper Kuehnle, Olivia Nasmyth, Peyton Nelson, Audrey Pickering, Syl Potter, Myra Schuman, Lillian Haynes Staub, Carter Thomas, Owen Tesch. Joining the students will be CTC Director of Education EG Engle, and JTF Directors Mary Katherine Smith (Camps and Community Programs Manager) and Morgan Southard (Education Programs Manager).
FAST FACT: The national Junior Theatre Festival holds two competitions: the East (held in Atlanta, GA) and the West (held in Sacramento, CA).

When youth cast members from CTC's 2023 stage production heard about the movie version of the story hitting theatres, they decided to reunite and see it together. And what better way to spread more holiday cheer? Invite the youth cast from this year's production to join them. The end result was a 70-seat theatre full of joyful kids and their families ringing in the season together. This shared spirit of community was seen and heard as the entire audience cheered and clapped to familiar lines from the musical the students know by heart.
FAST FACT: The adult cast of this year's The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical has 7 actors and one swing. The youth cast has 21 students and two swings.

Children's Theatre of Charlotte was thrilled to announce the return of Grace for President, adapted from Kelly DiPucchio’s New York Times bestselling children’s book. Originally commissioned and produced by Children's Theatre of Charlotte, the show made its world premiere on their stage in 2016. After a postponed return in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Theatre was excited to reintroduce this empowering and timely musical to audiences ages 6 and up, inspiring a new generation of young leaders.
FAST FACT: The musical features various music genres from barber shop quartet to Hamilton-inspired rapping.

Children's Theatre of Charlotte kicked off its 2024-25 season with the highly anticipated premiere of School of Rock the Musical. This exhilarating production, based on the beloved 2003 film and featuring a score by the legendary Andrew Lloyd Webber, brought the Broadway experience to our stage. With its dynamic energy and captivating storyline, this musical was one of the best reviewed shows of recent seasons.
FAST FACT: The show's set design called for 48 speakers that are rigged to illuminate.

Kim Fiola was a young actress involved with CTC. Her family created an annual merit-based scholarship in her memory for an SOTT student who exemplifies talent, passion and dedication to the art of theatre. This 2024-25  winner is Madison Higley, who was praised by many of the Teaching Artists (TA) who have worked with her over the years. Madison has volunteered as a Summer Camp Junior Intern since 2022, where she's shown great patience and kindness with campers as young as 3, serving as role model for older campers and as a leader among her peers. In nominating her for the award, TA Danielle Burke praised Madison as a "dedicates student who always goes above and beyond in any class assignments." She also praised her "positive attitude" and "being supportive of her classmates." Congrats to Madison and her family!

The North Charleston Arts Fest features five days of events highlighting regional and local artists and performers in the areas of Dance, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts, and Literature. Children's Theatre performed on Fri, May 3 at the Northwoods Park Community Center.
FAST FACT: In 2018, the Arts Fest was selected as a Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Society (an honor also received in 2008

Poetry Out Loud is a national competition providing students with a platform to explore the beauty and power of poetry, while also honing their public speaking and performance skills. Children's Theatre of Charlotte was proud to host the North Carolina Regional and State Finals of the competition this year. Over 125,000 students across the nation participated in the program. Richmond Parris (pictured), a 12th-grade student from UNC School of the Arts in Forsyth County, won the competition, captivating judges and audiences alike with his passionate and eloquent recitations. He will move on to the national finals competition in Washington, DC, and compete for a $20,000 grand prize.
FAST FACT: CTC hosted 27 students from 17 NC counties who made it to the Regional and State Finals.

We’re proud to announce the next two recipients of the Paige Johnston Thomas Directing Assistantship: Holly Nañes (L) and Brandon J Johns (R). The recipients will serve as an assistant director on three unique CTC productions, each differing in size, scope, style, theme, and tone. This internship will provide valuable professional directing experience at a nationally recognized theatre for young audiences.
FAST FACT: While Holly will be working with CTC for the first time, Brandon has been involved with many of our past productions.

The 2018 National Slam champion and 2019 Individual World Poetry Slam champion joined the fun on Sat, Feb 24, 2024 as Master of Ceremonies. Jay currently serves as a Program Director for BreatheInk, where he facilitates writing and performance workshops and coaches youth poets attending Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival each year.
FAST FACT: His debut full length collection of poetry Composition is available now.

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry, helping students master public speaking skills and build self-confidence while learning about literary history and contemporary life. The program is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.
FAST FACT: Since 2005, Poetry Out Loud has grown to reach more than 4.2 million students and 72,000 teachers from 18,000 schools and organizations.

The second annual festival was held Aug 10-13 across five venues in Greenville and celebrated engaging and dynamic new plays and musicals from across the United States. The festival featured a variety presentation, two staged readings of new plays, a staged reading of a show for young audiences, a staged reading of a new musical, and a cabaret featuring a Broadway star. Additionally, CTC Artistic Director Adam Burke was invited to join a panel during the festival, discussing the post-COVID evolution of American Theater."
FAST FACT: The festival is billed as "a destination event for theater lovers and a unique opportunity for Southeastern audiences to meet the artists and shape the future of American theater."

For the past 18 years, EG has served in various leadership roles in theater education, including associate director of education at TADA! Youth Theater (NY), drama director at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School (SC), and education director at Trustus Theater (SC).
FAST FACT: EG and her husband are proud parents to a new baby boy!

The play, being performed by the National Children’s Theatre of South Africa, was recognized for "being a cut above, well received by audiences, and that leave a lasting impression." 
FAST FACT: Balloonacy first premiered at Children's Theatre in 2018.

Lakeetha’s resume includes things like actor, Teaching Artist, and playwright to name a few. This season, she donned the hat of Assistant Director for our productions of Allie Kazan and the Magic Mansion, The Night Diary, and Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Assistantship, geared at providing access and education to those facing barriers, gave Lakeetha professional directing experience with theatre for young audiences.
FAST FACT: As the inaugural recipient of the Directing Assistantship, Lakeetha's name lives on a plaque located next to the Box Office.
About Paige Johnston Thomas

Founded on faith and led by inclusion, the Foundation’s mission is to provide the strongest support, community and hope for those touched by autism. This sponsorship will provide access to families to attend all Sensory-Friendly shows at the Theatre.
FAST FACT: Children’s Theatre has offered sensory-friendly shows since 2016.

April 2023

The true story of the Black girl who grew up to become "Toni Stone", the first woman to play for an all-male professional baseball team, premiered at CTC as part of the 2023-24 season. The creative team held a workshop in July 2022 to kickstart the creative process. The script was then written and design work completed, and the show ran Mar 9-24, 2024.
FAST FACT: The Kindness Project is an initiative Children’s Theatre of Charlotte launched in 2017 to develop and commission original plays for young audiences that are grounded in actively displaying kindness toward others.

Dec 2022

Children’s Theatre of Charlotte (CTC) and Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) are collaborating to develop, present and tour an original play focused on mental and social wellness. The tour launched in Fall 2023 and was performed in approx.100 elementary schools within the system. Click here to see all the programs we offer for CMS.
FAST FACT: The idea is inspired by the true story of students being able to share things they wish their teacher knew.

Nov 2022

Magda Guichard is a gifted puppet designer and builder with Children’s Theatre of Charlotte (CTC). In 2011, she completed her MFA in production and costume design from Savannah College of Art and Design. In 2013, her first season at CTC, she was assigned to create a puppet for The Reluctant Dragon. Later, there was a 20-foot dragon for Shrek the Musical. Read the Puppetry Journal article. Magda has since moved on to a new adventure, working with the prestigous Cirque du Soleil company in Las Vegas. Good luck, Magda!
FAST FACT: Magda is a former member of the Charlotte Roller Derby team.

Oct 2022