Child's Play Touring Theatre


Child's Play Touring Theatre is a non-profit arts-education touring theatre company based in Chicago. Founded in 1978 by June and Victor Podagrosi, CPTT was the first theatre company where professional actors take original works written by children and perform them on stage. Since its founding, CPTT has performed in 40 states from Alaska to Florida and Maine to California, reaching an audience of over 4.5 million and performing the works of over 17,000 young writers.

History

Child's Play Touring Theatre was founded in 1978 by Victor and June Podagrosi in Champaign, IL while Victor was teaching theatre at Parkland College. The idea for CPTT emerged after Victor was asked to stage a performance of children's writings at a Young Author's awards ceremony and was inspired by their storytelling abilities. Victor said he enjoyed using the writings of children "because there's so much truth in there. Their imagination is so very pure and simple." CPTT became a non-for-profit organization in 1980 and relocated to Chicago in 1982.
Since its founding, Child's Play has performed at a number of notable venues including the Goodman Theatre, Smithsonian Institution, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Ravinia, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, The Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry and at events such as International Children's Festival at Wolf Trap.

Organization

Child's Play is a nationally recognized 501 non-for-profit organization that is entirely self-funded through donations and sponsorships. Sponsors have included National Endowment for the Arts, Turtle Wax, Dykema Gossett, and DeVry, Inc. CPTT relies primarily upon the support of volunteers.

Mission

Child's Play has a threefold artistic, educational and organizational mission:
Artistic

To share, encourage, and validate the creativity of children by performing original works of theatre, music and dance adapted from literature written by young authors.
Educational

To motivate children to write and think creatively and to enhance writing education in schools by sharing drama-based approaches to writing instruction.
Organizational

To elevate the status of theatre for young people by providing full-time employment to theatre artists.

Educational Programs

CPTT offers a variety of educational programs for students and teachers alike. Some of these programs include summer camps, classes and after school programs for children and teens, teacher workshops and writing workshops for students.

Notable Projects

Over the years, CPTT has produced a number of notable shows and educational programs. Some of these projects include:
In memory of founder Victor Podagrosi, Child's Play has established The Victor Award to "honor individuals and organizations who have demonstrated outstanding commitment, generosity, and/or service to Child's Play Touring Theatre and the arts community." There is both a Local and an International Victor Award.

The Local Victor Award

The Victor Award is "awarded locally each year to individuals and companies who have shown a strong commitment to Child's Play and to working with the arts."

Past Recipients

The International Victor Award is awarded every year at the International Showcase of Performing Arts for Young People to children's theatre companies "who show excellence in their ability to interact with sponsors in a prompt, efficient and compatible manner, and who demonstrate a positive attitude toward their art."

Past Recipients