Philosophy
YSP fully incorporates each participant in every phase of production: rehearsing, directing, memorizing, providing technical support such as make-up and stage management. YSP does not involve auditions or rejections. Performances are always admission-free, offering an affordable cultural and creative experience to participants and audience members. YSP furthers the emotional development of young people and provides them a community in which service and volunteerism is essential to the organization’s viability. The program is designed to show its young participants (and their families and the community) that the works of William Shakespeare, G.B. Shaw, and Charles Dickens are not dull or above them, but delightful, accessible, and fun.
How Can Children Understand Shakespeare? Video by Brad Parkel.
Values
- YSP fosters a culture of inclusiveness and collaboration— not competition
- YSP’s high standards of authenticity, understanding, and performance create optimal expectations and challenges that help the actors grow
- YSP functions as a multi-layered community for the actors and their families
- YSP always strives to bring out the beauty of “the best this species has to offer”