Representation.

The U.P. Summer Theater Institute is a female founded and led organization. We model our values of having a diverse representation of voices on our Artistic, Design, and Production teams.

When young theatermakers are inspired and mentored by a broad range of artists with diverse life experiences and perspectives, they can begin to cultivate a more expansive sense possibility for themselves. We want the next generation of artists to take up space, and to know that they are allowed to include all parts of their identity in their artistry and creativity.

The more diverse the perspectives and life experiences are in the rehearsal room, the more rich, authentic, and truthful the storytelling will be onstage.  

Impact.

We encourage our young theatermakers to become the conscientious, thoughtful artists and audience members of tomorrow, by challenging them to look at the impact of their work today. 

Whose story are we telling? Who are we telling our story to, and who is telling the story? Why today, and why now? What narratives does our culture tell us are valued? What does our community need?

We look to nurture our theatermakers from a holistic perspective. They receive the highest caliber of training that will prepare them to compete in professional theater, but we also ask them to consider how their work impacts and serves the community.

Community.

Theater allows communities to come together in a safe space and experience both our shared humanity, and our profound differences.

We are in service of our community, always striving to bring them access to storytelling that cultivates joy, connection, catharsis, empathy, and reflection. And yeah…we do this through musicals! We believe that most humans are universal in their capacity to experience emotions and empathy, but we respect and honor that we are not all universal in our life experiences, circumstances, and beliefs.

For many of our young theatermakers, their experience at The U.P. Summer Theater Institute will serve as a pivotal, defining time of personal growth and artistic development. We know from experience that working in theater shapes young people to be empathetic, creative, and collaborative human beings. Theatermakers are adaptable, quick on their feet, creative problem solvers, and effective communicators-all skills that help them thrive in other aspects of their lives. Even if a young person does not ultimately choose a career in the theater industry as an adult, their training as a young theater artist will influence and inspire how they show up in the world, in relationships, and in their communities for the rest of their lives.