Charity Spotlight: Valley Youth Theatre
By Jamie Killin
The Cause
Research shows that participation in the arts is beneficial to children — it leads to improved academic performance, allows them to be more imaginative and increases cultural awareness, to name a few. But at Valley Youth Theatre, that’s just the beginning. The children who leave their programs leave as better people, not just better performers.
They set themselves apart by making it their mission to inspire children to be the best they can be, on stage and in life.
“We knew that as an organization, to inspire, we had to be inspiring and provide programs that were going to be top notch to give these young people a really professional experience and not necessarily to do theater but to inspire these children with the vehicle of theater so the end result of the process was helping these kids find the magic that’s inside of them,” said Bobb Cooper, producing artistic director of Valley Youth Theater since 1996. “We help them learn and grow and develop skills and learn responsibility, time management, teamwork, presentation skills and self-confidence.”
Valley Youth Theatre has also made it a priority to offer places in their production to children regardless of their socioeconomic status by not asking them to pay to participate, or to buy their costumes.
“Children from all walks of life come,” Cooper said. “They can arrive in a Mercedes or on the light rail and the moment they walk through the door none of that matters anymore, it’s about working together, it’s about inspiring each other and encouraging each other.”
The Story
Valley Youth Theatre began as a traveling troupe — with rehearsals, set design and more — all taking place in different locations and performances hosted at high schools and community centers. Shortly thereafter, the theatre found a permanent home in Tower Plaza Shopping Center, where they hosted shows in the basement.
But in 1998, the theatre was forced to find a new home on First Street in downtown Phoenix.
“There was no HVAC, there was no electricity, no running water, it was built in 1946, it was Phoenix’s first Ford dealership and it had many lives from an antique dealership to a lodge to a bakery and then sat in disrepair for many years,” Cooper said. “So, we started this project and we rallied the community and it was extraordinary.”
They opened the doors to the new space a year later in August of 1999, and it has been the theatre’s home ever since. Now, nearly 20 years later, the theatre continues its mission of inspiring its participants with the best in costumes and sets as well as a determination to put on professional quality productions.
Valley Youth Theatre produces six productions a year, two of which take place on the Herberger Theater’s center stage, and boasts some of Arizona’s most successful entertainers.
“There’s countless stories of success of young people coming through the doors,” Cooper said. “Now they’re teachers, they’re attorneys, they’re journalists, they’re movie stars like Emma Stone, recording artists like Jordin Sparks.”
The Event
On August 19, Valley Youth Theatre will celebrate its 29th season with its annual fundraiser, the VYTal Affair at the Herberger Theater — with this year’s theme being “Soirée in the Swamp”, a nod to the theatre’s production of Shrek the Musical.
Attendees will enjoy the fairy tale theme, snippets of the production, a catered dinner by Bobby Q barbecue and an award ceremony honoring the theatre’s supporters with the VYTality Award. This year’s honorees will include Fennemore Craig, P.C. as well as Karol Cooper, Mak Fearey and Bobb himself for 21 years of service to the theatre.
“The beauty of this event is the cost is so low from the standpoint of we’re not spending a fortune to put on this big party, Cooper said. “We put on a big party but everything is underwritten so all the money given goes to the programs and the theatre which is key and what our philosophy is about. We’re champions for the community’s support so we want to make sure we’re taking care of their funds that they’re giving to us and making sure we’re using them in the best way.”
The funds raised will help continue the theater’s mission to inspire young people, allowing them to put on high quality productions and to provide scholarships for children to take classes, theatre camps and more.
