...an innovative year round after school and summer performing arts program. Our mission is to build supportive, creative communities and to put on great shows! It is part of an effort to use theater to create a larger sense of community that transcends buildings and school campuses and instills in young people a sense of place and appreciation of rural hilltown life. Through our work with  Double Edge Theatre, Chrysalis Theatre, Knighthorse Theatre, Homunculas Mask Theatre and other luminaries in the social justice and performing arts fields we try to introduce young artists to opportunities that stretch them beyond the boundaries of Western Massachusetts. Experiences that help them see the world outside our home in Charlemont, Massachusetts while still being rooted here. Images from the students’ training and performances show a vibrant culture invested in environmental stewardship, community collaboration and mentorship of the next generation of artists, global citizens and leaders.

             The program began in 2010 and includes: the HILLTOWN YOUTH THEATRE SUMMER WORKSHOP  providing intensive training, artistic and professional skill building and leadership development for young performers, musicians, artists and set designers and a six month THEATRE ENRICHMENT PROGRAM  for nine towns and five small, community-based elementary schools underserved by the arts. In 2015, in response to a statewide opioid crisis, we launched our newest initiative, the RECOVERY THEATRE, a performing arts experience for young people overcoming trauma, addiction, anxiety, depression and other behavioral health challenges. It is a space where teens struggling with mental health issues are valued as artists not patients. As one ensemble member observed, “The community holds itself together and loves every person it holds.” Part of its strength lays in the fact that it is not a clinic, agency or hospital. Put simply, it is a home for anyone living with circumstances that present barriers to them becoming their fullest selves.