CYT VanPort’s Hannah Wilson made her television debut this summer, appearing in TNT’s Leverage. She is featured singing in a school musical, in Season 2, Episode 4- The Fairy Godparent’s Job.

If you live in the Portland area, you may recognize Hannah from her previous role in the cast of Portland Center Stage’s “A Christmas Story”, alongside other CYT VanPort student’s Calvin Whitney, Aimee Martin, and Henry Martin.

Read our Q&A with the Martin family and “A Christmas Story” in one of our previous CYT blogs, here.

CYT was mentioned today in an article that ran in the Marion County Record, a local paper in Kansas City area. Larry Timm wrote about his experience with CYT Wichita- he stated becoming acquainted with the program is “a privilege”. He first became familiar with Christian Youth Theater by watching their production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”.

Here is an excerpt:

I am amazed at how committed everyone is to one another, to the many hours of practice, and to the exhausting week of performances. The hard work is inspiring, the quality is incredible, and the experience is unforgettable. But there is one moment that stands above all the others. I have seen it happen three times and each time it sends chills racing up my spine, moving me to tears of joy….

It’s a simple yet profound gesture that puts everything the group stands for into perspective. It’s when all the performers come on stage for a final bow. Right before the curtain closes, all of them — from the youngest to the oldest — raise their hands and point up to heaven. It’s all for Jesus.

Can you say that about your life?

Read Larry Timm’s complete article, Hope in the Heartland, here.

Recently two CYT’s were voted BEST OF by their communities.

CYT Chicago won for “Best of” for Best Live Theater by the Northwest Newsgroup and CYT San Diego won “Best of” for Live Theater Group by the Union-Tribune. Congratulations to those who won!!

**If you want to keep CYT’s winning streak alive, make sure to cast a vote for CYT Denver- they are up to win Best Theater Group for the third year in a row by Channel 7.

You can vote only once, here.

Not long ago CYT VanPort created a commercial to promote the new Landmark Ford Fiesta, which will air 200+ times in the surrounding Portland area. The contest is being promoted as “The World’s Most Fun Fundraiser”. CYT VanPort is urging CYT National to cast their votes!

CYT VanPort’s Managing Director Bethany Larson said, “The kids all did a great job so keep the voting momentum going up until the deadline of Sept 30th to make sure CYT takes home 1st prize!”

Here are details, in accordance with the Ford website:

1. Voting is open from August 30th through September 30th.
2. Anyone (of any age) can vote once per day.
3. Earn 10 bonus votes by heading out to Landmark Ford & test-driving a Fiesta. Click here for details.
3. Remember to cast your vote!!

What will CYT VanPort gain from your vote you ask? Here is the breakdown:

• 1st place – A $1500 contribution to the group receiving the most votes
• 2nd place – A $1000 contribution to the group receiving the second most votes
• 3rd place – A $500 contribution to to the group receiving the third most votes
• All 21 other participating groups will each receive a $100 contribution

Spread the word by sharing this blog on Facebook and Twitter!

This just in:

CYT San Diego alum Melissa Disney -yes, she is a distant relative of Walt Disney- will be the official “voice” of the 2010 Emmy Awards taking place this Sunday August 29th, at 5pm PT and 8PM ET on NBC! Past voiceover work includes the Stunt Awards, the Key ARTS Awards, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and The Jimmy Kimmel Show.

“She is already pre-recording a lot of intro’s, [and] will get to do lots of live announcements…It’s a really big honor. She and I were seat fillers for the Emmy’s a few years ago and I can honestly say, I’ve never seen so many BIG NAME stars all in one place at one time. There are not only the nominees but the presenters and special guests who are from TV, film and stage,” said Louise Gallagher, Melissa’s mother who presented at the CCT/CYT 30th year Birthday Celebration, and who acted as the Liz Taylor impersonator in CCT’s Senior Follies.

Support CYT SD Alum Melissa Disney by watching the Primetime Emmy Awards this Sunday!! Don’t forget to DVR and TiVo.

Click here to read more about the 2010 Primetime Emmy Awards, and Melissa Disney.

CYT Chicago Cast, West Side Story

Students from CYT Chicago and CYT San Diego earned a total of eight 2010 National Youth Theater Awards!!

According to their website, “The National Youth Theater Awards [honors] outstanding work in youth theatre. This year more than 200 productions were considered for the awards, including shows from more than 100 different theatres in more than 50 cities spanning 15 states. Thank you all for your incredible work and all the unforgettable entertainment over the past year! ”

The winners were formally presented with their awards this past June and August at the David and Dorothea Garfield Theatre in San Diego, and the Riverdale Rising Stars in Chicago. Listed below are the CYT winners- Congratulations everyone!!

CYT Chicago

• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical: Pete Almeida as Tony in West Side Story
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical: Kara Leman as Maria in West Side Story
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical: Rachel Whiteside as Anita in West Side Story
• Outstanding Ensemble: West Side Story

CYT San Diego

• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical: Patrick Gates as Oliver Warbucks in Annie, Jr.
• Outstanding Lead Actress (13 and under): Courtney Wolfe as Annie in Annie, Jr.
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical: Laura Hopkins as Miss Hannigan in Annie, Jr.
• Outstanding Ensemble: Annie, Jr.


CYT San Diego Cast, Annie, Jr.

Click here to see the complete list of winners from the 2010 National Youth Theatre Awards.

In case you needed to know more benefits of the arts- here are “Ten Things the Arts Teach Children,” from the book by Elliott Eisner, Beyond Creating: The Place for Art in America’s Schools. Enjoy!

1. The arts teach children to make good judgments about qualitative
relationships. Unlike much of the curriculum in which correct answers
and rules prevail, in the arts, it is judgment rather than rules that
prevail.

2. The arts teach children that problems can have more than one solution
and that questions can have more than one answer.

3. The arts celebrate multiple perspectives. One of their large lessons
is that there are many ways to see and interpret the world.

4. The arts teach children that in complex forms of problem solving
purposes are seldom fixed, but change with circumstance and opportunity.
Learning in the arts requires the ability and a willingness to surrender
to the unanticipated possibilities of the work as it unfolds.

5. The arts make vivid the fact that neither words in their literal form
nor number exhaust what we can know. The limits of our language do not
define the limits of our cognition.

6. The arts teach students that small differences can have large
effects. The arts traffic in subtleties.

7. The arts teach students to think through and within a material. All
art forms employ some means through which images become real.

8. The arts help children learn to say what cannot be said. When
children are invited to disclose what a work of art helps them feel,
they must reach into their poetic capacities to find the words that will
do the job.

9. The arts enable us to have experience we can have from no other
source and through such experience to discover the range and variety of
what we are capable of feeling.

10. The arts¹ position in the school curriculum symbolizes to the young
what adults believe is important.

This summer, the Chicago Tribune recently took notice of the “Glee” phenomenon that was spreading to summer camps- and mentioned CYT Chicago as apart of the growing trend! According the article,

“Inspired by the overwhelming popularity of the musical comedy-drama on the Fox network, dozens of theater groups and arts organizations in Chicago and across the country have created ‘Glee’ summer camps for kids using music and choreography from the hit show.”

Read excerpts from the article below, and check out what Lindsey Branson, CYT Chicago’s Marketing Director, had to say about the controversy surrounding Glee.

“In the Chicago area…at least 10 other ‘Glee’ camps [were] scheduled for July and August, with some already sold out. Christian Youth Theater sold out its ‘Glee’ camps in Cary and Wheaton after enrolling 150 young people ages 11 to 17. The group has additional camps running in Arlington Heights, Gurnee and Rockford.

When the artistic directors of Christian Youth Theater [Chicago] began brainstorming with kids for summer camp ideas, ‘Glee’ won by a landslide. But, Lindsey Branson, the group’s marketing director, said some of material in the show was viewed as inappropriate.

‘The music is great and fun, but some of the characters and plot are not exactly what we want to emulate,’ Branson said. ‘So because of that, we’ve chosen not to use the story, just the music.’”

Read the Chicago Tribune article in its entirety here.

This past weekend, CYT Spokane made an appearance at the Garland Avenue Fair Street Fair in Spokane. According to the article that ran a couple days ago in the Spokesman-Review,

“‘The “Wizard of Oz’-themed fair [ran] all day Saturday. Street fair visitors may [have] run into the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and Dorothy, as well as many other celebrated characters from the beloved books and movies….The youth theater produced ‘The Wizard of Oz’ this winter, and part of that cast is returning to perform on the Monroe Stage throughout the day, be in the parade and help guide visitors around the fair.”

One of the street fair’s organizers, Tracy Mielke, said, “Christian Youth Theater approached us, and we thought it was a great idea….It’s the first time we are doing this, but they really add something to the fair.”

The fair featured, “a Toto look-alike contest and a Judy Garland impersonation contest, where contestants dress up like the legendary actress and sing ‘Over the Rainbow.’”

Read the entire article at The Spokesman-Review, here.

CYT Chicago welcomes Deb Hochstatter as their Interim Artistic Director, while Justin Parks counsels CYT VanPort. Here is a letter from Deb, that was published in their July issue of The Point:

Just when we think we have it all figured out, God steps in and lays a new path or direction in front of us. This is the case with the journey that’s just begun regarding my position in CYT during the next ten months.

It’s with a great sense of excitement that I venture into the upcoming season as CYT’s Interim Artistic Director. My family has been involved in this organization since 1998. I have been blessed with experience in leadership and artistic involvement in many different CYT arenas. My early involvement included set painting, AC for summer camp, teacher, and choreographer for several McHenry productions. As years progressed, I became a member of the CYT Board of Directors, a part-time marketing staff member, CYT Camp Counselor and ventured into directing. In recent years, I continue to direct and usually teach as well. Currently I am the Marketing Director and General Manager for a company my husband and I started fifteen years ago. I’ll be taking a step away for a time in order to serve CYT in this Interim period.

With the help of all of you I anticipate the challenges and rewards that are CYT. It’s an organization that my children grew up in, and one that has allowed me to explore my God given talents and spiritual gifts for many years. I love CYT, and appreciate all the blessings I witness year after year in the lives of families and communities of the 9 counties we serve.
As Justin and I have already worked together, I welcome his trust and continued leadership and offer him and his family support as they venture west. I ask for prayer in this transitional time and continued support for the program from you, our loyal CYT families!

In His service,

Debbie Hochstatter