The Children's Theatre Company of New York
Rooted in the belief that early experiences with the arts will have a profound effect on children's development, the Children's Theatre Company supports and nurtures children's participation in their cultural, social and spiritual life through the performing and visual arts. Together with a faithful artist community, each CTC artist-teacher fosters in the children the belief that they are voices of positive change and instruments of healing in the world.
Utilizing a model called Assets Based Community Development (ABCD), CTC sees artists and families, not 'agencies' or 'institutions', as the primary builders of community. In building upon the ABCD approach, the CTC draws not only from the experience of parents, but believes especially, in the special power inherent in artists to positively influence children.
Most recently, CTC has made appearances on GOOD MORNING AMERICA with Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson (Iraq War Day1); & CNN, at UN Special Session on Children with Nelson Mandela; with James Earl Jones (Verizon Literacy Awards), and with Harry Belafonte, Cisely Tyson and Muhammad Ali for Unicef. CTC has also made appearances on SESAME STREET, LIVE WITH REGIS & KELLY, with Wynton Marsalis (PBS- Child Advocacy PSA) and with Al Pacino for Children's Aide Society.
For drawing on principles such as unity in diversity, service, and education, CTC was awarded a space-grant from the Bahá'í Unity Center in New York (1999) and in Los Angeles (1989), and in its first year in New York, CTC Founder, Mehr Mansuri, and its co-directors, Roya Movafegh, along with Associate Directors, Karida Griffith & Kamal Sinclair; garnered New Yorkers of the Week on the TIME-WARNER's- NY1 NEWS and later were recipients of the Art / New York- Andrew Carnegie Mellon Relief Grant for their efforts during the 9/11 crisis in lower Manhattan.
Arts by kids for Grown-ups- the Children's Theatre Company is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization which provides a creative haven for children through theatre and arts, while cultivating a culture of service and learning. Service through the arts, is not a thing apart, but is at the very heart of CTC's mission. Service is, in the view of the CTC, the very reason for being.
Inspired by the United Nation's theme-calendar (ie UN Human Rights Day, Earth Day, Race Unity Day etc), CTC is a 'think-tank' where values such as race unity, conflict resolution, and the environment, are explored and indeed, celebrated. Striving therefore, to perceive and interpret the significance of current & past events by finding an appropriate artistic expression of that perspective through a multi-disciplinary program that includes drama, dance, music, art and creative writing.
CTC's ultimate goal is to provide each child an honest, reverent, relevant, and challenging artistic experience, as they face the world, which they will someday inherit.