Non-profit theater announces first intensive youth workshops for summer
Acclaimed actor, playwright and director Joe Sturgeon and children’s entertainment veteran Jeremy Blaido, have partnered to open Texas Theatre for Young People (TTYP) in D/FW. The not-for-profit theater offers young people an innovative theatrical experience through intensive work alongside professionals in actual productions and original works for the stage.
“Our vision is to present theater for children as a profound cultural and artistic force in the world,” says TTYP co-founder and general manager Jeremy Blaido. “Children with a genuine interest in the theatrical arts have few places to see professional theater in action and learn with hands-on experience. From acting and directing to technical design – these children will be on the inside learning their craft.”
The inaugural summer season will offer two intensive summer sessions – Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet for young adults ages 14-18 and the world premiere musical based on the play by Maurice Maeterlinck, The Blue Bird, for ages 10-13. Each production will offer a three-day run with tickets available to the public. Romeo + Juliet runs July 15-17 and The Blue Bird will run August 5-7.
TTYP will offer classes and workshops throughout the year, along with original and adapted works for the stage, with the goal to make a difference in the lives of aspiring theater artists and enrich the community through art. Blaido and Sturgeon created TTYP to meet a gaping hole in the North Texas theater scene. The organization is housed in North Richland Hills at the EA Young Academy for the gifted.
Blaido brings a long and successful career with CEC Entertainment, the parent company of Chuck E. Cheese’s, where he oversaw all facets of the company’s entertainment production, marketing and design at various points in his more than 20 years with the company. A performer at heart, Jeremy trained in musical theater at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC, at Tarrant County College in Hurst, Texas and Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas.
Sturgeon, TTYP co-founder and artistic director, has acted and directed in more than 60 productions and written twelve plays, all produced professionally for the stage. In 2010, his modern adaptation of "The Revenger's Tragedy" written for The American College Theatre Festival, was one of four plays selected nationally to be performed at The Kennedy Center. Additionally, Joe has served as a casting associate for major regional, Off-Broadway and Broadway shows.
About Texas Theatre for Young People: Texas Theatre for Young People exists to provide professional theatrical training and opportunities for young people in the D/FW Metroplex. Founded in 2016, by Joe Sturgeon and Jeremy Blaido, it is a private, nonprofit organization based in North Richland Hills, Texas.
