The Young Festival Stage is a new educational outreach program of the Department of Theatre Arts as well as a family-friendly theatre group. Co-led by faculty members Michael Sullivan and Guilherme Feitosa de Almeida, the Young Festival Stage seeks to nurture creativity, imagination, and engagement through professional live theatre produced specifically for young audiences in the greater Waco region. Our work strives to build greater connections with and deeper understandings of our community’s growing need of engagement with the arts.
Our primary objective is promoting the arts in Central Texas through unforgettable theatre experiences. Live onstage for the past two summers, performances of the original play “Leonardo and the Flying Machine” inaugurated this exciting new program. Beginning in the Fall of 2021, we provided performances for area schools and the public using sophisticated artistry in puppetry, scenery, lighting, costumes, properties, and special effects onstage enhanced by professional performers.
Additionally, the Young Festival Stage provides opportunities for experiential learning for Baylor students to consider how the arts can be a tool to motivate, activate, and transform communities. This summer we are producing our first musical: James and the Giant Peach.