Film Group

Since 1961, The Academy Theatre for Youth Artist-In-Schools Tour Team has developed and toured original plays aimed at addressing issues affecting young people. After careful consultation with educators, psychologists, parents and students, the productions are developed and performed by a multi-racial cast of four professional actors.  Show topics vary from an understanding of teenage pregnancy to the effects of bystanders on potentially violent confrontations. The Academy has been touring plays into schools for decades, however with dwindling arts education school resources and pandemic gathering issues, touring into the schools has become much more challenging.  To address this change in the schools, the Academy has decided to start adapting our theatre for youth plays into films and licensing them to school systems across the country. 

It is important to note that the Academy Theatre is as committed to live theatre as we ever have been in our 67 years of existence.  However, in the post COVID world, we are acutely aware that the mores of theatre goers are changing, and that the status quo is no longer working.  With this in mind, we are turning to some film programming and attempting to make our live theater production more of an experience which is what we have been told is what young and older people must have to leave their home and venture out into the world. 

The Academy Theatre has already produced two short films: