History

Established in 1999, Artbarn Community Theater is a not-for-profit theater arts program committed to providing a warm, and creative environment where children can participate in all aspects of theater production, make friends and learn skills they will use for the rest of their lives. Operating during after-school hours, it has provided a place where children can enjoy the magic of theater arts.

More than 1,250 children ages 4 to 14 have taken Artbarn classes during its first five years of operation. Students include publicly, privately and home-schooled children from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. The Artbarn staff has multiple years of training and experience in child development and the performing arts, experience which ensures that the child’s experience is developmentally appropriate and educationally based. No child has been turned away for lack of funds, and Artbarn has successfully integrated children with disabilities into its productions. Together, the children have produced 42 shows with a total of 75 performances. Approximately 7,500 parents, siblings, relatives, friends and area residents from Brookline, Jamaica Plain, and Greater Boston have attended the productions. Based on these early successes, Artbarn has also expanded its programming to include older teens and adults in their own production troupe. Classes are frequently oversubscribed and most performances are sold out with standing room only, a major indicator of our need for expanded space.

Artbarn has begun to address this need by expanding beyond its walls, launching a community service component to its programming in the 2002-2003 season. Artbarn now takes travelling troupes “on the road” to the Brookline Public Library, the Senior Center, area nursing homes, after-school programs, and most recently to the West End House in Allston/Brighton.

In six years, Artbarn has grown into a well-known, loved and respected community resource with quality professional staff, a loyal following and a dedicated management team. Artbarn provides innovative theater, developmentally sound programs, and fun for children, adolescents, adults, their families, and the broader community.