Oregon Children's Theatre

Oregon Children’s Theatre is the flagship performing arts company for young audiences in Oregon and SW Washington. Our mission is to create exceptional theater experiences that transform lives. We believe that theater and storytelling can educate, empower, inspire, and entertain in remarkable ways, and we strive to make these opportunities available to all children, families, and communities.

Since 1988, we continue to create extraordinary theater for young people. We bring stories to life on stage, with productions distinguished by their professional polish and awe-inspiring staging. For many children, attending an OCT production is their first experience with professional performing arts. Our goal is to make those experiences memorable, and to launch a lifelong love of the arts. Additionally, we deliver effective arts education programs in our studios, classrooms, and community.

Each season, we reach over 120,000 children and families through:
• Five mainstage theater productions for families, based on books and stories that children are reading right now.
• Designated performances for school field trips, including free admission scholarships for underfunded classrooms.
• Year-round Acting Academy classes that teach students (ages 3 to 18) the craft of theater while fostering life skills such as confidence, communication, compassion, and collaboration.
• A Young Professionals Company that serves 60 aspiring young artists, ages 14 to 19, who seek advanced training through exposure to college-level workshops, professional development, mentorships, and community resources.
• Support for educators in using theater to support their classroom teaching, including school-based programs that teach public speaking and creative writing.
• Our Educational Theatre Program (a partnership with Kaiser Permanente since 2006) which delivers performances, workshops and residencies in schools and in the community, encouraging healthy choices, resiliency, and mindfulness.