TYA/USA Festival & Conference

L to R: MTC Artistic Administration Coordinator Julia Hogan Laurenson, Managing Director Joe Gfaller, Artistic Director Julia Flood, Former Artistic Director Carol North. May 2023.

From MTC Artistic Administration Coordinator Julia Hogan Laurenson:

“Several Metro Theater Company staff members recently went to Tempe, AZ for the National TYA/USA Festival & Conference, the first in-person conference since 2019! Over three days of discussions, workshops, and performances, we reconnected with colleagues and met many new ones. Some of my favorite moments included seeing Honolulu Theater for Youth's production of The Pa’akai We Bring, learning from colleagues at the Alliance Theater and High Museum of Art about their innovative programming for toddlers and their grown-ups, and helping to bottle sounds as part of experiencing an immersive play, The Society of Historic Sonic Happenings, from Childsplay's Write Now program. The cherry on top was cheering Julia on for her acceptance of the Harold Oaks Award for Sustained Excellence in TYA! She gave a beautiful acceptance speech, and it was so special to see her celebrated along with other remarkable people and organizations in the field. The conference proved to be such a generative way to celebrate the fabulous work being done in the field of TYA and learn about ways Metro Theater Company can continue to imagine and program impactful theatre and education for St. Louis.”