EXCELLENCE

LEADERSHIP

ADVOCACY

EVERYONE DESERVES ACCESS TO THEATRE EDUCATION – REGARDLESS OF ZIP CODE

The staff at YIMS Drama firmly believe every student deserves access to quality theatre education. Each year, we participate in Theatre In Our Schools Month, which is a national campaign that encourages school theatre programs to share how important the theatre program in their school is to their students and communities. 

We posted statistics about the value of theatres in schools, fun behind the scenes footage, and made some videos to share just how much we love theatre at YIMS! In March of 2024, Shrek the Musical Jr. cast members performed select numbers for the school board. A student representative also wrote a speech talking about why theatre and the arts should be supported at Yough School District. 

Kyli Stoner, our Director, continuously advocates for support of the theatre program at YIMS. She met Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect, Spring Awakening, Little Shop of Horrors) in New York City and got to speak to him about the work we do and her goals to get the students to New York City one day to see a Broadway show!

Part of our mission is to ensure our students get to see professional musicals. Although we haven’t made it to Broadway yet, our program, for the first time ever, was able to subsidize a trip to Hershey, PA to see the National Tour of Shrek The Musical! Students received heavily discounted tickets, free transportation, and a Q&A with the cast – all because of the generous support of our corporate partners and donors!