Executive Director March 2023 Letter
“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.” – Maya Angelou. I love this quote because it reminds me of the children I see shine on our stage and how theatre can enhance this light as they walk out our doors into the world. Especially the girls who will grow into strong women and we will celebrate them this month during National Women’s History Month, designated by Congress in 1987. Before this month was dedicated to women’s history, very few K-12 schools taught the important roles women played in our national history.
There have been many powerful and persuasive women in theatre and CTA is no exemption. In 1959, three talented and dedicated women, Jane Young Davis, Lydia Nolan and Martha Wright started CTA with the production of “Hansel and Gretel.” In 2018, CTA was proud to be the first children’s theatre in the region to win the prestigious Ruby Griffith Award for All-Around Production Excellence for its production of “Beauty and the Beast.” The following year, CTA was named Best Theatre Company in Annapolis in The Capital’s 2019 Readers Choice Awards, and in 2020, the theatre was awarded Best Nonprofit in Annapolis from What’s Up? Media.
We have grown so much since then and we plan to grow some more with our plans for our annex. CTA’s goal is to make the annex into an environmentally controlled 3 room building so our students will learn dancing, acting and music in a safe and warm building.
The largest new space will be a black box theatre that will seat 100+. This smaller theater space will allow more intimate shows to be performed and offered to CTA’s community. With this fully functioning theater space, CTA plans to open it up for other community groups to use, as CTA’s blackbox will be the only state-of-the-art one available for general rental in all of the Annapolis area. We also plan to increase our teen shows and workshops that work better in a smaller space.
Without historical strong foundations, CTA would not be as solid as it is today. Happy Women’s History Month!
Best,
April Forrer, Executive Director
