“I love that they were not only wonderful performers, but could tell they were having FUN too!”
- Maria Rosen, Shoreview Senior Living Resident
“The smile and enjoyment of the young entertainers warmed my heart.”
- Joan Johnson, Shoreview Senior Living Resident
“It was nice to hear about how they involve kids throughout the community. It is a great program that will help children build self-esteem and open them up to more opportunities. I am so grateful they came to visit us here in Shoreview, look forward to seeing them again soon.”
- Joyce Hardin, Shoreview Senior Living Resident
- Maria Rosen, Shoreview Senior Living Resident
“The smile and enjoyment of the young entertainers warmed my heart.”
- Joan Johnson, Shoreview Senior Living Resident
“It was nice to hear about how they involve kids throughout the community. It is a great program that will help children build self-esteem and open them up to more opportunities. I am so grateful they came to visit us here in Shoreview, look forward to seeing them again soon.”
- Joyce Hardin, Shoreview Senior Living Resident
"I was looking for an opportunity to give back to the community after many years in a corporate career. As I am a father of two grown children and have a background in education and theater, I was looking for a non-profit organization that served the educational and performing needs of kids. When I found Children's Performing Arts and met some of the board members and staff, I knew this was the organization I had been looking for all along.
I was shy, serious, and withdrawn as a kid. When I first discovered theater in middle school, I knew this was an artistic form of self-expression that could help me discover my possibilities. When I first began performing in larger roles in high school, I was terrified. I persevered, because I knew there was an important strength hidden in the shadows of my fear.
By the time I was preparing for college, I knew theater would be my major. After I earned my Masters degree in Acting and Directing at the University of Denver, I taught English, Speech and Theater at the high school level. I then began to work professionally, joined Actors' Equity Association as an actor and stage manager. I worked for many theaters across the Midwest and toured nationally with a prominent theater for young people. We performed at Kennedy Center and The White House.
Eventually, I became Artistic Director of a small nonprofit professional theater performing 40 weeks of the year in Iowa. We ran theater's in two locations with four stages with an artistic staff of over 40 people in the peak of our season. We also toured performances for children based upon writing by children in elementary schools all over Iowa for about 3-4 months per year. The schedule was exhausting but very rewarding, particularly when kids were involved. I played Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol for four seasons and enjoyed working with the Cratchit children most of all.
I met my wife working in the theater in Iowa. When we had kids, we relocated to the Twin Cities to be near family and to raise our kids in a great community. I moved into the corporate world and found plenty of creative outlets without performing, so I "retired" from the theater to provide for my family.
Nevertheless, here I am once again, supporting a great theater organization, dedicated to education, supporting and working with kids to develop their confidence, self-esteem, and skills for self-expression. I can't imagine a better way to give back to the community after my particular journey in and around performing arts education."
- Blaine Stephens, Board Member
I was shy, serious, and withdrawn as a kid. When I first discovered theater in middle school, I knew this was an artistic form of self-expression that could help me discover my possibilities. When I first began performing in larger roles in high school, I was terrified. I persevered, because I knew there was an important strength hidden in the shadows of my fear.
By the time I was preparing for college, I knew theater would be my major. After I earned my Masters degree in Acting and Directing at the University of Denver, I taught English, Speech and Theater at the high school level. I then began to work professionally, joined Actors' Equity Association as an actor and stage manager. I worked for many theaters across the Midwest and toured nationally with a prominent theater for young people. We performed at Kennedy Center and The White House.
Eventually, I became Artistic Director of a small nonprofit professional theater performing 40 weeks of the year in Iowa. We ran theater's in two locations with four stages with an artistic staff of over 40 people in the peak of our season. We also toured performances for children based upon writing by children in elementary schools all over Iowa for about 3-4 months per year. The schedule was exhausting but very rewarding, particularly when kids were involved. I played Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol for four seasons and enjoyed working with the Cratchit children most of all.
I met my wife working in the theater in Iowa. When we had kids, we relocated to the Twin Cities to be near family and to raise our kids in a great community. I moved into the corporate world and found plenty of creative outlets without performing, so I "retired" from the theater to provide for my family.
Nevertheless, here I am once again, supporting a great theater organization, dedicated to education, supporting and working with kids to develop their confidence, self-esteem, and skills for self-expression. I can't imagine a better way to give back to the community after my particular journey in and around performing arts education."
- Blaine Stephens, Board Member
