One of our greatest joys is watching young people discover God-given gifts and talents they didn’t know they had. This year at Youth For Christ Performing Arts Academy, we’ve seen that happen again and again.
We recently caught up with Program Director Kathy McGill to reflect on a season filled with creativity, growth, and some truly memorable performances. From the Christmas production to the Black History Month celebration, students have spent the year singing, dancing, acting, creating, and finding their place on the stage.
“It was fabulous,” Kathy said. “I had such a great time. I met a lot of children, teenagers, young adults, parents. We had a good staff of volunteers that helped. So this year was amazing.”
But perhaps the most exciting development this year is something entirely new.
This summer, students are stepping into leadership roles through the Academy’s first-ever Playwright Festival. Rather than simply performing in a show, students are writing their own original plays, directing them, casting actors, planning costumes, and learning the many responsibilities that go into bringing a production to life.
“We’ve got to have the next generation do what I do,” Kathy said. “Somebody has to do it.”
The idea grew out of her desire to help young people channel their creativity into something meaningful.
“A lot of these kids have creativity, and they don’t know what to do with it,” she said. “So now I want to teach you what to do with all that creativity you’ve got flowing.”
The students have embraced the challenge.
Nyesha, one of the young playwrights, has written a drama called Unlawful Law, a story that explores questions of justice, authority, and standing up for what is right. Inspired by issues she has seen discussed in the news, she hopes the play encourages audiences to think carefully about fairness and responsibility.
“I want them to have a better understanding of how important it is to know your rights and stick up for what’s right,” she said. “I want to also highlight that all police are not bad.”
For Nyesha, the project has been about more than writing a script. It has also been an opportunity to discover her voice as a storyteller and director.
Another student playwright, Esther, drew from her own experiences to create No Longer Invisible, a story about a young person overcoming bullying through the support of family, friends, and faith.
Her play follows a child who discovers that they are not alone and learns to find courage in the face of hurt. Along the way, the audience also discovers that the bully is carrying wounds of his own.
“I want them to feel positive,” Esther said. “Understanding that no matter what you’re going through, you’re never alone, you’re never invisible, that God is always right there with you.”
Kathy has encouraged each student to connect their original story to a biblical character or theme. As a result, the students are learning that the struggles they face today often echo stories found throughout Scripture.
“You would not believe how many life stories you can relate to in the Bible,” Kathy said.
The festival will culminate in October with a public Playwright Fest where audience members and judges will help identify the biblical connections within each story and celebrate the students’ creative work.
At its heart, the Performing Arts Academy has never simply been about putting on shows.
It is about helping young people discover that their voices matter. It is about giving shy students the confidence to stand on a stage, creative students the opportunity to tell their stories, and emerging leaders the chance to develop their gifts.
Whether a student loves acting, singing, dancing, writing, set design, costumes, painting, music, or storytelling, the Academy provides a place where those talents can grow in a Christ-centered environment.
“I believe in loving what you’re doing and having passion about what you’re doing,” Kathy said. “When you do it from the heart, it becomes something great.”
And now a new generation is stepping forward.
As students prepare for October’s Playwright Festival and begin work on this year’s Christmas production, Kathy is looking beyond the next performance to the future.
“I want them to love writing and directing so that when they grow up, they can take my job,” she said with a laugh.
But for that vision to continue, the ministry needs partners.
The Performing Arts Academy is always looking for volunteers who can encourage students, help with productions, assist backstage, build sets, paint scenery, create costumes, mentor young performers, or simply lend a willing pair of hands. No theater experience is required. As Kathy puts it, “Bring your hands. We can train you.”
The Academy also welcomes financial support for costumes, props, sets, and production needs that help bring these student-created stories to life.
Most importantly, the ministry needs people who believe in the next generation.
Because somewhere among the students stepping nervously onto a stage for the first time may be a future teacher, artist, leader, pastor, lawyer, director, or mentor whose life is changed by the confidence, discipline, and creativity they first discovered on the YFC stage.
If you’d like to volunteer, support the program, or learn more about upcoming productions, we’d love to hear from you.
The next generation is taking the stage. Let’s help them shine.
