PLATINUM2024

GROWING STAGE THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES INC

Play, Learn, Grow!

aka The Growing Stage - The Children's Theatre of New Jersey   |   Netcong, NJ   |  www.growingstage.com

Mission

The mission of The Growing Stage is to nurture the development of the performing arts through education, and to create, produce and perform works that engage the entire family.

Ruling year info

1986

Principal Officer

Mr. Stephen L. Fredericks Sr.

Main address

7 Ledgewood Avenue PO Box 36

Netcong, NJ 07857 USA

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Formerly known as

The Growing Stage Theatre for Young Audiences, Inc.

EIN

22-2599258

NTEE code info

Theater (A65)

Performing Arts Schools (A6E)

Performing Arts Centers (A61)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

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Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Growing Stage programming overview

The Growing Stage strives to fulfill its mission through three specific programs. Our Main Stage produces four full productions each season targeted for family audiences. TGS not only produces quality presentations for our audiences, but it also provides enhanced educational opportunity for the community artist, both young and old, to work alongside the company's professional artists. The Arts and Education program focuses on school-aged audiences through professionally-cast productions presented at our theatre and toured out to schools.  The arts education programs of TGS are tailored for students pre-school through high school/college and range from Creative Dramatics and Performance Workshops, to Studio Series and Summer Musical master class experiences.  All of our arts education programs are supervised and taught by professional teaching artists. The company has a scholarship fund to provide reduced or fee tuitions for families in need.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

Main Stage Productions: Our Main Stage Season is the hallmark of our operation. We offer a carefully crafted slate of time-honored classics and new, original works designed to appeal to a diverse, multigenerational audience. The Star Ledger noted, “The Growing Stage is the premiere children’s theatre in New Jersey… even parents who attend plays only to dutifully give their kids some culture won’t feel they’ve made a sacrifice.”

The Growing Stage is the only theatre-for-young-audiences company in the region that gives community artists the opportunity to participate in professional productions. We hold the mentoring of young people as a fundamental responsibility, and the professionals we cast are an excellent resource and example for our aspiring young cast members. Our productions provide quality family entertainment, and at the same time they educate, enlighten, pose questions and spark imaginations.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

We give young people the opportunity to actively participate in the arts through a range of professionally taught classes and workshops. Through our ongoing Creative Arts Academy we off three semesters of arts learning throughout the school year, a Summer Arts Day Camp, New Playwriting Festival, and the Studio Series - two all-youth productions under the direction of our professional team. Recognizing the paramount importance of the arts in children’s education, we offer a variety of professionally cast, school-day programs including Main Stage Matinees, touring productions and workshops in statewide. Teaching guides and “talk back” sessions are features of these exciting, educational experiences that are offered at an affordable per-seat cost. The arts invite young people to create, explore and share with others their natural gifts of imagination and expression. The Growing Stage cultivates that ideal in all our our education programs.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Total number of paid admissions

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Main Stage

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

TGS has a long history of opening our doors to all and presenting works that challenge preconceived notions and ideals, embracing its value and importance as a theatre for young people. Since our founding in 1981 we have practiced an inclusive casting approach where people of all ethnicities, cultures and abilities are encouraged to participate. We have consistently presented new works that encourage acceptance, appreciation and understanding.

We deeply value our role in our community and support initiatives that contribute to its vibrancy and livability.
Our community has experienced a 60% growth in the Hispanic community. We are working to reach those families by expanding our programming to include bi-lingual materials that we hope will encourage participation. We are attracting diverse audiences and offering ourselves as an accessible home for imagination and creativity.
In addition to including bi-lingual works within our season, such as CARMELA FULL OF WISHES in February 2024, we have reached out to existing arts organizations across our state in hopes of establishing collaborative efforts; we are looking at what programming we can expand to include free or pay what you can performances as a way of introducing new families to our theatre; and we are looking to expand our school programming to include a piece that speaks to acceptance of others and anti-bullying. Our facility is entirely ADA compliant and moving forward, our goal continues to be to eliminate barriers and increase participation and access.

In 2019 The Growing Stage adopted a Cultural Equity policy as a standard part of our governance and operation, In June, 2020 we released the following public statement in support of the Black Lives Matter movement to our patrons, artists and funding partners that,
We pledge to find more ways to center culturally diverse stories and artists in our work.
We pledge to We pledge to find more ways to center culturally diverse stories and artists in our work.
We pledge to further our commitment to not only color-inclusive casting, but expanding opportunities in
production design and directing.
We invite and encourage more people of color onto our board and staff to ensure that equity and diversity is
an active part of our decision-making process.
These principles were adopted and added to our policy by our Board of Trustees.
In June, 2021 we re-organized our Board of Trustees Committee structure to include an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and a Community Engagement Committee. Both work in concert with the Growing Stages effort in providing a welcoming environment to all families, creating new opportunities in the arts for all, and embracing our role and responsibility as creative agents for change.

During the pandemic our staff and Board continued to educate ourselves by actively participating in the Listen/Learn/Lead Antiracism in TYA Webinar Series conducted by TYAUSA/ASSITEJ as well as the Antiracism Learning Space run by the New Jersey Theatre Alliance. The New Jersey Theatre Alliance expanded this to continue anti-racism learning in professional theatre spaces with their Creating Change program. They host an annual in-person gathering as well as online roundtables featuring experts in the field throughout the year and members of our staff and board actively participate.
TGS has a long history of opening our doors to all and presenting works that challenge preconceived notions and ideals, embracing its value and importance as a theatre for young people. Since our founding in 1981 we have practiced an inclusive casting approach where people of all ethnicities, cultures and abilities are encouraged to participate. We have consistently presented new works that encourage acceptance, appreciation and understanding. In 2015 we presented the World Premiere of AND THEN CAME TANGO which was based on the true story of an uproar that took place at the Central Park Zoo over two male penguins that bonded to raise a chick. In 2019 we presented another World Premiere, A BETTER PLACE TO BE which focused on immigration, notably that of a young girl from Syria entering the United States. In 2018 at our production of CURIOUS GEORGE we began the practice of offering a sensory-friendly performance that has been included in each run of a Main Stage production since. These are just a few examples of what we have done throughout our history, but we strive to do more.
Inclusiveness and accessibility are key features of all our programs. In addition to our established internships with students from the Boonton and the Lenape Valley High Schools Structured Learning Experience program, and the Celebrate the Children School in Denville, our fundraising efforts have allowed us to keep our ticket prices in line with cinema prices to encourage live theatre as an affordable option.

Financials

GROWING STAGE THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES INC
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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GROWING STAGE THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES INC

Board of directors
as of 01/23/2024
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Mr. David O'Neill

MAG Experiential at BDSmktg

Term: 2022 - 2023

Belinda Perez

Jersey City Public Schools

Michael Kochan

SecurAmerica

Manny Fernandes

Shufro, Rose & Co., LLC Ret.

Casey Christopher

Quontic Bank

Karen Weintraub

Pellecome

Rachel Evans

Kean University

Laurie Kane

Lake Hopatcong Historical Society

Denise Finizio

Private Caterer

Cheryl Abato

ZapLabs

David Spellman

Hewlitt Packard

Jenna Madden

Teaching Artist

Marcia Geltman

Avantax

Paula Brueckner

CSG Law

Joseph Andreacchi

IT Consultant

Michelle Merriman

Special Needs Advocate

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 11/3/2022

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability