VISION

Our productions will promote social values, moral integrity and reflect the cultural diversity of our international city through casting and themes.  The Main Stage Season will offer shows relevant in theme to the lives of elementary age students and their families. Our After School Theatre Programs will give students the opportunity to explore drama, dance, music, and art through the development of a musical at their school site. We also envision a meaningful collaboration with the Long Beach Public Libraries offering Reader’s Theatre bringing children into contact with classic literature as well as new works in a lively and engaging improvisational experience. It is our goal to contribute to the growing body of theatre for youth with the commission and development of new plays that are engaging, enriching, and educational. We will serve a metropolitan area rich in culture by producing arts and education for a diverse population, our theatre will be a dynamic asset to the community. We are determined to bring theatre to families from every socio-economic and cultural background to create strong memories that will last with them a lifetime.

MISSION

The Children’s Theatre of Long Beach creates extraordinary theatre experiences that educate, challenge and inspire young people and their communities toward creative and productive lives becoming voices for positive change. We accomplish our mission through: main stage productions for children and families, outreach and education programs, and the creation of new works for children and families.

VALUES

IMAGINATION
By creating theatre which engages and frees the imagination and intellect the Children’s Theatre of Long Beach can increase the possibility of positive social change. Allowing a young person to engage with a wide variety of issues, through the dramatic arts, we provide a context in which the young person and their community can process events which happen in the diverse society in which we live.

EXCELLENCE
By providing a home base for artists, the Children’s Theatre of Long Beach develops dynamic and professional live theatre to engage children, families, educators and community members in both classic and contemporary works. The Children’s Theatre of Long Beach believes that the collective arts are an essential part of our community and is therefore committed to taking on new challenges and collaborating with our peers to use the arts to make a positive impact.

RESPECT
The Children’s Theatre of Long Beach believes in the creative capability of all children and encourages young performers to work as a team rather than seek the spotlight for themselves. Parents are essential to the growth and development of children as artists and we seek to engage them in the creative process. Audiences are our fellow collaborators for without them there is no dialogue. The Children’s Theatre of Long Beach believes all children, families and communities deserve the opportunity to experience live theatre on stage, off stage and as an audience.

Children’s Theatre of Long Beach is a fairly new theatre company serving families with school age children. CTLB was founded in 2013 in response to the growing need for children’s theatre programs and family theatre. We are an incorporated California non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. CTLB is an artistic resource for Long Beach schools and libraries, a nexus for building community collaboration and a vehicle of theatrical entertainment for all of Long Beach. Children’s Theatre of Long Beach is an exceptional forum for collaboration with local artists, educators, and parents. Carefully chosen classic literary and theatrical works are produced at our Main Stage and in After-School Programs and Workshops through engaging, enriching, and educational plays and musicals. We serve an international city rich in cultural diversity. CTLB creates opportunity for the wide ranging population of our city to come together and create new experiences for their children. Our productions and programs seek to embody our community’s personal experiences while challenging their expectations. CTLB creates venues for access to the arts for families from every background with varied resources through our extensive programming.   We believe theatre engages and inspires people to take part in collaboration and community activity that reaches far beyond the stage.

SEAN McMULLEN- President/CEO
Sean is a teacher at the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) and a graduate of California Institute of the Arts (CAL ARTS) with an Master of Fine Arts in Theatre. Winner of the Princess Grace Foundation’s Excellence in Theatre Award and Long Beach Hero 2014, Sean has been choreographing and directing theatre for all ages for the past 15 years. Before Sean started directing he designed for the theatre in venues as small as 60 seats and in excess of 3000. From children’s theatre, equity waiver, civic light opera to music circus Sean has enjoyed the varied challenges each space has to offer.  Sean has designed and assistant designed sets, costumes and scenery regionally and on Broadway working with designers Christopher Barreca and Douglas Rogers as well as for Directors Glenn Casale and Matthew August.