We got involved with CYT three years ago. I was looking for a way to help my middle daughter gain more confidence as an individual. As the middle child she was very shy and often got lost between her siblings. I had been talking with a friend about CYT for a few months as we worked together on a middle school production of a musical. She kept telling me how different CYT was from what the kids were experiencing at school. I finally made the decision to enroll my daughter in a class and audition for a show. I cannot tell you how glad I am that I made that decision! Though the first show was kind of scary for my daughter, she had been double cast with an older teen who is one of the kindest people I know. She took my daughter under her wing and made her feel very comfortable. During the rehearsal process and run of performances, my daughter began to make friends, close friends. She is now rehearsing for a major role and is thrilled to be able to share the stage with all of her friends. We are now rehearsing our 7th show. All three of my kids are now involved. It is a learning curve for some. My youngest is not as comfortable on the stage or dancing, but it is broadening his horizons. As a former opera singer, I know how scary it is to be on stage with people of varying degrees of ability. The Thuerbachs are encouraging to all the kids involved. They are fantastic are direction and choreography. The expectations are very high and the results are incredible. All parents are expected to volunteer time on one of the committees. This is an opportunity to make new friends for the parents as well! One of the things I love most about CYT is that nothing is candy coated. You may not get the role you want, or think you deserve. This doesn't mean you are any less talented than another person. It just means you may not be right for the role at that particular time. This is a great lesson to learn now as a child because we all face disappointments in life. Learning to get over the disappointment and move on is key to becoming a well functioning member of society. Our experience has been a positive one. I love the friends I have made volunteering on the costume committee for each show. My kids have made friends they will have for a lifetime and they are getting valuable experience on the stage. I highly recommend this group to anyone who has kids that love to sing, dance and act. read more

CYT Tucson (Christian Youth Theatre) Is an amazing after school program. I have lived in 11 states across our country and this theatre group hands down, is the best for students! We moved to Tucson just over one year ago and wanted to get involved in a theatre group. We found CYT by taking vocal classes at a local public elementary school. They hold classes at multiple locations across the valley, really any building that offers up hard to find space. They are a non for profit group that is run by parent volunteers. We found this group to be incredibly welcoming to our children, and after just one show run (10 weeks) my kids were part of the family. We love it and are happy to use our time in the group to help all of the children grow in the theatre arts. My children are 14, 16, and 18 years old. This group is for 7-19 year old children. Having this wide age range is a fantastic way for the kids to pull off realistic shows and learn to work together. The older kids are mentors for the younger children. We have now been in 3 of the major shows that CYT has done in the past year with cast sizes from 75 kids to 110 kids. There is a huge variety and range of talent among the students and I feel that they are cast at the highest level possible for each role in the show so that the paying audience will go away impressed and willing to buy tickets for future shows. They do not cast on who has been there the longest, but instead they cast their shows by who shows up for auditions and how they perform. Ultimately, if the audience is not impressed, they will not return in the future and that is the bottom line. I feel that the audiences in Tucson are extremely excited about what CYT is doing, and are happy to come back. This is what keeps CYT going, and able to deliver the highest quality shows in the valley for youth. They have amazing choreography, vocals, costumes, sound system, lighting, makeup, sets, props and even live orchestras for their shows. Amazing. read more

THE "C" IN CYT... I respect every persons decision on how they choose to/not to introduce religion to their children and I will be honest and say, as a Jewish family, "C" in CYT gave me pause to join the program at first. Thank goodness I did not walk away before meeting the Directors and doing my research to truly understand the program! What a loss that would have been. Our (Jewish) children have been welcomed and loved by CYT children/young adults, directors and staff for over three years now and the results have been amazing! What the "C" means in terms of values is treating people with respect, developing character values, supporting each others individual talents and being a role model. Sign me up! QUALITY As a past performer and dedicated lover of the arts, I visited darn near every theater company in Tucson trying their classes, watching their performances and meeting their leadership before experiencing CYT Summer Camp. I was utterly AMAZED by what they accomplished in such as short time and then when I saw the first show, I was brought to tears by how over the top incredible the kids were and felt overwhelming gratitude for the hours and dedication of the Directors and the inspiring volunteers to make our children better. Words cannot explain... PAYING TO AUDITION AND MAYBE NOT LANDING THE LEAD ROLE One of our favorite things about CYT is that our child can "fail" to some degree. Our child may not get the role he/she wants, despite practicing and practicing and practicing. That said, I have never been so proud of our son as when he did not get the role that he wanted and, after an ice cream to soften the sting, he said "This is a great opportunity for me to work on my dancing". I can't place a price tag on learning that hard work is its own reward, you don't always get exactly what you want and there is always next time! read more

I joined CYT as a freshman in high school. When I first started I hardly knew anyone, so it was a little hard making friends at first. But by the time the show wrapped I was in love with the program. I kept performing with them for about four more years. I did make friends, and not only that I was pushed and challenged as a performer. Myself and my family fully agree that this is a youth theater organization unlike any other. The shows are Broadway quality. For example, my second show with CYT was Les Miserables. When my family and I saw an off Broadway performance, they said there was barely any difference in the quality of the show. The Theurbachs are pure professionals. They've been in this business and know how to extract excellence from everyone involved in the show. I've been stretched and challenged as an actor, and even discovered a latent talent for singing I didn't know I had before. Don't be turned off by the "youth" in the title. The ages for the show range all the way up to 18, sometimes 19. The talent of the kids in the shows AMAZES me every time. Since I've aged out of the program, they gave me the opportunity to teach classes as well. They give you so many opportunities within the program, and still stick by your side after. As a Christian, it's such a great place to chase my love for acting. Anywhere else it would be so hard to find people with the same level of faith in the midst of performers, but not here. There's a reason why "Christian" is the first word in the title. I'm moving away to start school now, and I can honestly say that CYT has shaped me so much. I have a passion to pursue acting and CYT is hugely responsible for that. I can't thank them enough for what they taught me. read more

CYT is a great organization to participate in and be a part of. As a non-Christian I decided to have my daughter participate in this organization. She understood that rehearsals and performances always started with a prayer and she always respected the view on religion. CYT is a very encouraging and supportive organization. My daughter has always felt welcomed part of the community and has made a wide range of friends. It's the type of community in which families will help each other out when someone is in need. My daughter has grown as an actress and as a person. Children are taught to help and support each other (older children mentoring the younger children), they are encouraged to take risks, and held to high standards (in a very supportive environment). They have taught her valuable acting skills and how to be professional. She recently auditioned for her HS play. At her audition she gave the judges a resume, which she learned how to write at a CYT summer camp. Yes, she impressed her judges with her professionalism and was one of the few freshman to get a role in the play. Thank you CYT for all your help, support, and love. read more

There are not strong enough words to show my appreciation and gratitude for this origination. Origination? No more like family. My daughter & I have been involved in over 30+ shows in this group since 2005. We have learned many life lessons, had fabulous support from other parents, laughed a lot and made life long friends. My daughter is now a successful college student that is a risk taker, hard worker ready for her life's journey. We came to CYT interested in the theater program and learned with so much on & off the stage. (We really haven't left! CYT will be in our hearts forever!) The magnificent part of this group is that you are accepted. Some pray to God, others bow their heads in a moment of thought and silence. We thank him for making this connection with our kids. We thank Kathy and Jon as our leaders to help with the most precious gift we are given and that is our children. I personally am so incredibly grateful! read more

CYT Tucson is an amazing organization, and they are extremely up front that they are a Christian organization, if you even visited their website, you'd see the word "Christian" everywhere on the home page. I was with CYT for 8 years, and had an absolute blast performing with them! I still go to see the shows because not only was it fun to perform with them, but the shows themselves are amazing. The directors have high expectations for the children involved because they know how much talent each child that joins has, and that the talent truly needs to be worked for to be mastered, theater is not a lazy experience. Yes, you do pay up front before knowing what role your child would be getting, but no matter what role they get, your child will be in a safe environment, surrounded by great mentors, and most of all having a phenomenal time. No role is a small role read more

I am one of the very first Tucson Christian Youth Theater students! I joined at the age of 9 in 2005 or 2006 (I can't remember which) and graduated out at age 18 in 2012. First hand I watched CYT Tucson grow from a small organization of 20 kids, to a huge cast of 100, all the while being on a scholarship!! And not even once did the organization and staff falter from their mission statement. CYT has provided a secure and safe environment for so many kids who needed to find their way and explore their passion. If it wasn't for CYT I would have never met my husband or become a dance major! I have made friendships that will last my whole life, and gained mentors that are always looking out for me! I can't wait to visit Tucson and see what those talented people will be performing next! read more

CYT Tucson changed my daughter's life. We found the program in 2008 and she finally found theater kids like her and sense of belonging. This isn't just your average children's theater, this is top notch talent. The best aspect of the program is they put the emphasis on character rather than making your child a star. This is about working together to put on a show and good moral values. It doesn't matter what religion you belong to, even though they are called Christian Youth Theater. What you can count on because of the Christian title is good, clean shows and activities. That's hard to find these days. I highly recommend you sign your child up for classes and a show! (Classes are for ages 5-18 and shows are for 8-18). read more

We have been looking into CYT for years! Finally this summer had my 15 year old take a class. I was so amazed at the level for teaching as well as acting in all the kids and teens. I was impressed with their high standards too. We our a religious family and appreciate the high moral standards CYT upholds! So thankful to be apart of an awesome group of parents, kids and teens. If your child is looking to live a dream of being on Broadway, this is where it's at! So thankful for Kathy and Jon for running a program that is fun and wholesome. read more

Enrolling my daughter in CYT Tucson is probably the best thing I've ever done for her! The talented,encouraging, loving, and, professional directors and staff bring together our youth of all ages, all walks of life, and all talent levels to produce the most amazing musical productions I could have imagined! (And I'm a former New Yorker and former Broadway snob!). Their gentle urging, loving encouragement, and true delight in every one of our kids helps our youth be the best they can be.....on and off the stage. read more

CYT fills a need that is sorely lacking in Tucson public schools--that of fine arts education. Both of my kids have participated in the classes, shows, and camps for years and we haven't had one bad experience. Kids can explore their interests in acting, singing, dancing, and backstage skills in a supportive, kind, Christian environment. I'm so very glad I found this organization after moving here from Chicago in 2006! read more

I saw Oliver as well, and I loved the performance! Taking something sad, like the story of Oliver, and transforming it into something funny and uplifting is incredibly hard to do. I can very passionately say that this was displayed through all characters. I felt very happy, and amazed when I saw Newsies, Wizard of Oz, Sound of Music, James and The Giant Peach, Spongebob, High School Musical, Annie, and Musical Revue. read more

As a CYT student for almost 7 years I can gladly say that CYT is the most amazing thing in my whole entire life. I absolutely love the people, the directors, and the shows. CYT changed my life completely. I have made lifetime friends. The people there have a strong set of morals and I am beyond grateful I have had this since I started middle school and throughout high school. read more