San Carlos Children’s Theater
San Carlos Children's Theater, 1314 Old County Road, San Carlos, CA 94070
About
San Carlos Children’s Theater offers after-school drama classes, musical theater camps, specialized workshops, and full-scale productions, along with dramatic and musical theater classes, camps, productions, and custom programs. The program includes activities such as the Broadway Rising Stars performing troupe, the Ghostlight program, Ghostlight Summer Shakespeare, Solo Singing Summer Bootcamp, Open Mic Night, and the Youth Advisory Board. Families can also take part in free activities like movie nights, scavenger hunts, and game nights, and students can join specific shows such as Summer Camp Mini Musical: Seussical Kids, Summer Camp Mini Musical: The Jungle Book, Shrek JR, and Something Rotten Teen Musical.
• Ages: 1–18 years old
San Carlos Children’s Theater is a non-profit organization that provides students ages 1–18 with theatrical experiences and uses the tagline “Where Character Grows!” Its mission states that it is committed to educating youth in all aspects of theater production and engaging its extended community, while nurturing creative expression, self-confidence, teamwork, and an appreciation for the arts. Since its inception in 1990 as a program of the San Carlos Parks and Recreation Department, it has had an independent Board of Directors (formed in 1991) and has been celebrating creative enrichment and outstanding service since 1990. The organization’s 2024–2025 season includes 1,100 students, 42 classes and camps, 5 mainstage productions, 1,400 social media fans, 5,000 email subscribers, and 300 volunteers, and it offers student leadership and support roles such as the Youth Advisory Board and positions as junior assistant directors or choreographers, technical crew assistants, and class or camp aides.
The leadership team includes an Executive Operations Director, an Executive Artistic Director, a part-time Technical Director, a Costume Designer, a Set Designer, an Accountant, and a Marketing Manager, with named roles including Vanessa Poon as Executive Operations Director (and Interim Executive Operations Director), Caitlin Savage as Executive Artistic Director, and Eve Dutton as Marketing Manager. San Carlos Children’s Theater has received Bay Area Parent Magazine’s “Best of the Best” award for outstanding theater education every year since 2007 and has been recognized by the City of San Carlos with a special arts proclamation and an official San Carlos Children’s Theater Day. The organization offers the Gail Welter College Scholarship, maintains a Race, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion statement and related initiatives, and acknowledges that it is located on the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples.
San Carlos Children’s Theater provides after-school theater programs to public schools in San Carlos, Redwood City, and Belmont, and participates in community events such as San Carlos Hometown Days, the San Carlos Goblin Walk, Belmont’s Celebrate the Music festival, the Redwood City 4th of July Parade, and the SCCT in Redwood City Parade. It also runs the annual SCCT Scavenger Hunt and the San Carlos Scavenger Hunt as part of its free family activities. The Ghostlight program is described as providing education, connection and a safe space for youth 12+ interested in deepening their skill and involvement in the performing arts, and the Broadway Rising Stars performing troupe focuses on Broadway-style routines.
Parent and student comments describe experiences such as a child wanting to return to a class called “Creating Character” after the first night, families appreciating the experiences and productions, and former students noting that what they learned at San Carlos Children’s Theater influenced their later studies, presentations, and work in fields like computer science. One testimonial refers to San Carlos Children’s Theater as a “community treasure” with teachers who helped children develop life skills like teamwork and collaboration.
Last updated June 18, 2026.
• Ages: 1–18 years old
San Carlos Children’s Theater is a non-profit organization that provides students ages 1–18 with theatrical experiences and uses the tagline “Where Character Grows!” Its mission states that it is committed to educating youth in all aspects of theater production and engaging its extended community, while nurturing creative expression, self-confidence, teamwork, and an appreciation for the arts. Since its inception in 1990 as a program of the San Carlos Parks and Recreation Department, it has had an independent Board of Directors (formed in 1991) and has been celebrating creative enrichment and outstanding service since 1990. The organization’s 2024–2025 season includes 1,100 students, 42 classes and camps, 5 mainstage productions, 1,400 social media fans, 5,000 email subscribers, and 300 volunteers, and it offers student leadership and support roles such as the Youth Advisory Board and positions as junior assistant directors or choreographers, technical crew assistants, and class or camp aides.
The leadership team includes an Executive Operations Director, an Executive Artistic Director, a part-time Technical Director, a Costume Designer, a Set Designer, an Accountant, and a Marketing Manager, with named roles including Vanessa Poon as Executive Operations Director (and Interim Executive Operations Director), Caitlin Savage as Executive Artistic Director, and Eve Dutton as Marketing Manager. San Carlos Children’s Theater has received Bay Area Parent Magazine’s “Best of the Best” award for outstanding theater education every year since 2007 and has been recognized by the City of San Carlos with a special arts proclamation and an official San Carlos Children’s Theater Day. The organization offers the Gail Welter College Scholarship, maintains a Race, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion statement and related initiatives, and acknowledges that it is located on the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples.
San Carlos Children’s Theater provides after-school theater programs to public schools in San Carlos, Redwood City, and Belmont, and participates in community events such as San Carlos Hometown Days, the San Carlos Goblin Walk, Belmont’s Celebrate the Music festival, the Redwood City 4th of July Parade, and the SCCT in Redwood City Parade. It also runs the annual SCCT Scavenger Hunt and the San Carlos Scavenger Hunt as part of its free family activities. The Ghostlight program is described as providing education, connection and a safe space for youth 12+ interested in deepening their skill and involvement in the performing arts, and the Broadway Rising Stars performing troupe focuses on Broadway-style routines.
Parent and student comments describe experiences such as a child wanting to return to a class called “Creating Character” after the first night, families appreciating the experiences and productions, and former students noting that what they learned at San Carlos Children’s Theater influenced their later studies, presentations, and work in fields like computer science. One testimonial refers to San Carlos Children’s Theater as a “community treasure” with teachers who helped children develop life skills like teamwork and collaboration.
Last updated June 18, 2026.
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